More Complaining...

Numbers 11:4-6, 18-20, 31-35

Even after being punished with the fire, the people are still wailing about their circumstances. This time, it's about the food. We may be sympathetic to the Israelites because we have an abundance of different foods everyday. God was moving them into a new land that would be "flowing with milk and honey". However, they could not be thankful for their "daily bread". They desired different and more. This must be understood as ingratitude and ultimately sin.

Their issue was not really about the food. It was really about their dissatisfaction with their circumstances and with God. They were rejecting God Himself. This lesson that they learned is so applicable to us today. In our society, it is the norm to be dissatisfied with our current lifestyle. To always want more or different is acceptable. Unfortunately, when we reject what God has given us we are rejecting God.

We must ask ourselves: Am I rejecting God because I don't like what He has given me? Am I dissatisfied with my spouse, my job, my house, or anything else in my life because I want different or I want more?

Unfortunately, the end of the story is tragic. The people got their meat, but they did not even get to enjoy it. The old saying rings true: Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.

The Reteaching of God

"Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the LORD had burned among them." Numbers 11:1-3

Have you ever had to learn a lesson more than once? I know that I certainly have! Way back in Exodus 15, the Israelites had grumbled and complained against the Lord. He did not punish them or strike out against them at that point in time. However, this passage is two years later! Two years that God had shown his faithfulness to them over and over. He had supplied all of their needs. He was even dwelling among them, leading them, and guiding them, yet they still complained.

As they learned earlier and as we have learned, complaining about anything is truly to complain about God. God is Sovereign, therefore, anything that comes into our lives is ultimately from Him and is for our good. To complain about it, even if it is undesirable, is to complain about God.

Complaining reveals a lack of trust and a lack of gratitude to God. Complaining is accepted in society, but it is sin before God. The Israelites had a habit of complaining. They complained about their conditions in Egypt. Then they complained about their conditions when God freed them. They had a complaining attitude. It was contagious and it angered God.

We must ask ourselves: Am I a complainer? If so, will I ask God to change this attitude in my life? One way to begin, is when you find yourself tempted to complain about a circumstance or condition, praise God instead. Praise Him for who He is - He is Sovereign, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, forgiving, holy, etc. Then thank Him for the blessings in your life.

The old song, Count your blessings, really is true. When you are struggling, count your blessings and "it will surprise you what the Lord has done".

Do I Count?

"The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one...These were the men counted by Moses and Aaron and the twelve leaders of Israel, each one representing his family. All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel's army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550." Numbers 1:1-2 & 44-46

Many of you know that I am personally studying the life of Moses. Last week I started studying Numbers. Numbers is not a book that you pick up to leisurely read on the beach or to really "feel" moved, but it is scripture and therefore I know that God has something to teach us through it. But, what is it? I asked myself that question all week and today God is beginning to bring at least one lesson together for me.

Numbers begins with God commanding Moses to do a census of the people. God knew exactly how many people there were, so why did He have Moses do a census? For one, they needed to know. The Israelites had been slaves and now had to form an army. They needed to know how many men they had. But, I also think that it is recorded in scripture for another reason.

Scripture could have recorded that there were "approximately 600,000 men", but God did not choose for it to be that way. Scripture records that there were exactly "603,550" men that were able to fight in the army and that they represented each family. Later in Numbers, there is another census done for the Levites. What this says to me is that everyone matters. Everyone counts, and God wanted them to know it. These were God's people and they all mattered to Him. By counting them and recording it, He was showing them that they all had a place in His work.
We can look at God's relationship with them and apply it to our lives daily because we too are God's chosen people if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord.

Have you ever wondered if you mattered to God? Have you ever wondered if He sees you? Knows that you're there? Have you ever wondered if your life counts for anything? Through the little read book of Numbers, you can know that it does. You do count, and you matter to Him. You have a role in His kingdom and are ultimately a member of His army.

God's Provision

Matthew 6:25-34

I love the way that the Old and New Testament work together absolutely perfectly. This passage of scripture reminds me of one of God's promises that He made to the Israelites in Leviticus 25. To summarize, He commanded them to observe the sabbath, but to also observe a sabbath year every seven years. That meant that every seven years they were not to sow or reap to allow the land to rest. He promised them that He would so increase their harvest in the sixth year that they would be able to live off of it for three years! That's quite a promise!

However, there is no scriptural evidence that the Israelites ever followed this command. We know that they didn't follow this command because they were punished for it. In 2 Chronicles 36:21, all the Israelites had been carried off into captivity and the land was able to rest.

If they never followed this command, they totally missed the blessing of God's provision in their lives. Jesus tells us not to worry about what we will eat or wear, but yet I find myself worrying about those types of things often. Am I missing the blessing of God's provision by trying to jump ahead of Him instead of waiting on how He will provide?

I have never really believed that God will show us all the blessings we missed out on. I just never thought that would be very "heavenly"! But, I do wonder what I am missing out on because of my own lack of faith and disobedience. Ask God to show you if there is any area that you are controlling that He wants to provide for you in. I certainly don't want to miss any of His blessings and I don't want you to either.

"The earth is the Lord's..."

"The earth is the LORD's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it."
Psalm 24:1

Greed: Maybe it started with the American dream or maybe it started way before America was even thought of. Either way, it is rampant in our society today. The Bible has much to say about the accumulation of wealth (Proverbs 21:20, Proverbs 28:20), which is not evil or bad in and of itself. The Bible also has much to say about how to be good stewards of what God has given us (Matthew 25:14-30). In light of what God says, what are we to do with all the events swirling around us that deal with our personal, national, and global economy?

I have come to one conclusion over this recently and it is that we may be able to politically change policies, but only God can change the heart of men. We live in a society that greed, materialism, and the accumulation of "stuff" has become more important than families and the protection of the poor. It is easy to point the finger at "big executives", but are we any less guilty? At some point, the church stopped taking care of the poor in the community and the government had to step in. At some point, Christians began to decide that a bigger house, a more expensive car, and the best of everything was more important than whether or not their neighbor had food on the table. I am just as guilty as anyone.

So what are we to do? We must pray that the Lord will change hearts and that He will start with ours. I am not suggesting that we go and sell everything we own and give to the poor - unless God directs us to do that - but I am suggesting that we take a good look at what it means to be a sacrificial giver. Everything we have belongs to the Lord. Everything. Knowing that, we must be good stewards and ready to give whatever He asks of us.

Doing God's Work

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

We can all agree that we are to be the hands and feet of Christ and do His work. However, there always seems to be much debate about how that work is to be done. Or maybe there is no debate and sometimes we just do what we want to do and then say that we are doing it for the Lord.

As I have been studying the Old Testament, several themes ring loud and clear. One of them is this:

God's work must be done God's way.

In the story of Cain and Able, Cain was sincere in his offering to the Lord, but it wasn't God's way therefore it was unacceptable. In Leviticus 10, Aaron's son's offered "unauthorized fire" to the Lord and they were consumed by the presence of the Lord. I am sure that their offering was sincere, but it was not what God had told them to do. In 1 Chronicles 13, David sincerely wanted to bring the ark to Jerusalem, but he did not do it God's way and the consequences were quite severe.

God is serious about us doing what He asks us to do, but He is also serious about us doing it His way. I believe this is something we should not take lightly when it comes to our work in the church as well as outside the church. If we want God to bless our work for Him, we must start by asking Him how He wants it accomplished.

As we were leaving Gatlinburg last week, our 5 year old, Joel, prayed for us as we started our trip home. He prayed for God to keep us safe on the road, but then he said "and God, if you need us to do anything today for you, use us." Wow! Can we all be that open to His will? Not just that we will do it, but use us to do it the way You want it done.