From Praise to Grumbling

In Exodus 14 the Israelites, fleeing from Egypt, saw a great working of God’s power.  As they fled from Egypt, Pharaoh and his army ran after them.  They reached the red sea, looking as if they were trapped.  But God commanded Moses to raise his hands, and the sea was divided so that the Israelites could cross.  The Egyptians ran after them, but God commanded Moses again to raise his hand, and the sea drowned Pharaoh and his army.

The Israelites had just seen a great and mighty working of God as He saved them from the hands of the Egyptians.  Because of this, in Chapter 15 of Exodus, they sang a song of praise!

Then, right after the miracle, and right after singing to the Lord, the people grumbled!

Exodus 15:22-24 (NIV)

[22] Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. [23] When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) [24] So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

And then right after that they grumbled again, this time about food!

Exodus 16:1-3 (NIV)

[1] The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. [2] In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. [3] The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

How quickly they forgot about the greatness and faithfulness of their God.  At one moment they were witness to a great miracle.  The next moment they are praising God with all their might for what He has done.  Then, in the next moment they grumble, complain, questioning His faithfulness.

Just like us.  Lest we judge the Israelites for their lack of faith and trust...are we not in the same boat.  Maybe not as quick as the Israelites were, but are there not times that we praise God for His faithfulness, witnesses of His great work in our life.  And then, the next moment, in the next trial or problem we grumble and doubt the working of God.

Only when God graciously assures us again by His word, His promises do our hearts calm down and quietly trust.

Again, maybe not in the same way as the Israelites, but there are times when we face trials and needs that are so great that we tend to forget about how God has been so great and faithful in the past.

That is how important God’s assurance through His Word is for us day after day, moment after moment.  This is why it is so important for us to be in fellowship with the Lord everyday, meditating upon His Word and promises...because we are so prone to wander away from our God and focus on the trials and problems we face.  

And that’s what His Word is for - to remind us of who He is, and to assure us again and again of His faithfulness in fulfilling His promises for us.

As we seek Him and His Word every day, may the Lord fill our hearts with the assurance of who He is, His promises, His will every moment of our life, that we may not grumble and complain, and fix our eyes only on the greatness and faithfulness of our God.