Grappling with Grumbling
Notes
Transcript
Announcements:
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Worship:
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Body:
1 The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.
2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
7 and in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because he has heard your complaints about him. For who are we that you complain about us?”
8 Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and all the bread you want in the morning, for he has heard the complaints that you are raising against him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your complaints.’ ”
10 As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses,
12 “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Introduction:
ILLUS – A Frivolous Lawsuit
1. Our world has issues.
2. The truth is you do not have to look too hard to find something to grumble about.
3. And with things as bad as they are right now, do you find yourself grumbling more than you have before?
4. Is grumbling something you are grappling with?
5. If so, God has a solution.
6. This morning, we are going to look at the nature of this wrestling match and discover how to Grapple with Grumbling and win.
1 The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.
2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
7 and in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because he has heard your complaints about him. For who are we that you complain about us?”
8 Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and all the bread you want in the morning, for he has heard the complaints that you are raising against him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”
9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your complaints.’ ”
10 As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses,
12 “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
Context:
1. God led Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand and manifested His glorious presence in a visible way with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night after He devastated Egypt with ten plagues. (13:21-22)
2. At the Red Sea, God defeated Pharaoh’s army. To celebrate God’s victory, Moses led Israel in a victory song, praising the Lord for His defeat of the Egyptians. (15:1-21)
3. But their victory song was quickly replaced three days later by a song of grumbling at a place called Marah, where they discovered the water was undrinkable.
4. Israel grumbled against God, but He graciously met their needs by sweetening the water so that they could drink and be refreshed.
5. Afterwards, God led Israel to Elim where they enjoyed the 12 springs of water and the 70 date palms; enough to satisfy Israel’s needs.
6. Now, it is important to point out that Israel had been in Egypt for 430 years, forced into slavery and immersed into the culture and religion of the Land of the Pharaohs.
7. In many ways, when it came to Israel’s spiritual maturity, they were infants. So, God had to carefully teach them what it meant to trust Him and follow Him.
8. To do so, God used obstacles and setbacks as object lessons to help Israel grow in their faith. God wanted Israel to know that:
a. The Lord their God would meet their needs.
b. The Lord their God knew where He was going and what He was doing.
9. At Marah, God promised that if Israel would Listen, Believe, and Obey His commands He would bless them.
10. How long did Israel Listen, Believe, and Obey God’s command to trust Him? About a month.
Transition – In order to Grapple with Grumbling and win, we must understand the nature of the problem.
I. Grumbling is a Choice (1-3)
1 The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.
2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”
• And grumbling can easily become a habit, a way of responding to the world.
• Spiritually speaking, it will change your DNA.
A. Grumbling has a predictable pattern
1. Israel had been free from slavery for 45 days.
2. But Israel was still enslaved, and the wilderness revealed the nature of their struggle.
3. First, in that day travelers typically brought 30 days of supplies.
a. Israel had plenty of food because they plundered Egypt when they left. (12:35-36)
b. But some supplies were probably running low.
4. Second, Israel was in the wilderness; a hot, rugged, desolate place with little or no access to water or food.
5. So, what did Israel do? They grumbled.
a. Here the word grumbled is a unique word that means “rebellion.” (2)
b. It is used eight times in these 12 verses.
c. The repetition in the Hebrew language in significant. Whenever a Hebrew word is repeated, it is intended to emphasize a point.
d. What is the point? Israel was rebelling against God because Israel did not trust God.
e. When Israel grumbled, they were literally casting a “vote of no confidence.”
ILLUS – A Complaining Monk
APPL – Have you ever met a grumbler?
• It is always something. It is never good enough.
• They are never satisfied, and they want everyone to know it.
Mark Twain once said, “Don’t complain and talk about all your problems. 80% of people don’t care; the other 20% will think you deserve them.”
• The truth is, when a person grumbles it is a revelation of what is in their heart.
18 But what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this defiles a person.
B. Grumbling will spread like wildfire
1. Left unchecked, grumbling will spread like wildfire.
a. First, Israel grumbled at Moses at Marah. (15:24)
b. Then, Israel grumbled at Moses and Aaron one month later. (16:2)
c. But Israel did not stop there. Israel had the nerve to accuse Moses and Aaron of premeditated murder. (16:3)
d. Israel also twisted the facts and revised history, when they said in Egypt, they…
Sat by pots of meat, a place rest and abundance. They ate bread to the full, a place that satisfied their needs They basically called Egypt their Promised Land, a land “flowing with milk and honey.”
APPL – A sure sign that grumbling is getting the best of you is when you have a “selective memory” that focuses on the bad and forgets the good. When that happens, even blessings can become a cause for grumbling.
2. Grumbling is very contagious.
a. If left unchecked, grumblers can influence others to grumble. It was true for Israel.
4 The riffraff among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites wept again and said, “Who will feed us meat?
5 We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
6 But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!”
b. Grumbling can even lead to mutiny. Three chapters later, Israel wanted to kill Moses and Aaron and return to Egypt when ten spies came back and said that the people in the Promised Land were too big and strong. (Numbers 14:10)
APPL – This brings us to an important question. Why do people grumble?
• For some it is the fear of the unknown.
• For others it is the loss of control. Israel had been fending for themselves for 430 years in Egypt and found it difficult to submit to God’s leadership.
• For still others, they just like to play the “victim card.”
3. The bottom-line is grumbling will damage your heart.
4. The good news is, God has a solution.
Transition: And that is where we will turn next.
• We have seen the nature of the problem.
• Now we are going to discover God’s solution to grumbling so that we may grapple and win.
II. Jesus is Our Escape Route (4-12)
• It is so easy to get stuck in a rut when it comes to bad choices.
• Grumbling is no different.
• But God does not want to us remain stuck in a rut. He wants us to take His escape route, Jesus.
13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
A. Jesus is our bread from heaven
1. God took the initiative to graciously provide Israel with quail and bread from heaven before Moses even asked. (4)
2. Again, God was using the wilderness to instruct them and strengthen their faith.
APPL – I believe there are lesson of faith that we can learn during these are difficult times, unprecedented times.
• It is tempting to grumble.
• But grumbling will blind us to a manifestation of God’s solution.
• God wants us to trust in Jesus Christ, our bread from heaven to meet our needs.
• Manna saved Israel from death due to starvation. Christ saves us from the consequences of our sin, an eternity in hell.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
• Manna was available and accessible for all. Christ’s offer of salvation is available to all who will believe.
8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim:
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
• Manna satisfied Israel’s hunger for 40 years. Christ satisfies our deepest hunger for all eternity.
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.
B. Feed on Christ daily
1. To satisfy their hunger Israel had to eat.
2. Faith was required to gather and eat the manna.
a. They rose early in the morning, first thing to benefit them the rest of the day.
b. They had to collect the manna daily, a continual reliance upon God.
c. They had to humble themselves and stoop down to collect the manna.
d. With thanksgiving in your heart.
APPL – If you wish to defeat grumbling, please realize that the gathering of manna pictures the keys to a healthy devotional life and relationship with God.
• Rise early and benefit from the Lord’s presence and provision of strength.
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.
• Daily rely upon the Lord for strength, guidance, wisdom, grace.
11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.
12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
• Humble yourself and cast your cares upon Him.
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.
• Be thankful. Thanksgiving is a powerful weapon against grumbling, and it is God’s will for you.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray constantly,
18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
APPL – Jesus is our escape route. Jesus is our bread from heaven. Feed on Christ daily.
• If you are filled with the Lord’s Spirit, there is no room for grumbling.
• If you are content and anchored in the Lord, you will not be overwhelmed by the trials of life.
• If you are filled with thanksgiving, then words of faith will fall from your lips when trials come.
• You will even become a source of encouragement to others.
Conclusion:
APPL – Has grumbling gotten the best of you?
• Christ is the escape route.
• He is God’s provision, our bread from heaven.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.