“They said to Moses, “Weren’t there any graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out here in the desert to die? Look what you have done by bringing us out of Egypt!” Exodus 14:11
I think as adults we get used to living in bad situations that we’ve been placed in. It can be scary to do something different. The Israelites had been in Egypt long enough that the rulers didn’t know about Joseph who had actually saved their country. So these Israelites likely grew up as slaves to the Egyptians. It is what they knew. It was how they saw themselves, their identity was Egyptian slaves despite being God’s chosen people.
So the idea of leaving the known for the unknown was probably scary. But they chose to do it. It probably became terrifying when the Egyptian rulers changed their minds and began to pursue the Israelites with an army. They quickly turned on Moses. “YOU brought us here to die!”
We often look for someone to blame when things get tough. We want someone to blame when we feel our back is against the wall; or in this case, soldiers to our back and a Red Sea in front of us. We look for someone to blame when we feel trapped.
It is an automatic defense. Adam blamed God for the woman He gave him. Eve blamed the Serpent.
That evening they heard the Lord God walking in the garden, and they hid from him among the trees. But the Lord God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden; I was afraid and hid from you, because I was naked.”
“Who told you that you were naked?” God asked. “Did you eat the fruit that I told you not to eat?”
The man answered, “The woman you put here with me gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
The Lord God asked the woman, “Why did you do this?”
She replied, “The snake tricked me into eating it.” Genesis 3:8-13
From the beginning of time this is how we have responded when we feel backed into a corner.
Wait a minute though, these were Israelites who were adults. Yes, children were there but based on the times we can conclude that the speakers were adult men telling Moses, “You put us in this predicament.” How often do we try to blame others for our current circumstances as adults?
As children, we want to blame someone else. As the youngest of five children, I often got blamed despite not doing anything. I also learned to blame others. It is an innate response when we feel like we’re in trouble. And there are things that happen in our lives that we don’t have control over. As children, we don’t control what the adults in our lives to do. So as children we might not have control, but as an adult we are free to choose what we do. We may feel our options our limited, but we always have a choice.
No one forced the Israelites to pack up their stuff and leave. Moses didn’t hold his sword to their heads making them flee Egypt. By sheer number there are more Israelites than there was Moses; he couldn’t force them to do anything. They made the decision to let Moses lead them. They likely followed their family head, but Moses didn’t bring them to the Red Sea. They got there by choice.
Often we want to shift responsibility onto someone else for the choices we make. Others can influence us, but we are responsible for our actions. Can be hard, but we have to choose our hard. We choose the hard to stay in the comfort of the known regardless of how dysfunctional it is or we choose the hard of stepping out into the freedom of the unknown where we may face some resistance. We create our own paths either way. Regardless of those who try to sway us One Direction or the other, we are responsible for our choice. We are also allowed to change our mind and shift our paths when we want to. No one else is responsible for another adult’s decisions.
When I think about people making hard choices three examples come to mind.
The first is found in Genesis 19:12-26. Lot and his family are told to get out of Sodom as it would be destroyed. Three times they were told to flee, but they dragged their feet. When they finally left, they were warned “don’t look back”. They made the hard choice to leave, but Lot’s wife made the decision to look back. It was her choice, and one that she got stuck in as she turned into a pillar of salt.
The second is found in Judges 7. The Israelite warriors were given a choice to stay and fight or to return home. Out of 32,000 warriors, three hundred chose the hard of staying and fighting. They won the battle against a mighty army.
The third is found in John 6:59-69. Jesus had many disciples, but when the teaching and standard got hard, many turned their back. The twelve we know chose the hard of staying. And even some of those struggled in their choice at times. We are only told of one male disciple was at the foot of the cross (John 19:25-26). Although we know after the resurrection, eleven of the disciples and a hundred and twenty went to Jerusalem (Acts 1:12-15).
God has given us free will. We get to make decisions for ourselves. We may feel at times that we have little choice, especially if we’re in relationship with people who like to control us, we do have free will. We are responsible for our choices, our mood, our attitude, Our behaviors, our reactions, our words, and what we continue to think on. Others may influence us but we ultimately have control over these areas in our own life.
What areas in my life am I still blaming others for?
What action do I want to take to change the script and ultimately the circumstances surrounding it?
Prayer – Lord thank You for showing me how I often want to continue blaming others instead of focusing on what is in my control. Help me to accept the responsibility I have for stewarding what You have placed inside of me. Show me any areas I have not realized that I need to own my decisions today. In Jesus name I pray amen.
Restoring Voice 
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