The people of Israel had been miraculously delivered by God after more than 400 years of slavery in Egypt. He had been providentially leading them, with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, through desert regions, to the land He promised to give them. Not unlike us moderns, they quickly forgot all that God HAD done for them, and got stuck on what He HADN’T.
In the Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 11, we read this: “Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord.”
In verse 4 we read: “The rabble with them began to crave other food and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
Yep, that’s the same manna, sent from God Himself, that shows up on their doorsteps in sufficient supply to feed their families for the entire day, every day – with double on Saturday so they can rest from collecting it. No hunting and gathering of animals, no gardens to till necessary, which is a good thing too because they’re in the desert and there are over a million of them. That’s a lot of hunting and gathering on land that doesn’t produce very much! No, the Lord has supplied all they need, but for them, it’s not enough.
How short their memories. The same Egypt that provided all that good food (at no cost ???) cost them (and their parents, and grandparents, and great-grandparents, and great-great grandparents. . . ) plenty! It cost them their freedom in the hard bondage of slavery.
So what is Moses doing while the Israelites are busy complaining? Well, at first, we read in Numbers 11:2, he prayed to the Lord on their behalf – but then, as the complaining continued – he did some complaining of his own, aiming his criticism squarely at the Lord Himself.
In Numbers 11:11 (and following) we read that Moses was troubled and he asked the Lord:
“Why have YOU brought trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease YOU that YOU put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do YOU tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land YOU promised? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me. I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how YOU are going to treat me, put me to death right now.”
Whenever I’ve been part of a group of people studying the attitudes of the people of Israel at this time in their history, someone inevitably says, “How COULD they complain after all the miracles they saw God do on their behalf?!” We might say the same about ourselves because we’re really not very different, are we? How could WE complain about what the Lord hasn’t given us when He’s given us so much?
Being a “glass half empty” person myself, I’m not so sure that if I had been one of those freed Israelites, I wouldn’t be complaining right along with the rest of them. And I’m not so sure that if I was Moses, I wouldn’t be throwing myself a pity party too! What a thankless job!! It’s not easy to bear with people who continually complain when we’re doing our best at what God has called us to do. I can hear myself complaining right along with Moses, “Shoot me now, Lord, I’m done with these guys!”
Sounds like Moses also had a lapse of memory when it came to God’s faithfulness to the Israelites – and to him as their leader.
Moses was mad, but he wasn’t the only one. The same text describes God as being “exceedingly angry” with the Israelites, so much so that He gave them exactly what they wanted – quail in abundance - every single day for a month! Enough, the text tells us, “until it (came) out their nostrils and (they) loath(ed) it!” Be careful what you ask for – and how you ask for it, when you’re talking to the Great Creator of the Universe!
God dealt differently with Moses’ complaints. With His faithful servant Moses, He was forgiving and gracious – maybe because He was pretty tired of those ungrateful Israelites Himself – because he responded to his complaining, not in anger, but by raising up 70 tribal leaders to help Moses carry the burden of the people.
How tired God must get with all the complaining we do over glasses “half empty”, when He has been so faithful.
That’s why I was so glad to read Psalm 75 on the same day. What a contrast!
Psalm 75 begins:
“We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.”
There are times in our lives when it’s hard to give thanks - just ask the Israelites, or Moses. Circumstances often work against thankfulness – cancer, unemployment, a death in the family, a wayward child, mental illness, divorce, abuse, accidents – all these and more can make giving thanks difficult. We might even blame God for not doing something to prevent, or remedy it.
When the Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 18 says: “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”, he’s implying that while not all circumstances might evoke gratitude TO God, we can still thank Him IN THE MIDST of our circumstances, the bad as well as the good.
The author of Psalm 75 says we can give God thanks for His Name.
Names in the Bible had a lot more significance than they do today. For example, back in Genesis, God changed Abram’s name, which meant “exalted father”, to Abraham, which meant, “father of many”, because God had promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
The first of Abraham’s twin grandsons was called, Esau, which means “red”, apparently a perfect word to describe his appearance at birth. His younger brother was called Jacob, which literally means, “he grasps the heel”, which is exactly what Jacob was doing to his twin’s foot when he was born. However, his name takes on much more significance when we look at its figurative meaning. In that case, Jacob means “he deceives”. We have only to read Genesis 25 and 27 to see how Jacob lived up to his name in his dealings with his brother Esau.
In the Hebrew, when the word NAME is used to refer to God, its meaning encompasses a lot. It includes God’s exalted position as sovereign over all things. It is a mark of His individuality. It implies honor, authority and character; and includes the idea of God’s fame and renown.
The psalmist says that God’s Name is NEAR. And the word NEAR implies that God is not only exalted, He is also nigh, or close (in proximity).
There are many names in the Bible that are used for God, some of them reflect His authoritative, exalted position as God, such as: God Almighty, Lord of the Heavenly Hosts, Creator of the Universe, or the Sovereign God. All of these terms, and many others, set God apart from man, making Him a being who is “out there”, beyond us finite beings, a Supreme Being worthy of awe and worship.
But other aspects of God’s person are indicated by names that bring Him near, like: the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep by name, the God Who Sees, and Emmanuel which means, God with us. These are names that describe the God who is both close and personal.
The psalmist, even as he acknowledges that there are those who exalt themselves above God and make life difficult for the godly, gives thanks to this God who is both beyond man and near to His own. He is not an uncaring, distant, removed God who sees the needs of His people but is either powerless or indifferent to help. The psalmist chooses, even in the difficulties, to give thanks to this exalted, and also personal God, to tell of His wonderful deeds, and to praise Him forever.
So, who do YOU want to grow up to be like?
· the Israelites, who had seen the Lord work miracles in a spectacular demonstration of His power, love, and care, but who quickly forgot what He DID to complain about what He DIDN’T?
· or the psalmist, who saw the boasting of the wicked against heaven, but chose to remember the greatness of God’s Name and nearness, thanking Him for His personal love and care?
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. I Thessalonians 5:18
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