Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; they did not remember the multitude of Your mercies, but rebelled by the sea—the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make His mighty power known. (Psalm 106:7-8)

Because we are flesh, our focus often strays from what we know to be true in deference to what our feelings tell us to believe. Consequently, our faithfulness to the truth and to the will of God fails more than any of us would like to admit. Thankfully, God is merciful and long-suffering — as it is written, “He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). In contrast to our ever-present struggle to remain faithful, God’s faithfulness to us never fails; as Jeremiah acknowledged, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23-24).

In the verses above, the psalmist highlighted this contrast between Israel and their God — their faithlessness and His faithfulness. After witnessing the great and mighty works He accomplished in Egypt, they could not continue to believe that He would deliver them from Egypt. But in spite of their unbelief, He delivered them anyway, and as the psalmist points out, He did so in the sight of His enemies and His people that “He might make His mighty power known.” One could argue that it was His reputation that was on the line and that friend and foe needed to be convinced beyond all doubt that He alone is God.

Through the prophet Ezekiel, God declares that in the last days, this scenario will repeat itself. As He gathers His people from the nations to bring them into the land of Israel, He says, “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake. … I will sanctify My great name and the nations shall know that I am the Lord when I am hallowed in you before their eyes” (Ezekiel 36:22-23). In other words, in spite of our weakness and doubt, because He loves us, God acts on our behalf to deliver us. But we mustn’t overlook this important point: He saves us because He is true to His Word and, through our deliverance, He will make His name known in the earth.

As we acknowledge that this is so, let us make certain not behave like those who rebelled by the Sea. Instead, let us be steadfast in our commitment to hold on to what we know to be true, and not allow our feelings — which are fleeting and untrustworthy — to convince us otherwise.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill