How Badly Do We Want To Sin?

"And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all beside this manna, before our eyes." Numbers 11: 4-6

Look how they complain. Look how we complain. Look how they remember Egypt (captivity and slavery) as something good. They say that now their soul is dried away. I would think it would have dried away while in slavery. It's a shame how they downplayed manna. Manna was a representation of God's provision. He gave them enough for each and every day, but not in advance except for the Sabbath. Why do you think that is? He is teaching us that His mercies are new every morning, that He is enough, and that we don't have to worry even though it looks like we should. I know we all have our Egypts, we all have those places in our lives where we think oh how I wish I could go back. Lot's wife did and we all know how she ended up. Personally, I don't want to end up a pillar of salt. What we fail to remember however is the separation our Egypt wrought in our relationships with Christ. We fail to remember the rampant sin and its consequences. We fail to learn the reason God took us out of Egypt in the first place. Maybe that is why some of us are still wandering in the desert.

"And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stoop all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp." Numbers 11: 31 & 32

The Israelites had complained about Egypt enough. They had asserted their opinion on the current situation one too many times. God finally gave them what they wanted: flesh to eat which I believe represents sin. He let them have what they desired so much that it was 3 feet deep (2 cubits=36 inches)! Have you ever looked around and realized you were standing in filth? Have you looked around and realized you were completely surrounded by your sin? That's what God did for the Israelites. It was the only way they were going to learn. He does it for us too. Look how they had to toil when God gave them what they wanted. That's what sin does for us. It creates more work. One more lie to cover up the last one. Then they took the quail/sin and surrounded the camp with it. When we get our desires/sin we surround ourselves with it. We do this because we feel more comfortable in the filth and depravity then we do being faced with God's perfection, His mercy, His love, and His grace. We keep heaping it on, we bit by bit kill ourselves spiritually because we think it's too late to go back, that it's too late to ask for His forgiveness. I'm here to tell you, it's never too late! He's there, waiting for you, like the patient and loving Savior He is. The thief on the cross grasped this concept well, when he looked at Christ he knew it wasn't too late and grabbed on with both hands to salvation and eternity that Christ offered him. I would encourage you not to cut it that close because nothing beats having a personal relationship with the Lord, but the thief on the cross is an illustration of how much it doesn't matter what you've done. He's waiting for you and while He's waiting He's loving you.