How We Complain!
Reading: Numbers 10, 11
My Verse: "I am not able to carry all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me" (11:14).
Oh, LORD God, You are gracious to us even in our complaining - and how we do complain! Forgive me, I am embarrassed to say I do it all the time! Dear LORD help me in this.
This passage is all about this dreadful habit of ours. We complain about everything. The Israelites are complaining about their hardships. You grew angry with them and punished them for this. "and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and devoured those in the outlying parts of the camp" (11:1). Later they complained about their food. Here You granted them their greedy desires and gave them meat to eat. When You gave them the meat they did not thank You for it but greedily piled up way more than they needed. So with the meat You also put upon them a plague that killed many. In this complaining the people were not looking to You for help but were just griping about their wants and desires and condition. And so You punished them.
And yet there are times when You are gracious to us as You were to Moses. He just felt overwhelmed with all the needs of the people. He was even to the point of asking You to take his life. ". . . kill me I pray you, at once, and be granting me a favor and let me not see my wretchedness" (11:15). How often are we there ourselves? Sometimes things on this earth just feel too burdensome. And like Moses, we despair. How we need reminding of Your love for us. How we need reminding that You will help us to carry these burdens - You in fact will carry them for us.
In this case You told Moses to gather "men of the elders of Israel whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them" and You would anoint them with Your spirit to help him bear the burdens of the people. This helped Moses to realize that he did not have to bear the burdens alone.
In looking at these two kinds of complaining - that of the people and that of Moses. The people were literally just complaining. They were not crying out to You - they were crying out about their situation. Moses on the other hand was crying out to You. He had a personal relationship with You and so cried out to You that he just couldn't bear it any more. And so You responded to him. You responded to his need.
This is so important. I need to remember this when I find myself starting to fret. I know that You love me and so, like Moses I must cry out to You in my every need. I must instead of focusing on my problem, I must focus on You! I must be thankful for all that You do for me.
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want" (Psalm 23:1)
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isaiah 30:18).
Thank You, LORD God for this lesson!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
Reading: Numbers 10, 11
My Verse: "I am not able to carry all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me" (11:14).
Oh, LORD God, You are gracious to us even in our complaining - and how we do complain! Forgive me, I am embarrassed to say I do it all the time! Dear LORD help me in this.
This passage is all about this dreadful habit of ours. We complain about everything. The Israelites are complaining about their hardships. You grew angry with them and punished them for this. "and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and devoured those in the outlying parts of the camp" (11:1). Later they complained about their food. Here You granted them their greedy desires and gave them meat to eat. When You gave them the meat they did not thank You for it but greedily piled up way more than they needed. So with the meat You also put upon them a plague that killed many. In this complaining the people were not looking to You for help but were just griping about their wants and desires and condition. And so You punished them.
And yet there are times when You are gracious to us as You were to Moses. He just felt overwhelmed with all the needs of the people. He was even to the point of asking You to take his life. ". . . kill me I pray you, at once, and be granting me a favor and let me not see my wretchedness" (11:15). How often are we there ourselves? Sometimes things on this earth just feel too burdensome. And like Moses, we despair. How we need reminding of Your love for us. How we need reminding that You will help us to carry these burdens - You in fact will carry them for us.
In this case You told Moses to gather "men of the elders of Israel whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them" and You would anoint them with Your spirit to help him bear the burdens of the people. This helped Moses to realize that he did not have to bear the burdens alone.
In looking at these two kinds of complaining - that of the people and that of Moses. The people were literally just complaining. They were not crying out to You - they were crying out about their situation. Moses on the other hand was crying out to You. He had a personal relationship with You and so cried out to You that he just couldn't bear it any more. And so You responded to him. You responded to his need.
This is so important. I need to remember this when I find myself starting to fret. I know that You love me and so, like Moses I must cry out to You in my every need. I must instead of focusing on my problem, I must focus on You! I must be thankful for all that You do for me.
"The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want" (Psalm 23:1)
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
"Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" (Isaiah 30:18).
Thank You, LORD God for this lesson!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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