The Food of Egypt Will Kill You!

     "Oh, shut up!" Sometimes I find myself saying this to the flesh of me; that lustful part that craves for attention, enjoyment, and excitement. As I look around and view other people's lives, and the choices they make, which fill these so called "needs," sometimes I find myself whining and complaining, even getting jealous at what they do. Or, atleast my flesh does, and that is why I tell it to "shut up."
     The Israelites in the wilderness experienced these same feelings and allurements because they were tired of the manna God had sent them to eat; that food from above. They griped and complained because they craved the variety of food they had in Egypt, even if they were enslaved!. What they were willing to give up to satisfy the lust of their flesh!
     Of course, we know what happened. God sent them quail (something more to their flesh's liking) and told them to eat until their belly was full, and they did, and they got sick. And, that is what will happen to us if we complain about His provision for us, craving something more exciting or enjoyable! We are free to "eat, drink and be merry" if we like, even if we are His. We can revel till the sun goes down! Only problem is that the sun will go down. We will eventually get sick, possibly even spiritually sick, and if we continue down this flesh driven path, we too will become enslaved.
     Many times the things that happen in the Old Testament create a picture for us to learn from (if we will) for us who are in Christ today. In this happening, the "manna" represents Christ; the bread of Heaven given for us to eat of daily. Are we tired of Him, and want something else to eat? Or, more pointedly, are we rejecting Him because we are listening to our flesh and letting it control us, and are discarding Him for our lust for fun, entertainment, enjoyment and it's many other cravings? Perhaps we think "we deserve it" because afterall, everyone else seems to "let the good times roll." "Maybe I'm just being a prude, and who can relate to that," the alluring reasoning goes. Or, "I've had so much stress lately that no one would deny me a little fun, would they?" And all the while, God is saying, "eat of me," and we ignore the only One who offers us a true remedy; the only One who can satisfy.  Oh, how dark is that darkness.

II Timothy 3:1-4
    
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—"
   
  I can see this happening all around me. Can you? People once satisfied with Christ have given in to their fleshly cravings by loving pleasure, even claiming freedom in Christ as their justification. Again, how dark is that darkness. If we don't love the truth, He will give us over to blindness, which is that spiritual sickness which results in death.

This post is written for those who are contemplating eating more quail, but who know deep within, they shouldn't; for those who still have some light left in them. Don't do it!!! Turn and return to Christ by eating of Him, and drinking of Him!!! He is enough. He does satisfy your soul's needs. Don't satisfy your flesh and lose your inheritance!

Cross references:

1. 2 Timothy 3:1 : 1Ti 4:1; 2Pe 3:3
2. 2 Timothy 3:2 : S 1Ti 3:3
3. 2 Timothy 3:2 : Ro 1:30
4. 2 Timothy 3:2 : 2Pe 2:10-12
5. 2 Timothy 3:2 : Ro 1:30
6. 2 Timothy 3:4 : Ps 25:3
7. 2 Timothy 3:4 : 1Ti 3:6; 6:4