In today’s YouTube video, Whispering Danny, Rudy Ross and I discuss the story of the Israelites as they complained about being hungry while wandering in the wilderness. The account is found in Exodus 16.1-8.
Just under three months after celebrating Passover and crossing the Red Sea, the Hebrew children started grumbling about not having enough food (Exodus 16.1-3).
If it wasn’t such a serious matter, their remarks could be funny considering what God had done for them.
The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16.3).
Let’s pause and ask ourselves how we relate to the Israelites’ complaints and feelings of dissatisfaction in our own lives.
One of my favorite preachers once remarked that constantly complaining and criticizing is not a spiritual gift. Yet, we often find ourselves doing it. I know I’m guilty.
The previous chapters of Exodus described the real situation of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt.
The Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out. Their cry for help rose up to God from their slavery.
God heard their groaning . . . looked upon the Israelites, and God took notice of them (Exodus 2.23-25).
Their hunger blurred their sight and made them exaggerate about their past life in Egypt.
How can we differ from the Israelites? How can we cultivate gratitude and contentment in the midst of challenging circumstances?
Today, while making videos, Rudy shared his life approach. He aims to be thankful instead of complaining. He believes that gratitude can beat the habit of criticism and complaining.
Bread from Heaven
God graciously responded to his people’s complaints by giving them bread every day.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not” (Exodus 16.4).
God gave the Israelites heavenly bread, but it came with a challenge. Would they obey His instructions or seek to secure life on their own terms?
This problem is something the Israelites encounter often in their history with God. The prophets had to tackle it because trying to control life on your own doesn’t show trust in God.
What Are We?
The Bible’s questions are crucial. Whispering Danny highlighted verse 8, where Moses and Aaron asked, “What are we?”
The question, “What are we,” suggests that people weren’t really grumbling to Aaron and Moses. Instead, they were actually complaining against God.
The “what are we” question can be expanded to what is our purpose in life? Why were we created by God? What are the reasons behind our actions and what should we change about them?
These and more are the kinds of questions we should ask ourselves.
Appreciating the Glory of God
Moses and Aaron told the crowd, “You shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord” (Exodus 16.7).
They saw the Lord’s glory in how He met their basic needs for food.
Do we recognize and appreciate the glory of the Lord in our daily lives, understanding that He hears our concerns and responds with His abundant provision?
The old hymn’s refrain is great advice for us.
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
Let’s take a moment to reflect on our worries and complaints, alongside God’s support. Let’s remember all that he has done for us by counting our blessings.
Thanking him, we’ll find ourselves in awe of his immense goodness.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
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