Numbers 11 records an amazing episode that in the same moment is horrible, hilarious, sad, and convicting.
The Book of Numbers has a building pile of insults against the Lord by the people that God delivered from Egypt. He wants to bring them to the promised land, into the fullness of His blessings, but they return favor with insult, blessing with grumbling, mercy with rebellion. Eventually in Chapter 14:20-24 the people add the last straw that breaks the camel's back and God turns them away from the promised land, vowing that the "wicked" people would perish by 40 years wandering in the desert. So heartbreaking.
But Chapter 11 starts with another piece of straw added to the camel with the Israelites wailing and complaining about their hardships. This elicits the Lord's wrath who makes the outskirts of the camp a golden, toasty brown with fire.
I'm often quick to point the finger at the tribes here, but when I do there's three more fingers pointing back at me. The tribes of Israel were miraculously delivered from the slavery by the mighty hand of God. This group of people arguably saw more miracles and divine acts of power than any in history save for the disciples of Jesus. And yet, it was not enough to cultivate faith, trust and gratitude. And while I haven't seen a pillar of fire or a plague of frogs, I've clearly seen God's hand in my life, delivering me. Yet just like the Israelites, I'm prone to complain that I don't have enough. Prone to want more than what's been provided, to crave what I don't have rather than be thankful for what I do. Contentment and thankfulness is so important to a joyful life.
Instead, look at the litany of unflattering words used to describe the people under Moses' care: wailing, complainers, crying, rabble, cravings, rejecting the Lord. This is serious stuff. They got sick and tired of eating manna (the miracle food provided by God). Instead, they whined for meat and longed for the "good old days" back in Egypt. And so God answers their sniveling cry for meat by sending hundreds of Wal Mart trucks worth of quail, so much that they eat till it comes out their nostrils (vs 20!) and they loathe the meat. There's both great humor and sadness in this. Because the default human condition is to want what we don't have, no matter how full our houses, bellies, or DVRs. And then when we get what we want it becomes loathsome eventually because we want something else.
Sometimes when I'm bummed out I'll count my blessings. Literally. It's humbling to remember how much I'm blessed, even in very difficult and trying "desert experiences". I thank God for blessings great and small:
1) Drinking water that flows at the turn of a faucet.
2) Not just daily bread, but abundance of food.
3) Roads that I can travel without fear of IED explosions.
4) Arms and hands that can hug my son, carry soccer goals to a game, be raised in worship.
5) Socks.
6) Freedom to pray and meet publicly in discussions about the Bible.
...
347) Dozens of personal copies of the Bible.
348) A son that loves Jesus.
349) Blood shed on the cross.
350) Rain.
351) Dirt.
...
795) Plastic, metals and oil that create innumerable products that save lives, fuel industry, facilitate our fun.
796) Alpine meadows.
797) Toothbrushes.
798) Fleece jackets.
799) Grande americanos with cream and two sugars.
And my prayer is that if God should take anything or everything from me, I would still praise him for a rich inheritance reserved in heaven for me, a mansion with a room prepared for me, a coming new heaven and earth, a new body, and an eternity to worship the loving Savior who made it all possible. Pass the manna, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment