Day 37 - Grumbling

That’s not a word you want to see at the top of a post, but it’s what we have with the Israelites (and too often what we face in our own hearts). At the end of chapter 15 Tyler Israelites grumbled against Moses that they had no fresh water to drink (15:24). The Lord showed that he was more than capable to heal the waters from their bitterness.

But then in the very next chapter we have further complaints.

2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” (NLT)

This is what would happen, but then Moses spoke about the “why” behind it.

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” (ESV)

Moses knew that their grumbling was ultimately against the Lord. But what is the source of this grumbling? Did not these people just witness some amazing events that showed that power and nature of the Lord? How could they now grumble? Well, many view God as their own personal butler in the sky to serve them. They do not understand the nature of God, they merely see his power and believe it is solely for them and their needs. And if those needs aren’t met, we’ve seen that they would have returned to Egypt since they had needs met there (even though in slavery).

What does this tell us about the human heart?

What does it tell you about your own heart? When do you tend to grumble against the Lord?

Take some time to read and meditate upon 1 Corinthians 10:6-13.