A Complaining Heart
Lately I’ve been reading in the book of Numbers during my devotional time. A little, odd, right? Isn’t Numbers one of those books you kind of gloss over, trying to make it to something a little more interesting? I have to say, I’ve actually enjoyed the story of Moses and the Hebrews as they follow the God in His pillar of fire and cloud of smoke through the desert.
If you are unfamiliar with this section of scripture, there is something you should know: The Israelites are often a group of complainers. Beginning in chapter 11, the people complained to Moses about their hardships. When God heard this, He became angered and sent fire down to burn among them and destroy some of the outskirts of the Israelites’ camp. Unhappy with the manna, the Hebrews began to crave the food they ate back in Egypt. Moses could hear people from every family wailing at the entrance of their tents, saying they were better off in Egypt, and this further angered God. This troubled Moses, and he asked God what he had done to displease God so much that God would put the burden of all these people on him. In verse 14, he goes on to say that he cannot take care of all of these people alone, and the burden is far too heavy. In 15, he asks for death.
As is His way, God had other plans for Moses. God gave clear instruction to gather seventy of Israel’s elders who would share the burden of leading with Moses. He instructed Moses to stand with the elders at the tent of meeting, and He gave those elders some of the power of the Holy Spirit that was on Moses and placed it on the elders. When this happened, the elders who were present (as well as two who were back in the camp) began to prophesy!
This one chapter of Scripture gave me two takeaways today: first, God certainly will provide. Moses was sent 70 elders to help share the burden, and with the Holy Spirit upon them, we know God was guiding those elders’ decisions. Secondly, God does not appreciate complaining. God did send meat to the Israelites, but as punishment for their continual wailing, he sent so much meat that they became sick of it. At first, this and the fire may seem harsh, but we have to remember that they were basically saying they would rather be slaves again than be in their current situation. Imagine having seen the glory and the miracles performed back in Egypt, walking through a split sea, watching God’s fire burn at night for warmth and light and His pillar of smoke by day as a physical and visual awareness that God dwells among His people, and still complaining that His blessings were lacking.
Does it make you check your own heart? It certainly did mine. It made me consider how far God has brought me in my own life, and how I still will tend to complain to Him about things that are trivial. This does not mean that we cannot mourn with God, as He certainly hurts when we are hurting, and this certainly does not mean we cannot make requests. However, there is an enormous difference between incessant complaining and requesting something. When we ask God for something with a willingness to follow the steps He has laid out for us, we still trust God is carrying our situations, even if the answer we receive is a “no” or a “not yet.”
This passage opened my eyes to how I can take my complaints and turn them into praises, thanking God for his continual provision and loving kindness while also trusting that God leads our paths. None of us are deserving of God’s blessings, but He loves us so incredibly much that he sends them without reservation. Let us continue to praise God, thankful that He is our great provider, redeemer, and friend.
By: Ms. Leslie Capps, NBC Administrative Assistant Academic Affairs and Compliance
Published: 06/24/2019
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