We have discussed in past blogs about how awful my attitude was prior to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. I complained about everything. And I strongly feel that I was the most negative person I’ve ever known. I could have won the lottery, been given a house and a new car, and if my shoelace broke, the only thing I would have told you about was how that rotten shoelace ruined my day. Little did I know that I was committing the sin of grumbling.
“The LORD said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.”” Numbers 17:10.
God spoke this verse (Numbers 17:10) to Moses regarding the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. Note that He is instructing Moses to give them a sign that will cause them to stop grumbling against God so that they will not die. Remember too that the wages of sin is death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23. We see the Israelites are committing the sin of grumbling.
The Israelites appear to have mastered the art of grumbling. We see it over and over in the scripture.
Don’t forget that the Israelites were being held as slaves. They were being treated very poorly. So, God sent Moses, and when Pharoah would not release them, God sent plagues until Pharoah relented and set them free. But he soon began to pursue them. He wanted his slaves back. Then in Exodus 14:10-12 the Israelites have already forgotten what God has rescued them from and they begin to grumble. “They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?” Exodus 14:11. And they continued to grumble. But then God parts the Red Sea, rescues them, and kills Pharoah’s army.
So, they travel a little while and they could find no water. Then, after several days, they find water but it is bad and they can’t drink it. So, again, they begin to grumble. “And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Exodus 15:24.
Now remember, God rescued them from slavery and they grumbled. He rescued them from the assault of Pharoah’s army and again we grumble. But God didn’t lead them into the desert to die of thirst. So again, He provides. “And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,” Exodus 15:25.
So, they travel a little bit and now they are hungry… “And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Exodus 16:2-3.
God rescued them from slavery. He rescued them from assault by Pharoah’s army. And He rescued them from dying of thirst. Yet, they were still grumbling! But again, God didn’t bring them out there to let them die of starvation. So, He provides. “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.” Exodus 16:4. And He didn’t just rain down manna, He also rained down quail. So they had manna in the morning and quail at night.
And this continues throughout their desert wandering.
In Exodus 17:2, they grumble over water again. In Numbers 11, they grumble over food again. And they didn’t just grumble. They made idols to worship and tried to kill Aaron and Moses. A large group of them even rose up against Aaron and Moses, trying to become the leaders. They died as a result. God’s plan will be accomplished.
Despite all that these people had been rescued from and all that they had seen God do on their behalf, they still committed the sin of grumbling!
Sound familiar? It should because we are all guilty of it.
God rescued us from slavery too. And we still have urges and desires for those same old sins. We even pick up those chains of slavery (sin) and slip them back on!
We are often attacked by others and even by the enemy. And God comes to our rescue. But, before long, we forget all about the enemies that pursued us. We still think about (and long for) “the good ol’ days”.
With regard to the water and food, how abundantly has God provided for us? And yet, we look at full pantries and say, “Oh, there is nothing in here that I really want.” We are always discontent. Show someone from a third world country your pantry. They will think they died and are in heaven! But, we are dissatisfied. We commit the sin of grumbling.
We are no different than those grumbling Israelites in the wilderness.
And the sin of grumbling is really more about our heart than it is our actions. It shows our total disregard for all that God has done for us. We are a thankless bunch, consistently committing the sin of grumbling.
God has blessed us all abundantly. Do we rob Him of glory by grumbling about things that just don’t matter? God has given us riches far beyond any lottery we could ever win (Jesus, His Word, and indwelling Holy Spirit). And He has given us a home much greater than anyone could give us on earth (mansions in Heaven). And, He has given us transportation far more awesome than any car on earth (when Jesus appears we will fly up to meet Him in the air…marinatha – come, Lord Jesus Come). Are we robbing Him of glory talking about that broken shoelace?
There is a world of people still enslaved to sin. Dying in their sin, hungering for the Bread of Life and thirsting for Living Water. Are we too preoccupied with our wants and desires to even share Jesus with them? Are we too preoccupied to even notice that they see our discontent with all that God has given us? How dissatisfying must our relationship with Him look when we are never content, never joyful and always committing the sin of grumbling?
Give thanks in all things for this is the will of God. “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” 1 Thessalonians 5:18. And because He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving.
Father, we praise You for how completely You love us. We praise You for how abundantly You provide. Father, forgive us. Forgive our grumbling and lack of gratitude. Forgive our constant discontent. Lord Jesus, forgive us for not reveling and rejoicing every moment of the day in what You sacrificed and accomplished on the cross for us.
Holy Spirit, when we begin to grumble or be discontent, remind us of the love of our Heavenly Father. Remind us of the bountiful blessings He has bestowed on us. Remind us of Jesus’s sacrifice for us. And remind us of Your sacrifice for us as you indwell these sinful, thankless bodies of ours. Help us to overflow with gratitude. Remind us of the abundant blessings God has given us. And let the world see the gratitude in us and be drawn to our Heavenly Father. The giver of every good and perfect gift. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17. We pray these things in Your precious and Holy name, Jesus.
If you have been focused on the broken shoe laces in your life, please go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. Our Heavenly Father wants to forgive and adopt you as His own child. He wants a personal and loving relationship with you. The love alone, that He wants to share with you should be enough to keep you from grumbling.
Please pray and once you have reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-N-Loved.com and let me know. I’d love to be in prayer for you.
Luv Ya!
