7. Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee. God heard his people’s cries in Egypt, and at the Red Sea: this ought
to have bound them to him. Since God does not forsake us in our need, we ought
never to forsake him at any time. When our hearts wander from God, our answered
prayers cry “shame” upon us. I answered thee in the secret place of thunder. Out of
the cloud the Lord sent forth tempest upon the foes of his chosen. That cloud
was his secret pavilion; within it he hung up his weapons of war, his javelins
of lightning, his trumpet of thunder; forth from that pavilion he came and
overthrew the foe that his own elect might be secure. I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. They had proved him and found him faithful; he
afterwards proved them in return. Precious things are tested; therefore
Israel’s loyalty to her King was put to trial, and, alas, it failed lamentably.
The God who was adored one day for his goodness was reviled the next, when the
people for a moment felt the pangs of hunger and thirst. The story of Israel is
only our own history in another shape. God has heard us, delivered us,
liberated us, and too often our unbelief makes the wretched return of mistrust,
grumbling, and rebellion. Great is our sin; great is the mercy of our God: let
us reflect upon both, and pause awhile. Selah. Hurried reading is of
little benefit; to sit down awhile and meditate is very profitable.
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