“The whole Israelite community… grumbled against Moses and Aaron… ‘He (the Lord) has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord’… ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling’…The Lord said to Moses, ’I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites’” (Selected portions of Exodus 16:1-12).
When I read that passage for the first time this past week, I knew I had an easy sermon to preach. All I had to do was focus on two facts: First, these people were being led and blessed by God. Second, in spite of their blessings, they still found reasons to complain. Compare them to us, we live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world and yet the coffee shops are full of gripers, and this sermon was going to write itself.
There was just one problem. The more I read the passage, the clearer it became that “grumbling” was not their real problem. They did not have an “attitude” problem. Rather, they had a “trust” problem. They were not just grouchy, they were scared.
How do I know this? Well, look back one chapter. Exodus 15 contains one of the greatest hymns of praise in the Old Testament. The people are rejoicing, singing and acknowledging God’s goodness. They knew how to be thankful when God was good to them. Unfortunately, they just were not convinced that God was always going to be good to them.
Therefore, throughout this passage (and the rest of the Bible, for that matter), God tries to show his people what he is like and how he will treat them. He wants them to know that he is more powerful than any of their problems. Notice, for example, that when God promises to solve their specific problem by sending them food to eat, he adds this line, “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 16:12).
Do we know that? Have we learned that lesson? Do we know that God is in charge, that he cares, that he is powerful, that he is near and that he has a plan, or are we still “grumbling” and “complaining” and “fearful” every time something goes wrong?
Spiritual maturity has begun, and God’s peace will be found, when we stop complaining and start trusting.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
When I read that passage for the first time this past week, I knew I had an easy sermon to preach. All I had to do was focus on two facts: First, these people were being led and blessed by God. Second, in spite of their blessings, they still found reasons to complain. Compare them to us, we live in one of the most prosperous countries in the world and yet the coffee shops are full of gripers, and this sermon was going to write itself.
There was just one problem. The more I read the passage, the clearer it became that “grumbling” was not their real problem. They did not have an “attitude” problem. Rather, they had a “trust” problem. They were not just grouchy, they were scared.
How do I know this? Well, look back one chapter. Exodus 15 contains one of the greatest hymns of praise in the Old Testament. The people are rejoicing, singing and acknowledging God’s goodness. They knew how to be thankful when God was good to them. Unfortunately, they just were not convinced that God was always going to be good to them.
Therefore, throughout this passage (and the rest of the Bible, for that matter), God tries to show his people what he is like and how he will treat them. He wants them to know that he is more powerful than any of their problems. Notice, for example, that when God promises to solve their specific problem by sending them food to eat, he adds this line, “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 16:12).
Do we know that? Have we learned that lesson? Do we know that God is in charge, that he cares, that he is powerful, that he is near and that he has a plan, or are we still “grumbling” and “complaining” and “fearful” every time something goes wrong?
Spiritual maturity has begun, and God’s peace will be found, when we stop complaining and start trusting.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
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