SHALL WE GRUMBLE?

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and were being oppressed for 400 years.  You would think that when God used Moses and led them out of Egypt to bring them to the promised land, they would be rejoicing in God, and trusting in Him.

But, no, that was farthest from what the Bible tells us.

Just a few days after they left Egypt, saw God part the red sea, destroyed Pharaoh and his army who were running after them, they GRUMBLED.  First about water.

Exodus 15:22-24  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?"

Again, after that, they grumbled.  This time about food.

Exodus 16:1-3  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."

And again, they grumbled about water.

Exodus 17:1-3  The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.  (2)  So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?"  (3)  But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"

And even if God had provided manna for them, bread miraculously coming out of the ground for them to eat everyday, they grumbled about it.

Numbers 11:4-6  The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!  (5)  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost--also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.  (6)  But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"

They grumbled about water, food, and even the blessing that God had given them.  They kept looking back at their life in Egypt where they had an abundance of meat, fish, vegetables, etc.

 They just kept grumbling, even if their God had been so faithful to them.

Does this sound familiar?  Have you noticed how the grumbling is starting to come out in the world today because of the effect of the COVID-19 virus?

We (in the Philippines) are in an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).  Most of us have stopped work, businesses have closed shop, malls are closed.  Even the simplest of work - Jeepney drivers, trisikad drivers, etc.  Because of this many will be struggling financially, and will not be able to buy as much food.  

Our government has promised to help people, especially the poorest of the poor.  But we all know they cannot fully meet what many are actually making per day.

Whatever people are going to receive, it’s not exactly how much they usually earn. 

This is why the grumbling has started.  We see or read it in the news, on television or social media.  People grumbling, complaining, that they're not getting enough.

It’s not enough.  We should be getting more.

Why sardines again?  Why only this much rice. 

Is this all we’re going to get?  

Of course people will complain.  Because they’re people.  People have not changed since time in memorial.  Just like the Israelites complained when they left Egypt.  They kept on looking back at what they had, and complained that they did not enjoy it anymore.

People have not changed.  They will always be unsatisfied, discontent, hungry for more.

What is painful in the story of Exodus is that the Israelites were complaining against God.

The Israelites were God’s people.  He was bringing them to the land He promised for them.  He promised to provide for them – and He did.  Manna in the morning, quail for them to catch and cook, and water wherever they went.

But sadly they were not satisfied. They kept grumbling against God.

Later on God explained what He was doing:

Deuteronomy 8:2-4  Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.  (3)  He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.  (4)  Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

Man does not live on bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

It was God’s Word that He would provide, that He would take care of them, that should have given them life.  Not the food or water, or anything else.  Just the promise of God, His Word.

Imagine – manna everyday.  They didn’t go hungry.  Water from hitting a rock.  Their clothes and shoes did not wear out for forty years!

There was so much for them to be thankful for.

But they grumbled.

And that's why this article is primarily for the church, the people of God today, whom He has redeemed, and to whom He has proclaimed so many promises in His Word.  We are going to experience a little adjustment in what we eat, or drink during this ECQ.  We are going to adjust financially, just like the rest of the world we may not receive exactly what we need for a month.

Are we going to grumble?

Are we going to complain?

Or will we recognize how God is humbling us, testing us, in this circumstance we are facing.

Do we see how God is showing us that we do not live on bread (or water, or clothes, or money) alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Are we thankful for the promises of God, from His word, that He will provide for us, take care of us through this ECQ?  Are we going to be content and thankful in how He provides, rather than in what we are receiving?

We are those who have been called out of this world, who trust in our God for all things.  We are God’s people, pilgrims in this world, being led into the promised land of eternity that God has prepared for us through Jesus Christ.

In this journey, are we going to grumble and complain, just like the Israelites in Exodus?

Or will we be thankful, content, trusting in Him and His word?

Let the world grumble and complain.  That’s who they are.

Let the church proclaim that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from our God, that this is the God we trust in.

For that we are thankful.

No grumbling for us...I pray.