The Mind of Christ

We have been studying through Exodus the past few years and we finally came to the point in the narrative when the Israelites had been freed from their slavery.  We studied in chapter 15 that this entire ordeal was to bring about the Glory of God and ultimately impute this to us. You can read all about that in the “epic conclusion” post that I wrote earlier. We now hear at the end of Chapter 15 that the first obstacle or trial the Israelites will face is bitter waters that they couldn’t drink so God made the water “sweet”. The word “sweet” is only used 4 other places in the scriptures and they all tell us more not only about ourselves but also about who Christ is for us.

The first two places the word “sweet” is used is in Job 20:12 and it says “Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue” and also in Job 21:33 where it states”The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him, and those who go before him are innumerable”. In both of these passages we see that word being used in conjunction with the question of why do the wicked seem to prosper and the evil thrive.

The third place is in Psalm 55:14 and it says “We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng”. In this Psalm David is lamenting because the Ziphites had betrayed David and gave Saul a chance to catch him and kill him. If you continue reading the Psalm God doesn’t allow that to happen but it doesn’t take away the hardship David endures.

The last place the word “sweet” is used is in Proverbs 9:17 which says “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” This proverb warns against the appeal of forbidden pleasures and secret indulgences.

Ok so let’s put this all together with all the Biblical context we just read about. That word “sweet” is equated with the wicked that seem to prosper, evil temporally triumphing, betrayal , and finally looking outside of Christ and to the world for wisdom. We read this same scenario in Exodus 15:25 that God will be “testing” His chosen people in their journey to the Promise Land. This testing will not seem “sweet” In all actually this time testing will be very difficult but the reward is awesome. That is to be in the Promise Land which is flowing with milk and honey.

This is not dissimilar to our own journey with the Lord. When our eyes are open and our ears made to hear we come to believe what Christ accomplished for us on the cross. We believe that Jesus died, was buried and was raised…however that doesn’t mean we won’t have a life of trials. These trials are not to see us fail but for us to understand more about who our Savior is for us. The trials may not “feel” good or taste “sweet” but rest assured they have a purpose. These trials are meant to refine us. Therefore we too ultimately make it to the better Promise Land which is to spend eternity in the arms of Christ. Revelation 2:7 says “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ The Exodus simply foreshadows the reality we have awaiting us in the finished work of Christ. Rest assured you will have trials, but take heart knowing our Heavenly Father is working through the trials to prepare you for a future filled with endless love.