Leaving Elim

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.  Exodus 15:27

They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.  And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.  Exodus 16:1-2

The early wilderness days for the children of Israel were action packed!  They escaped Egypt only to get trapped between the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh.  God parted the sea and saved them, but then they found their way to Marah.  The Lord sweetened the bitter waters, then led them to the oasis of Elim.  Finally they’d found their place of blessing and rest!

But not for long.

 

I’ve been thinking about Elim today….

We’re getting ready to head toward the wilderness in just a few days… or so it seems to me anyway.  We’re heading to west Texas, which may not actually be the wilderness, but I think it’s pretty close. 

And since I was already thinking about Elim, I looked in the Scriptures and found some irony there…

Elim was a place of springs and palm trees.  We’re leaving the land of springs and palm trees – literally.   We’re currently located in the vicinity of some pretty famous springs – Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs, just to name a couple.  And there’s a palm tree just beyond my driveway -- several of them, actually.

We’re moving to Lubbock, where I think there’s dust and dirt and maybe even some tumbleweeds.  But there aren’t springs and there aren’t palm trees.  That I know of.

I’m not sure I’ve ever lived so far inland…

And honestly, this #FloridaGirl is feeling a little apprehensive.

I’ve always read through the Exodus stories with very little compassion for the faithlessness of the wandering Israelites.  The Lord rescues and provides, rescues and provides, provides, provides, and the children of Israel rebel and complain.  But I'm realizing that they sound a lot like me, actually, and today I’m feeling a little more compassion for them.

God took the people to Elim.

Elim was a great place.  It was beautiful.  It was refreshing.  It was a place where the children of Israel experienced the blessings of God.  They enjoyed pleasant days, camping by the water, resting under palm trees, and generally having a good time.

But they couldn’t stay at Elim.  They were headed for the Promised Land, and Elim was just a rest stop on the way to their ultimate destination.

But I think I would have wanted to stay in Elim.  I don’t think I would have been very anxious to leave the oasis to head back into the desert.

And that’s what’s been on my mind.  What did leaving Elim feel like? 

I think leaving Elim must have felt confusing.  After all, didn’t God bring us to Elim on purpose?  It’s easy to believe that God is taking care of us when we’re in Elim. In Elim, blessing and abundance are all around us.  Life is good, and it feels good.  Rest, refreshing waters, joyful celebration – life in Elim is great!  Why would anyone ever want to leave?

But God said move.  So they moved.

And what a frustrating move that was!  From abundance to lack, all over again!  It was as if their worst nightmare had come true.

Moving on into the wilderness, they quickly used up any stores they may have taken with them from Elim.  They were hungry (or even “hangry” apparently).  They were tired.  They were probably hot and dirty.  And they grumbled.

I probably would have grumbled too.  I think I would have been disappointed and confused.  Why make us leave Elim, where life was pleasant and comfortable, to move to the desert, where life was hard?

Well, some pretty exciting stuff was getting ready to happen, but none of it would have happened had they stayed in the comfortable place.  The children of Israel were holding onto what felt adequate and secure.  But God was planning the miraculous.

Leaving Elim brought them to a place of need.  Again.  And God provided.  Again.

God taught His people about daily bread.  He gave them meat in the evening, manna in the morning, and He would do this continually for years to come.

Then He took them to the mountain where He would give the people instructions on how to live happy, productive lives.  They would hear the literal voice of God! 

And eventually He took them right to the Promised Land.  But they were so caught up in the past and so stubbornly oblivious to the miracle-working nature of God that they missed it.

I don’t want to miss it.

Now, I’m not really expecting that Lubbock, Texas is going to be the Promised Land.  Maybe it will be.  Or maybe Lubbock is quail and manna.  Maybe it is a place to hear the voice of God.  I don’t really know.  All I know is that it’s not Elim. 

For now, I’m going to take a few days to enjoy the springs and the palm trees, or I will if this rain ever stops!  And when it’s time to set out from Elim, I’ll move on.  God’s not taking me anywhere that He’s not going, and that’s amazingly comforting in this moment. 

That’s not to say there won’t be some grumbling along the way.  I know me better than that!  Fortunately, my Father knows me even better, and I have to trust that He knows best.

…Just a thought…