In the Wilderness Part 3 (Monday Morning Mail)
Good Morning!
Yesterday, we continued with our series "In the Wilderness", following Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. We skipped the giving of the Law, the priesthood and the Tabernacle at Mount Sinai, and resumed in Numbers 11, roughly a year after Exodus 17 but only slightly further on the journey.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that so little has changed. The people have been fed by God every day for a year (except Saturdays!), they have heard God speaking the 10 Commandments, they have been given the Law, sacrifices so that they can be forgiven, and a way to access God by the priesthood and the Tabernacle.
But they are still complaining. Complaining is a big problem, but is far too ignored in modern Christian culture. I know it's been a problem for me, and I talked a lot more about that in my sermon yesterday. I've only got space here for a few thoughts on what the start of Numbers 11 shows us about complaining.
Complaining is Contagious
In v4, it starts in the rabble – the hangers-on rather than with the Israelites. But they're quickly infected too. Complaining shouldn't be a habit that fits easily with us as Christians, and when we talk to folk who are badly infected with complaining, we need to take care that they don't infect us too. Sometimes that means helping to point them beyond complaining, or seeking to improve things rather than just complain. Sometimes it might mean stopping talking to them, or stopping listening to them altogether.
Complaining Distorts the Past
The Israelites were moaning that their food used to be much better when they were in Egypt. They somehow managed to forget that in Egypt they were slaves, subject to appalling treatment and occasional bouts of having their children massacred!
Complaining sometimes distorts the past to make it a Golden Age, which makes the present look poor in comparison. Sometimes it goes the other way and distorts the past to make it seem much worse than it actually was. Either danger is unhelpful.
Complaining Distorts the Present
The Israelites moaned about the manna – that they had to eat the same thing each day. But actually the passage tells us that there were several different ways of cooking it, that it tasted really good and that God provided it for them for free every night.
One think I've found helpful in stopping grumbling is writing lists of things to be thankful for. I remember once, when I was feeling especially down, I made myself write a list of 100. (If you're having trouble, try breaking it down into "10 things to be thankful for between 1980 and 1990", "10 things to be thankful for about Jesus", and so on.) When we see all the ways God has been good to us and continues to be good to us, it's much easier to avoid grumbling.
Complaining Forgets the Future
The Israelites didn't even mention the future. And yet the whole point of them being in the desert is that they were on a journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It's much easier to put up with the inconvenience involved in flying somewhere if you remember where you're going rather than always focusing on how long you have to wait to check in. It's the same with us. When we remember that God leads us through the desert so that we can get somewhere better; when we see the glorious hope to which he has called us in his new creation, it is much easier to trust him and to keep going through times of difficulty!
John
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