A FAIR WEATHER NATION
PSALM 106:9-13 NKJV
9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up;
So He led them through the depths,
As through the wilderness.
10 He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their enemies;
There was not one of them left.
12 Then they believed His words;
They sang His praise.
13 They soon forgot His works;
They did not wait for His counsel,
A fair weather friend is one who is with you when everything is good. But if things get stormy, they bail out. Israel, when they came out of Egypt, was a fair weather nation.
This Psalm recounts the story of the people of Israel when God delivered them. And continues to tell of what happened to Israel after they had become a nation and taken possession of the land God gave them.
The Psalm itself would make an interesting series. The series could be titled 'The Various Ways to Miss God's Best.' And that would be the polite title.
In our verses for today, God delivered Israel from the Egyptians. What took place at the Red Sea is one of the more dramatic miracles in the Bible. God caused the Red Sea to divide and led His people across on dry land. When the Egyptian army followed, the Red Sea returned and covered them. The Egyptian army drowned. Not one of them was left.
After that amazing miracle, the people of Israel believed God's words and sang His praises.
The challenge came with what happened next. Instead of building on this major victory, they quickly forgot what God had done. And they did not wait for His counsel.
This is a negative pattern that Israel showed on more than one occasion. They praised God when He did miracles but complained and blamed God each time they were faced with a difficulty. Instead of asking God what to do in the difficult situations, they pointed fingers and cried in their tents.
A fair-weather nation. They only praised God when the sun was shining.
APPLICATION:
I can't look down my nose at Israel because I have done the very same thing.
I am certainly not proud of being a fair-weather Christian, but thank God for growth, change, and the help of the Holy Spirit.
We really must retrain ourselves to look to God for His counsel and help. This is a much better and more mature position than complaining and despairing. We can stay connected to the Lord in all kinds of weather.
PRAYER:
Lord, I will praise You when the sun is shining and praise You when things look dark. I trust You and trust Your love for me!