Ouch...now that hurts!!!

Check this passage out...

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.”When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’” So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.” Exodus 33:1-6

A little background if I may...WE have been going through a series within the Student Ministry here at Mt. Carmel called, "Are We There Yet?" It has chronicled the journey of the Israelites as they were freed from Egypt and all that has followed to this point in Exodus 33. What have they seen? Oh, not much.

1. Freedom. NO biggie. They were an oppressed people that God took from slavery to being made free.

2. The RED Sea being parted. Big deal...I would think so, but they forgot about that quickly.

3. Food Delivered to their Door. That's right, manna from Heaven. Food for them to have.

4. Various crazy situations with their leader Moses. Rod turning into a snake, hitting a stone and getting water, so on and so on.

You get the point. Very cool stuff. Oh, yeah...where was I. Aghh...telling you about all these things happening. Well, the passage listed above came out of even more doubt from the Israelites as they, after being left alone for a time, (40 days-ish) they made an idol out of gold. Is it any wonder that God reacted this way?

How bad do you have to get for God be that disappointed in you. I remember hurting my dad's feelings when I was a kid. Often times I would get spanked...I called it the BackSide Olympics...anyway, the swats never really stuck with me. What stuck with me was my dad saying how hurt and disappointed he was in me.

Our heavenly father has to be the same way. How disappointed is He in our actions now? Are we that far off from the Israelites? WE are just fortunate to have a gift in Jesus that, we too often, will take advantage of. What a tough realization!!!

To thine own self...