Beshalach “When He Sent” Exodus 13:17–17:16 Judges 4:4–5:31 Mark 6 Celebrating the Journey The journeys of the Hebrews are written, not only to be a historical record of the faithfulness of HaShem to His people, but these writings are recorded to also give us an example of how to walk out our own journey through life. Within the words of the history of the Hebrews we see moments of great faith and moments of great lack of faith. We should never look to these people and use them as some kind of a spiritual punching bag to built ourselves up, but rather see them as humans who had the same faults that each of us possesses today. What can we learn from these men and women of old? What can we see in their failures which can help us in the days ahead to not simply repeat history once again? The answer, I believe, lies not in the failures but in the victories. The Hebrews failed to celebrate the victories God gave them and in doing so, when the next trial came, the remembrances of the victory were too distant of a memory. Please allow me to expound. Just imagine, if you will, being there on the shore of the sea. Water is in front of you, mountains on each side, and the armies of Egypt behind. All of a sudden you feel a breeze which seems to come from nowhere yet come from everywhere. The breeze turns to a wind which continues to gain strength through the night. You wake the next morning to the sounds of shouting and celebration. The sea which had been before you is now divided in two. You quickly gather your family and belongings and head out toward the opening. It is a fearful yet awesome sight as you walk with water piled up to your right and to your left. This is the moment you sure wish you had not forgotten your camera back in Egypt! Then, there you are, standing on the other shore watching as each Hebrew makes it to safety. The Egyptians begin to pursue into the divided waters only to be swept away by the judgment of God. It is a moment you know you will never forget. Miriam breaks out her tambourine and there is celebration in the camp, but all too soon the celebration is over and you must press on. With each step into the desert the miracle of the dividing of the sea and the celebration which ended all too soon fade from your active memory. Hunger and thirst now begin to set in as you continue your journey. The people around you begin to complain. Where is the celebration now? Where is the remembrance of the last miracle now? Has God changed? Can He no longer do miracles? Or is it that you simply forget to ask Him for one, as grumbling, complaining and faith just do not mix well in the human spirit? What if in the midst of the complaining of thirst and hunger, you had remembered the last miracle of the parting of the sea? What if instead of joining with the complaining you had reached over and borrowed Miriam's tambourine and begun to play? What if, instead of passing the murmuring on, you had led off with the opening lines of the song you sang on the shore of the sea? What if you had refused to give into the grumbling, but instead had overcome the grumbling with your own celebration? Could history have been different and the journey to the Promised Land a bit shorter had celebration overcome complaint? We will never know, for we cannot go back and change the past. We can only define the present. The exodus of Jeremiah 16:14 may be months or years off, but I believe we are being prepared for it today. On the top of our list of preparation items should be remembering to celebrate victories and miracles. Yes, HaShem performs miracles in our lives daily. They may not be of the magnitude of the parting of the sea yet, but they are still there for those who take time to notice. Begin to acknowledge these miracles, share them with those close to you and above all, take time to get in the habit of celebrating His awesome plans and guidance we see working in our lives. This way, when a trial comes our way, when our faith is tested, maybe instead of immediately resorting to joining with the crowd of complainers, we will resort to that which we have been trained to do -- celebrate the last miracle and hold on for the next one, for surely it is on the way. Yes, the days ahead may look dark for the world of Egypt, but remember the reason and purpose for the darkness is the deliverance of His complete family and their return to the land He has promised. Let us all be found celebrating the journey, not complaining about the bumps in the road.