Beware of M&M!!!

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah[a] and Meribah,[b] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17:1-7 (ESV)

 
There can be seasons in our life when things just don’t ‘go well’ for us. Other times it could just be horrible. In those times we must remember to avoid M & M’s. For those who read the Old Testament often, this may be a familiar story – for those who don’t, it may seem like a strange story, but many may be hard-pressed to see how it has any relevance in our modern society. Let us look a little closer.
Exodus 17 tells us that all the Israelites camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. This was a tough time for the Israelites and they quarreled with Moses. They even took it a step further and questioned whether the Lord was among them or not. This was sin. They grumbled and tested the Lord. When things were rough and didn’t go their way, they quarreled against their God-appointed leader and tested the Lord. Moses renamed that place Massah and Meribah. Those two Hebrew words mean, Testing and Quarreling. Every time anyone would pass through that place, they will recall how the Israelites grumbled against their leader and tested the Lord. Are there lessons for us from that story? Absolutely. For me, when things don’t go my way, I tend to grumble against those who have authority over me. When I hurt emotionally and physically, I am often tempted to question God’s care for me, or worse, “Does He really know what’s best for me?” This is sin. BUT God has a remedy for sin – His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has provided Jesus as our Savior, and the Holy Spirit as our Comforter. Salvation has been secured in Christ. Our part is now to resist the desire for evil and avoid Massah and Meribah {testing & quarreling}. This season enjoy your little M & M candies, they’re not poisonous, but let those little red, yellow, brown, orange, green and blue candies remind us that there is an M&M that is poisonous to our souls, and we must avoid it all cost!

Brian Spivey D.O.C.