Complain

"The sons of Israel said to them, 'Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'" -Exodus 16.3

People love to complain, it's a simple fact. No matter what has happened, no matter how good something is, people will always find something to complain about. Israel was oppressed for over four centuries. They finally are set free and God delivers them with the wealth of Egypt in their possession. Once they get into the wilderness they are pursued by Pharaoh, and again, God delivers them by parting the Red Sea. For a moment the people praise Him, and it seems as if they have finally learned to trust Him.

At the end of Exodus 15 Israel has reached Marah, there is water but it is bitter and undrinkable. God responds to Moses' cry and shows him a tree that makes the water sweet once it has been thrown into it. After this God leads them to Elim where there are twelves springs and seventy date palms. They have food, water and a place to rest. But this isn't the Promised Land, and they set out from Elim towards the wilderness.

Just over two months into freedom the people start talking about how good it was in Egypt. Hunger has started to set in, and they recall the bounty of food that they had as slaves. Never mind that they were slaves, they had full bellies. And now they have been set free to starve. It reminds me of Esau back in Genesis 25, he sells his birth right for a bowl of lentil stew and bread because he was "about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to" him? He sold something big for immediate satisfaction. Israel looks at the little they had, and now sees the momentary discomfort, and they would rather be full slaves than hungry freed men. God had just brought ten plagues on Egypt and parted the Red Sea, don't they think that maybe He could provide some food? But rather than turn to Him, it's easier to complain.

Men, do you fall into the complainer category? As soon as things start to get a little hard, or uncomfortable, do you begin to think about the "good old days"? Never mind the fact that you used to be in some kind of slavery, at least you got to enjoy something small. Never mind that God delivered you, there's no way He can satisfy the longing. We know how bad the situation was, but we would rather go back to it than face the situations with God now.

For some reason there is this mindset that turning to God takes away all your troubles. That isn't the case, but because of the expectation we complain as soon as God doesn't seem to come through. Never mind everything He has done to get us to this point, something like hunger tears our faith in Him, and when He doesn't bring instant satisfaction we let everyone know about it.

I've complained a lot over the years. When things haven't worked out, or taken longer than I thought, I've let God know how upset and unhappy I am. And yet who am I to complain to God about what He's failing to do? He saved me from sin, which He didn't have to do. He gave me new life in Christ, which He didn't have to do. He's allowed me to be part of His epic story, which He didn't have to do. And somehow I have the nerve to complain about something that I feel I'm owed?

I don't want to complain, I want to trust. God has taken care of me time and time again. He has never failed to come through, so what right do I have to complain?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor