Creator, Father, King #76

Do everything without complaining and arguing.

GRIPE, GRIPE, GRIPE.

Whine, whine, whine.

Grumble, grumble, grumble.

Not long after the Israelites had experienced a lifetime’s worth of unforgettable miracles—first the ten plagues, then the parting of the Red Sea—they started bellyaching about, well, their aching bellies.

“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” (Exodus 16:3).

Wait a minute. Did they forget their previous slavery? Surely, they were exaggerating about the amount of food they enjoyed in Egypt. Enslaved people never eat like kings!

While in captivity, they were in “misery” (Exodus 4:31) and they “continued to groan under their burden of slavery” (Exodus 2:23). Their wistful memories of Egypt were nothing more than sinful, ungrateful revisionist history.

God had every right to destroy this wicked, boorish people or leave them to fend for themselves in the desert. Instead, he lovingly and miraculously provided daily manna and quail for forty years until he brought them into the Promised Land.

What’s It Mean?

Israel’s complaining, thankless attitude was a major problem throughout its wilderness wanderings. For four decades, they groused about being hungry, being thirsty, the food God provided, their perceived inability to conquer Canaan, Moses’ leadership, and anything else they could think of! They consistently lacked faith in God and his provision for them.

Sure, they had witnessed God’s extraordinary miracles to liberate them from Egyptian bondage, but when it came to the minutiae of daily life—food, drink, money, clothing, etc.—they struggled to trust that Yahweh was going to meet all of their needs.

What about you? When adversity strikes or life’s frustrations mount, how do you react? Do you complain like the ancient Israelites did? Do you throw yourself a world-class pity party? Or do you wait patiently on the Lord?

When life gets hard, don’t complain against God. He loves you beyond words. Rather, expectantly wait for him to act on your behalf as you rest in his perfect character and promises. He will meet all of your needs!

Now What?

The manna God provided to Israel “tasted like honey wafers” (Exodus 16:31). The next time you eat graham crackers, remember God’s provision to Israel . . . and you!

Did You Know?

In John 6:35, Jesus called himself “the bread of life” who provides eternal life, showing that he is far greater than the manna of Israel’s exodus generation.