Our daily Bible reading far has been historical narrative. Both the readings from Genesis and Exodus (up until yesterday at least) and from Matthew have basically been stories. We’ve read some incredible stories and some rather obscure stories, but they have basically been stories. And neither Moses nor Matthew have gone Aesop on us and told us, “And the moral of this story is…” These historical narratives are preserved for us to teach us something about God, but sometimes that something is not clearly spelled out.
But sometimes the moral isn't all that hard to see, is it? Anyone with one eye and half-sense can figure out the “moral of the story” of Israel;s trip from Egypt to Sinai. Notice these texts taken from Sunday and Monday’s readings from Exodus—
- Exodus 15:24- "So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, 'What are we to drink?'"
- Exodus 16:2- "In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron."
- Exodus 17:3- "But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses."
See a trend developing here? Well, the trend continues in Numbers after the Israelites leave Sinai and head for Canaan. The grumbling over the lack of creature comforts in the desert comes up again in Numbers 14:2, “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron…” This was after the report of the spies convinced the people they could not conquer the Promised Land. They had complained and grumbled so much that they were unwilling to see the blessings of God before them. And God finally had enough of their ungrateful complaining—
“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.” (Numbers 14:27-29)
The negative spirit that led them to grumble and complain about the hardships of their journey also caused them to miss the great blessing that God was seeking to work in them and through them. The moral of the story? Surely this one is obvious! When we give in to the pessimistic, negative and bitter side of our nature, we fail to see the ways that God is working to blessing us. Grumbling and complaining cannot exist at the same time as gratitude and praise. We must decide which we are going to foster in our heart.
1 comments:
Let’s not imitate the negative grumblings of the Israelites in the desert.
When they lived in Egypt they got soft.
They were slaves to the wealthiest nation and they broke there backs to build those monuments that will not stand the test of time. No mater how much time and effort is put fourth to preserve them they will all grumble to the ground. As will every work that man has wrote but the words of God will echo through eternity. (Amen?)
If you are hurting or in need of help don’t hastate to speak up and be prepared to help others as you are able.
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