It's also easy to murmur when things get tough. (Exodus 14-18)

14:5

Have you ever committed to doing a good deed and then, when the time comes to do it, your lazy side wonders what you were thinking? I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve done this many times. I’ll volunteer for a service project for a Saturday morning and then hate that I did that when I wake up on Saturday morning. I think it’s the “natural man,” lazy, self-centered Eric. 

It sounds like a similar event happened with the Egyptians. “And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” They had a minute of doing the right thing followed by a rushing return of their natural man. 

More often, this can happen in reverse. Sometimes, we’re in a tempting situation and then give into that temptation. Only later to feel the weight of what we’ve done wrong. This happens a lot when it comes to sin and repentance.

The key is to maintain connection with the Spirit always. If we can have the consistent companionship of the Holy Ghost, we will not have these repetitive peaks and valleys that come from dipping into sin.

14:10-12

“And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” 

Sometimes, especially when faced with danger or harsh consequences, we seek to blame others. The Israelites were embellishing history by recounting that they had actually WANTED to stay and serve the Egyptians. Perhaps some of them did. We all desperately want to be the heroes of our on inner monologue. Our brains, for whatever reason, will fight to preserve our awesomeness. It seems to be our instinct to point fingers when things get tough.

It’s not healthy and it doesn’t lead to repentance or faithfulness. If, when faced with a big trial or challenge, we would look inward to see what we could change and then look to the Savior for strength and the Spirit for guidance, that’s productive. That leads to progress. If we always look for someone to blame when things get tough, we’re damned.

14:13-14

Moses does what I’m talking about. “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” If, when faced with struggle, we would hold our ground without fear and look for salvation to come from the Lord - we will witness miracles. The Lord was kind in saving those people who weren’t showing faith. I’m sure that happens but I think it’s more common for miracles to attend those who exercise faith. 

Another thought. This idea of fear not and stand still and see salvation is a good pattern for those who believe they are losing their faith. When introduced to information or historical accounts or policies that they don’t support, many FEAR that their loyalty to the church - even for their entire lives - was in vain. They fear, suddenly, that the church isn’t true. They fear that all of the time and effort that they’ve put into their faith was misplaced. 

I’ve heard of a woman who said she lost her faith in three hours. Moses’s advice to “stand still” is good advice. When we are upset and facing something tremendous, it’s not a good time to start reevaluating our life choices. We should not be willing to cede ground to the adversary so quickly. Jeffery Holland said, "I would say to all who wish for more faith, remember this man! In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. In the growth we all have to experience in mortality, the spiritual equivalent of this boy's affliction or this parent's desperation is going to come to all of us. When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.”

14:15

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.” It’s interesting what the Lord says here. I see it as he’s telling Moses that NOW is the time to ACT. He needs to stop praying about what’s happening and actually do something.

I think this may be missing from some of our discipleship - at least mine. I am often asking the Lord to bless someone but, less often, I’m asking for ideas about how I can bless that same person. We aren’t only a soldier who stays behind the fighting calling in fighter jets to save the day. He wants us, instead to spend more time on the front line, advancing the cause ourselves. The growth comes from the acting, not the praying. Praying is a means to an end. The prayer itself isn’t the purpose.

14:31

We shouldn’t be the type of Saints who wait for the miracle before we believe. It appears that Israel was this way. “And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.” Faith usually precedes the miracle for a purpose. This divine order allows for people to strengthen their faith. Faith coming after witnessing a miracle can be the catalyst for repentance but it can’t be the sole source for our testimonies. We will never progress in faith sufficiently by waiting for miracles to believe. 

I think this is part of what Jesus meant when he said, “Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

15:26

“And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” This verse seems to be about listening and doing God’s will. The Lord asks people to “diligently hearken” and “give ear.” He asks to do “that which is right in HIS sight” and “keep all his statutes.” If we listen and obey, we will be healed. 

In this case, the Lord was protecting the Israelites from the diseases that came upon the Egyptians. In our case, it may be about disease but is more likely a spiritual healing. We will be ultimately, completely, perfectly healed some day.

It's also important to note that what is truly right is "that which is right in HIS sight." It isn't about what's right in OUR sight but what is right to the Lord. It isn't what is right in our opinion. It isn't our truth but It is about what is THE truth.

16:2-3

Israel is a fickle bunch it appears. They worship the Lord until they don’t. I guess we can say the same thing for all of us. Once they are in the wilderness, they start to complain about food. “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Some of us, sometimes, love the Lord when life is good and then immediately question when things get a little rough. 

Israel seems to be this way. No wonder the Lord wanted them refined over 40 years. They seem to forget their Savior kinda easily. Maybe it’s just human nature. They definitely don’t automatically jump to thankfulness and faithfulness. Their go-to is murmuring. We need to recognize that this is likely a default for all of us and fight the urge to murmur when faith is needed.

16:4

“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” The Lord is ready to bless them. However, there are some rules. They will be blessed with food but must gather every day. The Lord is literally illustrating how obedience and blessings work. It’s almost like they had obedience training-wheels. “Do what I ask and immediately receive blessings.”

The Lord is literally proving them. Obviously, the Lord is also proving us. In Abraham, we read, "we will go down" and "we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.” Our blessings may not be so connected to our obedience here but it shouldn’t be that way anyway. We should be motivated to do the right thing for a higher reason than simply receiving blessings. As Elder Uchtdorf said, this life is not a big vending machine where we receive a treat for being obedient or just because we ask. 

Blessings do certainly attend obedience - but sometimes not directly. The goal is to be obedient because we LOVE God and his Son and each other and everything they have done for us. It can’t be that we’re rabbits pushing levers for food pellets.

16:7

I like that Moses corrects the murmuring Israelites. “And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?” They have been complaining against Moses and Aaron - not really considering that they are the Lord’s mouthpieces in this situation. They aren’t just murmuring against two men. They are murmuring against God. Moses reminds them who they are actually murmuring against. 

I can’t help but think of criticisms that I have heard against our current leaders. Some of us may be perfectly comfortable murmuring against an apostle - not considering that he is an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ and speaks for him. We may disagree with how something was said or the latest policy change. We need to actively avoid murmuring against God and his servants.

16:27-28

“Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?” So, the people thought they could go ahead an gather on the seventh day when they were told not to. It must not have made sense to them that there wouldn't be manna on the seventh day when it was there the previous six days. It must have appeared to be some kind of natural occurrence. It likely didn’t make sense to them logically that the manna knew which day it was to not show up on the seventh day.

Sometimes, we attempt to outthink the Lord. We apply our logic. Something may not make logical sense to us and so we reject it or do it our own way. We get into trouble when we attempt to out-logic the Lord. We must always defer to him and understand that he knows and sees things that we don’t. We can’t compete mentally. Our job is to obey - not to ponder the validity of the commandment.

17:2-3

Once again, the Israelites murmur because there wasn’t water to drink. “Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” It seems like they always go to “why did you bring us here to kill us?” It’s like they are embellishing the negative to make the point. I hate it when people do that.

Moses again reminds them that their murmuring is towards the Lord - not Moses. Again, it’s easy to complain against a person rather than the Lord himself. 

We shouldn’t look at every challenge as an opportunity to murmur but rather a time to increase our faith.

17:11-12

This is an interesting story that I don’t completely understand. The Israelites are in a battle against the Amalekites. The Israelites only triumph when Moses has his hands lifted. “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” 

This is a good example of how we must support each other. They realized that it wasn’t simply Moses’s responsibility. All of the weight didn’t need to be on him. It could be spread out among the three of them. It may not have been possible for Moses to maintain his hands above his head (have you tried to hold your hands above your head for any length of time - it’s hard!) without help. We should look for opportunities to help lift each other’s burdens.

18:14-20

“And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even? And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God: When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.”

Moses’s father in law was a wise man. He could see that the current situation was untenable. Sometimes, we don’t really trust other people to take on responsibility that is currently ours. This is a temptation for both business leaders and bishops - really any position that requires a lot. 

Someone once told me that, if someone could do something 80% as good as I do it, it’s something that can be delegated. This has been good advice for me. Right now, my son Carson is running my business. When I first put him in place, I remember that I wanted to retain a lot of the responsibility - especially marketing. As I’ve let him take it over, he’s exceeded what I was able to do. I’m so grateful that I trusted him.

I also like the father-in-law’s advice about Moses should focus on being a teacher and an example as the leader. That is what was really needed by the Israelites. They didn’t an administrator, they needed a leader. Moses was the only one who could do that. I think many of our leaders - even local leaders - are focused on the administration of the ward or stake rather than the spiritual leadership. There was a talk a couple of conferences ago that talked about “counting and accounting” that taught this really well. 

With any effort, there is going to be a need for management and leadership. Those who are called to spiritually lead a group should not get bogged down in the management items. It’s sometimes easier to do because management items are more black and white, more visible, more defined. That doesn’t make those things more important. I’m certainly grateful that Jesus focused on being a teacher and a perfect example. Jesus focused on people, not things.