August 14 Does it really work to complain? Exodus 16:1-18 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin,* between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.* 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. 3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” 8 Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud. 11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” 13 That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. 14 When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. 15 The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. 16 These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts* for each person in your tent.” 17 So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. 18 But when they measured it out,* everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed. Ive had some people complain that my wftW is too long, but does that shorten them? Well, I do keep that in mind when I do them, but not today. Too much good stuff here. There is a higher meaning to my devotion time than whether somebody reads them because of the length. Just another reminder; thank you for being my accountability partners in having my devotions every day. Can you believe today it has been 4 years and 11 months with two exceptions that I have been in Gods Word, listening to what He has to say to ME? Have I complained about what He has taught me? I can honestly say no. It has been the best time of my life. It certainly has not been easy and has stretched me beyond being comfortable, but exciting. So why are the Israelites not getting it? Have they not seen Gods work first hand? And yet God knows their hearts and wants them to ask, not taking anything for granted. Now this place God took them to was called the Sin Desert. It was a vast and hostile environment of sand and stone. Its barren surroundings provided the perfect place for God to test and shape the character of His people. And sure enough, it happened again. As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God provided for their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and complaining is a natural response. The Israelites didn’t really want to be back in Egypt; they just wanted life to get a little easier. In the pressure of the moment, they could not focus on the cause of their stress (in this case, lack of trust in God); they could only think about the quickest way of escape. When pressure comes our way, we must resist, not just letting it happen, the temptation to make a quick escape. Instead, we must focus on God’s power and wisdom to help us deal with the cause of our stress. You see, God promised to meet the Hebrews’ need for food in the desert, but He decided to test their obedience. God wanted to see if they would obey His detailed instructions. We can learn to trust Him as our Lord only by following. We can learn to obey by taking small steps of obedience. There first test was to take what He provided and do something with it. This Manna appeared on the ground each day as thin flakes like frost. The people gathered it, ground it like grain, and made it into honey-tasting pancakes. For the Israelites the manna was a gift because it came every day and was just what they needed, nothing more, nothing less. But it just satisfied their temporary physical need. We need so much more. In John 6:48-51 Jesus compares Himself to manna. Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” Christ is our daily bread who satisfies our eternal, spiritual need. Are you willing to stop complaining and start partaking of His daily bread? Fill up on His life changing Manna and make it a great day. Danny
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 11:08:46 +0000
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