FISH, CUCUMBERS, MELONS, LEEKS, ONIONS, AND GARLIC
Last week, I ended my discussion with these words: In spite of all the fears and the ensuing anger, some do finally make it to freedom and when they do, well, all kinds of new emotions begin to surface (really, old emotions dressed in different garments) making even freedom a scary thing, much as it was for the black slaves of old. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation set the slaves free—legally free—but it did NOT teach them how to live in freedom. Many of them walked off the plantations where they had been held in slavery, but the new emotions they began to feel (old emotions dressed in different garments) had them second-guessing themselves at every turn. Unfortunate, but true. Thankfully, it was for freedom that Christ set us free, therefore (to use the words of Paul), do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery!
When it comes to divorce, this second-guessing begins long before the divorce is finalized; however, once the person steps into the land of “freedom” it kicks into another gear, or to use the words of Emeril Lagasse, another “notch!” In fact, it often comes much like a landslide, in the form of “what-ifs” and “should haves.” “What if I had been more patient,” or “I probably should not have been so hard-lined,” or “If I had waited a little longer, we could have probably worked it out,” or “If I had just trusted God more, He would have changed my heart,” ad infinitum. In the long-run, this second-guessing is probably normal; it is probably our attempt at reassuring ourselves that we did the “right” thing, especially in light of the terrible stigma that has been placed upon those who divorce. So, if you see yourself here, just take it easy; give yourself time to adjust, to settle-in, and to discover at a deeper level than you have ever known, that His strength really is made perfect in your weakness. Remember: when you have the Creator of the Universe standing by your side and ON your side, all the “what-ifs” and “should-haves” you could ever list, really carry little consequence—He is in charge and in control every time and all the time.
Now, as to this notion of learning to live in this new-found freedom, something very familiar comes to my mind—fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. You are very familiar with the story but listen to these words: “Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. The people therefore cried out to the Lord, and the fire died out. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them. And the rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna’” (Numbers 11:1-6; emphasis, mine).
As you well-know, the Israelites had been in bondage to the Egyptians for many, many years but God heard their cries and chose to deliver them out of Egypt and from slavery (God never leaves His children in slavery!) AND to lead them into Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey—the land of freedom. Furthermore, He chose to be their provider and to see to it that they had everything they needed in this new-found freedom; HOWEVER, God’s provision soon lost its appeal and they found themselves grumbling and complaining, not to mention, wandering aimlessly in the desert.
Manna was neither fish nor cucumbers nor melons nor leeks nor onions nor garlic; in fact, unlike any of these, manna was perfect food but its appeal was, well, compared to these, it was not very appealing. Before long, the grumbling and complaining became a very clear and angry cry: “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Did God respond? You bet He did and these were His words: “You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Hopefully, at this point something very specific is becoming very obvious to you and I can only trust that it is this: the Israelites had to learn how to live in their newly-discovered freedom, even how to enjoy it! Contrary to what they thought, they were NOT well-off in Egypt; instead, they were slaves to those whose only purpose was to use them for their own selfish ends. Their question, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” is the tell-tale sign of just how difficult it is for those who have been living as slaves to learn to live in freedom!
If you are one of those who, thankfully, divorced after living (incarcerated) in a controlling marriage, but you are finding it difficult to enjoy your newly-discovered freedom, take heart! God never leaves His children in in the bondage of slavery (it was for freedom that Christ set us free!), so you can rest assured that He predestined you for this freedom, and, I might add, there is nothing better than His present provision for your life—absolutely, nothing—not fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, or garlic (whatever they might represent in your life!).
When it comes to divorce, this second-guessing begins long before the divorce is finalized; however, once the person steps into the land of “freedom” it kicks into another gear, or to use the words of Emeril Lagasse, another “notch!” In fact, it often comes much like a landslide, in the form of “what-ifs” and “should haves.” “What if I had been more patient,” or “I probably should not have been so hard-lined,” or “If I had waited a little longer, we could have probably worked it out,” or “If I had just trusted God more, He would have changed my heart,” ad infinitum. In the long-run, this second-guessing is probably normal; it is probably our attempt at reassuring ourselves that we did the “right” thing, especially in light of the terrible stigma that has been placed upon those who divorce. So, if you see yourself here, just take it easy; give yourself time to adjust, to settle-in, and to discover at a deeper level than you have ever known, that His strength really is made perfect in your weakness. Remember: when you have the Creator of the Universe standing by your side and ON your side, all the “what-ifs” and “should-haves” you could ever list, really carry little consequence—He is in charge and in control every time and all the time.
Now, as to this notion of learning to live in this new-found freedom, something very familiar comes to my mind—fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. You are very familiar with the story but listen to these words: “Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. The people therefore cried out to the Lord, and the fire died out. So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them. And the rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna’” (Numbers 11:1-6; emphasis, mine).
As you well-know, the Israelites had been in bondage to the Egyptians for many, many years but God heard their cries and chose to deliver them out of Egypt and from slavery (God never leaves His children in slavery!) AND to lead them into Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey—the land of freedom. Furthermore, He chose to be their provider and to see to it that they had everything they needed in this new-found freedom; HOWEVER, God’s provision soon lost its appeal and they found themselves grumbling and complaining, not to mention, wandering aimlessly in the desert.
Manna was neither fish nor cucumbers nor melons nor leeks nor onions nor garlic; in fact, unlike any of these, manna was perfect food but its appeal was, well, compared to these, it was not very appealing. Before long, the grumbling and complaining became a very clear and angry cry: “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Did God respond? You bet He did and these were His words: “You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”
Hopefully, at this point something very specific is becoming very obvious to you and I can only trust that it is this: the Israelites had to learn how to live in their newly-discovered freedom, even how to enjoy it! Contrary to what they thought, they were NOT well-off in Egypt; instead, they were slaves to those whose only purpose was to use them for their own selfish ends. Their question, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” is the tell-tale sign of just how difficult it is for those who have been living as slaves to learn to live in freedom!
If you are one of those who, thankfully, divorced after living (incarcerated) in a controlling marriage, but you are finding it difficult to enjoy your newly-discovered freedom, take heart! God never leaves His children in in the bondage of slavery (it was for freedom that Christ set us free!), so you can rest assured that He predestined you for this freedom, and, I might add, there is nothing better than His present provision for your life—absolutely, nothing—not fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, or garlic (whatever they might represent in your life!).
“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord,
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth”
(Hosea 6:3).
His going forth is as certain as the dawn;
And He will come to us like the rain,
Like the spring rain watering the earth”
(Hosea 6:3).
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