Oh how quick and easy it is for us to complain! Everything seems to be going so well for the Israelites. They are settling in to their new existence free from slavery. They have organized their people. They have leaders. They have a place of worship. The Lord is directing them, protecting them, and providing for them. The very next scene is somewhat shocking and yet all too familiar as well – they complain!
“Oh if we only had meet to eat! How we remember all the side dishes of Egypt!” Really? Are they really saying they want to go back to Egypt? Are they really saying they would prefer the slavery and hardship of Egypt to the freedom of the desert? Are they really implying that they were much better off under Pharaoh's care than under God’s care? Yes, they are! However, the real kicker is when they say “there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” That complaint is astounding! Manna is a miracle! Manna is bread from heaven! Manna is angel food! How could one look at a miracle and complain “there is nothing at all but this miracle to look at?”
One of the easiest dangers to fall prey to in the spiritual realm is the constant possibility of becoming used to the things of God! God is daily at work around us, doing wonderful, awesome things and being abundantly gracious to us. We get used to it. We grow accustomed to it. If we are not careful, we come to expect it. We think we deserve it. We demand more. Before we know it, we are no longer thankful for Miracles!
May we be ever alert to this danger! Let us pray against it and depend upon the Spirit to keep reminding us that everything we have is a gift from God; it is a miracle!
Just a couple of "tidbits" and a question this time.
ReplyDeleteTidbit #1: Numbers 9:21 "And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out."
Can't you just see a Levite from the Gershonite section (west of the tabernacle) coming to the flap of his tent and stretching after his short night of sleep? He has been working with the men for a good portion of the night getting all of those curtains around the tabernacle enclosure to square up just right, and to get the tent pegs and all the ropes good and tight. (If his brother the oaf hadn't tripped over the last two lines it would have been a bit quicker! But it had been dark.) He shields his face against the sun that is just now rising above the tabernacle. And. . . oh no! The cloud. It's rising again, and that's the sign that all of last night's work will have to be un-done this morning!
Question: Numbers 10:29-32 Why is Moses so interested in his brother-in-law Hobab traveling with Israel as a guide?? It seems like a gracious and respectful invitation and request, but a totally unnecessary one. They have God's guidance in the cloud/fire pillar. What do they need Hobab for? (I guess I'm not terribly sympathetic with Hobab!)
Tidbit #2:I was thinking also that Hobab makes an interesting contrast to Ruth. H: "I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred." R:"Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people, and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16) Guess which one is honored with being included in the Messianic line??