Every temptation takes place in the context of altered reality. Israel could be said to be in a state of altered reality here. In our passage of scripture for meditation, they claimed that they ate fish “freely in Egypt”. This did not agree with the testimony that we read of their plight in Exodus chapters 1 and 2. The true picture was that of slavery and affliction. So severe was their affliction that they cried out to God for deliverance. Moses was God’s answer to their pleas; he was sent to be their deliverer.
It is often observed that when people want to build a case for themselves, they exaggerate issues. They feel the bigger they make the issue, the greater the chance of making it believable. That seems to be the problem here. The children of Israel cried because they felt they were starving. If that was all, they would probably be excused. But they compared their state then to what life was like in Egypt. They actually meant that they missed Egypt! They claimed they ate fish in Egypt “freely.” If they were enjoying so freely, why did they cry to God for deliverance? And if life was that good, how come they celebrated greatly when they came out of Egypt? When were slaves free to eat whatever they wanted without restrain? This certainly does not match the picture of slaves that we know the Israelites to be in Egypt. They had exaggerated their situation. The problem again was that they allowed a tiny percentage of the population to alter their reasoning and perception. No one can be any better than the kind of people that they allow in their lives. Indeed, evil relationships will corrupt the best of morals.