Here is a verse I kicked around in my head quite a bit yesterday, having read it as part of my morning time in the Word:
If you read Numbers 13-16 you see a lot going on leading up to this. Distrust of the Lord, rebellion against His will, rebellion against His appointed leaders. A lot of smiting, a lot of Moses and Aaron interceding to keep God from punishing the nation of Israel even more for their rebellion. All this going on when the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth at the tent of meeting.
So there you have it. Rebellion in the physical presence of God; grumbling and ingratitude. Lots of people die, lots of punishment meted out. And oh yeah, you are on the doorstep of the promised land and now it's 40 years of wandering the desert until all the grumblers die off. You think they would have learned at this point. The earth opening up and swallowing several hundreds of people should still the rebellious heart.
And they get up the next morning and start complaining as if they were the victims instead of accomplices. I guess the only lesson they learned was not to grumble directly at God, but His chosen instruments and messengers. It took the sign of Aaron's budding staff to get the people to acknowledge what faith and their circumstances should have made obvious.
Let me not be such a person. Let me be grateful for what He is doing in my life, accepting that His will is the best way for me. Let me be accountable to Him, and a whiny victim. But I fear I will grumble as I move forward. I have lately.
But only on the days I get up and start thinking on my own instead of relying on the Lord.
But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You are the ones who have caused the death of the LORD'S people." Numbers 16:41 (NASB)
If you read Numbers 13-16 you see a lot going on leading up to this. Distrust of the Lord, rebellion against His will, rebellion against His appointed leaders. A lot of smiting, a lot of Moses and Aaron interceding to keep God from punishing the nation of Israel even more for their rebellion. All this going on when the manifestation of God's physical presence on earth at the tent of meeting.
So there you have it. Rebellion in the physical presence of God; grumbling and ingratitude. Lots of people die, lots of punishment meted out. And oh yeah, you are on the doorstep of the promised land and now it's 40 years of wandering the desert until all the grumblers die off. You think they would have learned at this point. The earth opening up and swallowing several hundreds of people should still the rebellious heart.
And they get up the next morning and start complaining as if they were the victims instead of accomplices. I guess the only lesson they learned was not to grumble directly at God, but His chosen instruments and messengers. It took the sign of Aaron's budding staff to get the people to acknowledge what faith and their circumstances should have made obvious.
Let me not be such a person. Let me be grateful for what He is doing in my life, accepting that His will is the best way for me. Let me be accountable to Him, and a whiny victim. But I fear I will grumble as I move forward. I have lately.
But only on the days I get up and start thinking on my own instead of relying on the Lord.
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