A Table in the Wilderness - Part 1 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

This is Lacerre Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. I will call upon the Lord, who is ready to be praised. Who shall I be saved?

Shall I be saved from my enemies? The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Who is God except the Lord, who is God except the Lord of the inside our God, to a higher place he may never be? The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. I will call upon the Lord, who is ready to be praised. Who shall I be saved?

Shall I be saved from my enemies? The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. So will I give thanks to thee, and sing praises to thy name. Be exalted, Lord, in thy mighty power. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted. We're thankful for the Lord's blessing to sustain us during these challenging times, and make it possible for us to continue to come your way each week with a message of God's sovereign grace. If you'd like to help with the support to keep the program on the air, we do depend on the support of our listeners. We'd certainly appreciate it.

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Does the cross seem heavy? You are called to bear. Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly. And you will be shaking as the days go by. Count your blessings, bring them one by one. Count your blessings, be what God hath done. Count your blessings, bring them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

So amid the conflict, whether greater or small, Do not be discouraged, that is ours for all. Count your many blessings, angels will attend. How can comfort give you to your church reason? Count your blessings, bring them one by one. Count your blessings, be what God hath done. Count your blessings, bring them one by one.

Count your many blessings, be what God hath done. Psalm 107 lists several difficult and dangerous places where the Lord's people may find themselves. One of these is the wilderness or desert. That's a dangerous place because in the daytime the heat is very intense.

At night it becomes cold. It's described as a lonely place where the traveler can find no city to dwell in. Do you sometimes feel like a lonely traveler in the wilderness of this world?

If so, how do you respond? Let's look at Psalm 78 verse 19. Yea, they spake against God. They said, can God furnish a table in the wilderness? My subject, a table in the wilderness. It is not incredible to think that these people who were so wonderfully favored and blessed spoke against God, spoke against him, raised the question as to whether he could in fact prepare a table in the wilderness.

So as we look at that expression, the first thing we consider is a deplorable condition. First, they were unmindful of what had been done for them. Verse 10 says they kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk in his law. What marvelous things did he in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt and the field of Zoan. God had done marvelous things for them, things that they could readily quickly observe and yet they're raising the question, can God furnish a table in the wilderness? It goes on following verse 10 to speak of the fact that he divided the sea and caused them to pass through. Now that's something that is repeated over and over in scripture.

So it's obviously something that is of importance, something to which we should pay attention. That great display of God's power imparting the water to the Red Sea and blessing his people to pass safely to the other side. Then it goes on to describe the fact that they were led with a cloud by day and specifically phrases it this way, and all the night with a light of fire. I think that's interesting when it says and all the night. So that when the time of darkness came and they needed to have that pillar of fire to guide them, it was all the night that there was a light of fire. And then it describes the fact that he brought streams out of a rock, not just a little trickle of water, but streams.

Makes me think years ago I was traveling, going on a preaching appointment, had some of my grandchildren with me. And back in those days, I haven't noticed recently, but in those days there were just an abundance of signs along the highway to say, see Ruby Falls. Well, we had always been in too big a rush to go see Ruby Falls, but on this one occasion we decided we would go. And we'd go back through the cave and get finally to the place and expecting to see this impressive fall. And the stream of water was barely what would come out of a garden hose.

I said, all right boys, there it is. There's Ruby Falls. I suppose it was at a time of year that it just didn't have much supply of water coming that way. But when God gave his people water, he brought streams out of a rock. And then verse 17 says, They sinned yet more against him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness, and they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Yea, they spake against God. They said, can God furnish a table in the wilderness? In spite of the marvelous blessings that were already bestowed upon them, they raised the question. They speak against God.

Can God prepare a table, furnish a table in the wilderness? Verse 43, They remembered not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy, how he had wrought his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Zoab. Well, think about the things he had done. The great things that they had forgotten about. They did not remember them. The plagues that God sent upon the Egyptians so that his people might be delivered from bondage. He turned the rivers to blood and they could not drink of the waters.

He sent a variety of flies in abundance. That became tremendously difficult for the people to cope with. There was an abundance of frogs.

In fact, if I recall correctly, it says something about when the women might be in the kitchen trying to prepare food, that there were frogs all over the place. Well, you can imagine that was a distressing thing, which Pharaoh says, we've got to give in here and let these people go. Well, following that, there was the caterpillars and the locusts. And then it says that he destroyed vines with hail and trees with frost. He gave up cattle to hail and flocks to thunderbolts.

And finally, he smoked the firstborn. Now, all of these plagues sent for the power of God that his people who had long been in bondage might go free. Verse 52, but he made his own people to go forth like sheep.

What a contrast. These judgments sent upon the Egyptians even to the point of the death of the firstborn. But his own people he made to go forth like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock and led them on safely so that they feared not, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

So when they did come to the Red Sea, God parted the waters, his people passed over safely, and then when the enemy attempted to do the same, they were drowned in the depths. They yet were unmindful of all of these marvelous displays of God's power. Are you sometimes unmindful of what has been done for you? If you're a child of God, you were chosen in the covenant of grace from before the foundation of the world.

Isn't that a wonderful thing to consider? You may sometimes feel to be in the desert place, the wilderness, feel to be very alone and nobody cares and nobody understands, but if indeed you were marked out by divine election and predestinated before the foundation of the world, you're blessed beyond measure. He furthermore paid the sin debt, the debt that you had incurred that you could never pay. He paid it through the sacrifice of his son Jesus Christ at the cross. And he took away that heart of stone, that rebellious heart that would always say no and gave you a heart of flesh that said yes. He drew you to himself because you would never come of your own will. He then adopted you into his family and oh how many marvelous things could be noted along the journey of life when providentially he has intervened, when in a special unique way he has blessed you and favored you beyond anything you could have anticipated. Do you sometimes fail to remember these wonderful blessings of God?

Oh that we might remember them. And then not only did they not remember, they were ungrateful for what they had. Verse 20, the hold he smoked the rock and the water gushed out and the streams overflowed. Can he give bread also? In spite of what had been done, they raised the question, can he give bread also and can he provide flesh also for his people? Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth. So fire was kindled against Jacob and anger also came up against Israel because they believed not in God and trusted not in his salvation. Oh my, you say how could it be?

How could a people have such a hard heart, be so rebellious? Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? And the language indicates that it should be something that was set in order in preparation for a banquet. Can God do that? And God not only provide bread but flesh, he grew weary of the manna. God was raining it down from heaven, blessing him on a daily basis. This isn't enough.

We want more. Verse 23, though he had commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven and had rained down manna upon them to eat and had given them of the corn of heaven, man did eat angel's food. He sent them meat to the full. So as they complained and they said, we want more than this manna, God said, all right, I'll give it to you. And God sent quails in abundance for the next month.

Birds were falling out of the sky until they could hardly handle them all. And they quailed and they felt like it was coming out their ears and they decided that enough is enough. You know, sometimes you can murmur, complain about things and complain about what you don't have and maybe God will give it to you and then you find out that wasn't such a good idea after all. And so he gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul. There might be something that you complain about and you continue to ask for and it's something that's not pleasing to God and not in harmony with his word and he finally says, I'll let you have it.

But along with it comes leanness of soul. Now look at some of the things that they had. They had the sovereign God of heaven watching over them, providing for them, defending them and yet they were not thankful for it. Even in the desert, they had an abundance of water. They had food rained down out of the sky and the promise of going to a lamb that flowed with milk and honey.

Oh, how favorite they were, how blessed they were, blessed above all the nations of the earth. Then we posed the question, are you grateful for what you have? Colossians 3.15 says, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you're called in one body and be ye thankful. A lot of times people say, well, the Bible is just so hard to understand. I just can't get the meaning of it. You don't have any difficulty understanding this. Be ye thankful. So if you're complaining, you're not thankful. If you're a grumbler and a murmurer and you're speaking against God like these people did, you're not thankful. It says be ye thankful. And Paul says in Philippians 4.11, I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. That doesn't mean that you become content during times of your spiritual slothfulness and carelessness. Content with your circumstances, content so that you're not a complainer, but you're one giving thanks.

Are you thankful for what you have? And then they were unbelieving about what God could do. Back to that 19th verse, yea, they speak against God.

They said, can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Even after punishment came upon them. In verse 32, for all this they sinned still and believed not for his wondrous works.

And for all that he did. And even when he judged them because of their rebellion and disobedience, they were not hummed by it. They come back with that haughty, rebellious spirit once again and believe not for his wondrous works. They question his power and his goodness. Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Or maybe he's just not willing to do that. He's just not going to provide what we think we're entitled to receive. God was already providing what they needed, but they complained because it wasn't everything that they wanted.

Do you have a question in your heart about what God can do? They were unmindful of what had been done for them. They were ungrateful for what they had.

And they were unbelieving about what God could do. That brings us then to a duty expected. First we have a duty to remember. These people were forgetful. They were not remembering. But God expects us to remember and expected them to remember.

The Passover was instituted so that the sacrificial lamb was offered annually as a reminder that it would require the Lamb of God to take away sin. And so they were to remember that in which their confidence and hope did rest. In our studies in the book of Joshua we observed that there were nine different places where they set up memorials.

What was the purpose of it? That they might remember, not forget, that one of those at the crossing of Jordan and a variety of other places that we pointed out as we went along in that study. God did not want his people to forget the blessings and mercies that they had enjoyed.

So there were memorials set up. And then there are so many admonitions in scripture to us that we should remember. Psalm 103 verse 1. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me. Bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits. Do not forget. Recall them. Remember them.

Keep them in your mind and in your heart. And then we look at 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 12. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance.

I'm not going to fail to do it. You may have heard these things before. Of these things though you know them. You know them but I'm going to still put you in remembrance and be established in the present truth. Verse 13. Yea, I think it meet as long as I'm in this tabernacle to stir you up by what? Putting you in remembrance. So as long as I'm alive, Peter says, I'm in this present tabernacle. I'm going to be stirring you up, putting you in remembrance.

Verse 15. Moreover I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have all these things always in your remembrance. So we have a duty to remember.

Admonitions to remember. And just as the children of Israel had the Passover to bring to their minds what would have to transpire when the Messiah came. We have, as we said in the message last Sunday, the ordinance of the Lord's Supper to help us remember. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 23. The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread. And when he had given thanks he break it and said take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me. Oh how vivid that memory becomes when we sit at the Lord's table and partake of the bread and of the wine that speaks of his broken body and his shed blood. We want not to neglect that privilege of sitting at his table and knowing it's designed to stir our memory that we never forget.

What about you? Do you regularly come to the worship service that you might have your mind renewed by the preaching of the word? In many circles today the importance of preaching is downplayed.

There are other types of productions and musical performances and discussions and so on. But God himself designed preaching and God's people will be impoverished if they fail to take advantage of being present. That ever opportunity for the preaching of the word to forsake not the assembling of yourself together as the matter of some is and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

Do you regularly read the word? If you're going to remember you need to read, you need to be in God's word, you need to pray for his blessing as you read it. That the message of it might be impressed upon your mind and heart that you do not forget. Do you regularly fellowship with other believers? Now sometimes people feel like they're having fellowship when all they're talking about is something that is of little if any spiritual significance. But we're talking about getting together, reminding each other of the greatness and glory of God and how marvelous his promises are, what they mean to us, how they're supporting us every day in our life.

Do you regularly fellowship with other believers? Lord, help me live from day to day, in such a cell forgetful way, that even when I kneel to pray, my prayers shall be for others. Others, Lord, yes others, that this my God told me, help me to live for others, that I may live my King. So we see that this matter of serving the Lord is not just a selfish concern about our own immediate joy, but that we are to be considerate of others, remembering them, praying for them, ministering to them, and in that all that the name of Jesus Christ will be exalted. I hope you will take time to write.

Let us know that you've listened to the program. Till next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. Let this my God told me, help me to live for others, that I may live my King. Let self be crucified and slain, and buried deep, and all in vain. May efforts be to rise again, unless to live for others. Others, Lord, yes others, that this my God told me, help me to live for others, that I may live my King.

And when my work on earth is done, and my new work... The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Others, Lord, yes others, that this my God told me, help me to live for others, that I may live my King. .