Message summary: During times of adversity stay faithful to God and remember His grace is sufficient. Today make a fresh declaration: I won't go back.

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"Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" (Numbers 14:3). "You do not want to leave too, do you?" (John 6:67). "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward" (Hebrews 10:35). "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls" (Hebrews 10:39).

Today we both have two recent ministry encounters on our hearts:

In both stories our encouragement is stay faithful to God, His grace is sufficient.

Keith Green was one of our favorite musicians as young Christians in the late seventies and early eighties. He had been an up and coming rock musician in the early seventies when he made a 180-degree turn to follow Christ. His ministry called the church, especially young believers, to solid commitment to Christ.

One of his albums was titled, "So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt?" Egypt, as most of you know, was the country where Moses led the Israelites out of during the Exodus. But incredibly some of them wanted to return to Egypt where they would return to slavery (see Numbers 14:3). This was initially a literal desire in spite of their being held bondage in Egypt amidst the horrible conditions from which they were delivered.

In Keith's song he sees Egypt as representing the old way of life that seeks to draw the believer back to their life before Christ.

The traveling accommodations got really tough for the Israelites in the wilderness. Theirs was a very hard and long journey to the Promised Land. Can you imagine traveling and camping daily with ten children in tow, along with all your belongings and livestock? If you've taken a trip across the country in a vehicle with several children you know the stress it brings; children fussing, diapers needing changed, others pleading, "Are we there yet?", only to have a flat tire along the way.

Imagine how much harder it would be to walk the journey! In the process of heading to the Promised Land a spirit of discontent and complaining arose among them. The Israelites had selective memory; they forgot all the pain and abuse in Egypt but recalled only the pleasant memories. The good things were yet to come but they weren't yet experiencing them. The account specifically refers to the tasty food they had enjoyed in Egypt like onions as a source of discontent.*

Sadly they set their hearts and minds, along with their appetites, on that which they didn't have at the present time. This led them to complain about the manna, a miraculous provision which they had rather quickly grown weary of.

We are also on a journey, as the old hymn states, "Bound For The Promised Land". The Promised Land journey will be tough in varying degrees. We may also have a selective memory problem and the old life may look good. (In our personal observation this diminishes the farther along you are on the journey.)

The urge to go back was expressed in John 6:66, "From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him." Jesus asked the Twelve, "You do not want to leave too, do you?"

Outspoken Simon Peter speaks for all the Twelve and he speaks for the believer today as well. He speaks for us! "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God".

Today let us make a fresh declaration that we won't go back.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Jesus, You alone have the words of eternal life. Like Simon Peter, we have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God. As believers we are bound for the Promised Land, but we know the way is not for the faint of heart. Some go through the fire, some through the flood, some through the water but, because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we all go through the blood. Help us not to get distracted or be deceived by the devil's seeking to lure us back to the old way of life before we made You the Lord of our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen

"I Won't Go Back"  Watch on YouTube   Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir (with lyrics)

"So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt"   Watch on YouTube   Keith Green

"No Turning Back"  Watch on YouTube  Brandon Heath

"Faithful To The End"  Watch on YouTube  Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

* "We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic" (Numbers 11:5).

This is the only reference to onions in the Bible. Onions are among a list of dietary items the recently delivered Israelites missed from their days in Egypt. Bible scholars have determined that specifically they missed the Bloomin' Onion appetizer from the Egyptian Roadhouse (just kidding of course).

My earliest memory of onions was being worried about my Mom. I just couldn't understand why she cried when she cut up onions! A crying parent, especially a father, is a source of distress to children.

Onions are grown and used all around the world. They were taken to North America by the first European settlers who discovered the plant was already in wide use by Native Americans. According to diaries kept by the first English colonists, the bulb onion was one of the first crops planted by the Pilgrims.

I don't recall liking onions as a child but I acquired the taste as I grew toward adulthood and now like to add onions on just about everything but dessert. Onions are reported to have numerous health benefits including improved vitamin C production, reducing inflammation, regulating blood sugar, and preventing certain cancers.