Look Forward; Looking Back is Too Expensive

We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.

Numbers 11:5

Let’s face it, change is hard! When you get used to a difficult boss, you become worried when a leadership change is about to occur. Somehow, we think a known devil is better than a strange angel. The truth is, the devil wasn’t better, we just simply adjusted to accommodate him. This philosophy is why people are stuck in abusive relationships, toxic work environments and sometimes religious environments. 

In Numbers 11:4-9, we see something similar. Israelites began to long for the comforts of their past life in Egypt, despite the harsh bondage and slavery they had endured there. As they journeyed through the wilderness, the people began to complain about the lack of variety in their diet, reminiscing about the fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic they had enjoyed in Egypt.

Despite the fact that their time in Egypt was marked by oppression and servitude, the Israelites allowed their immediate cravings to overshadow the memory of the great freedom and deliverance God had granted them. They began to desire the fleeting pleasures of their past life, forgetting the price that  had been paid for their newfound freedom.

In our own lives, we may also be tempted to look back longingly on our past, particularly the sinful pleasures or comforts we once enjoyed before coming to know Christ. The enemy may try to entice us with memories of the fleeting pleasures of sin, causing us to question the cost of following Christ and yearning for the familiarity of our former way of life.

However, we must remember that our past life of sin and bondage was nothing compared to the freedom and abundant life that Jesus offers us. Just as the Israelites were rescued from the oppressive grip of Pharaoh and brought into the light of God’s freedom, so too have we been delivered from the power of sin and Satan through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 6:22-23, “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As we face the temptation to long for the pleasures of our past life, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Let us remember the cost of our freedom and the abundant life that Jesus offers us, and choose to walk in the freedom and victory that He has won for us.

PRAYER