Day 61

There is a great deal in our reading for today. It starts off rather poorly and sets the tone for much of the reading: Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the LORD heard everything they said. Then the LORD’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp (11:1 NLT).

There is a strain of complaint throughout this section. We see Miriam and Aaron complain about Moses. The majority of spies complain about the inhabitants of the land. What is at the heart of this complaint? It’s hard to nail that down, but certainly there is ungratefulness to the Lord and a lack of trust in his goodness and grace. Complaining centers the story on ourselves rather than having eyes to see the bigger picture.

But, is it ever right to complain? We do see complaints in Scripture that the Lord responds to differently. There is a different tone about the whole situation. The reality is we can face difficult times and turning to the Lord is right and proper, yet we must never accuse the Lord of any wrong (see this article from R.C. Sproul for more). Going to God in prayer is the right response because it acknowledges his sovereignty and keeps us from trying to fix everything on our own. Exercise your faith and take your worries and your cares to God for he is good and he cares for his own.