Exodus 15:22-16:36 - Grumbling Against the Lord
Notes
Transcript
The Word Read
The Word Read
Please remain standing for the reading of the Holy Scripture. Hear the Word of the Lord from:
2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Behold, brothers and sisters, this is the Word of the Lord. Please be seated.
Exordium
Exordium
Beloved in Christ,
I invite you to open Holy Scripture to Exodus 15:22 this morning.
In one passage, we read of the Israelites singing praises to Yahweh for gaining the victory. In the following passage, we read of their sinful complaining.
The sin of grumbling, rooted deep in our hearts, springs forth from our mouths and brings about an evil and Satanic fire that results in destruction in every area of our lives. Complaining ruins relationships between friends, destroys marriages, causes strains between parents and children, co-workers, and in governments. Grumbling, complaining, and murmuring have created devastating fires in spheres of life.
My thesis for these verses is that the sin of complaining is the antithesis of praise and worship. Complaining is in direct opposition to praising.
Exodus 15:22-27 - Grumbling in Marah
Exodus 15:22-27 - Grumbling in Marah
22 Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.
The people of Israel have just finished singing the victory hymn to Yahweh. Outwardly, all is going well. However, the hearts of the people are wandering just like their feet. Moses gives the word, and the people make their trek into the wilderness of Shur. This was a harsh, vast, and rugged place. Generally, people did not live in this area. For three days, they travel without coming across any water. Now, this is a real problem. Millions of people and their livestock do need water. Then, behold, a location with water is before them. You can imagine the relief of the Israelites as they come upon Marah. However, excitement and relief turn to despair and frustration. Marah has water, but it isn’t very pleasant. This water is not drinkable.
The people of Israel respond, and it is not a godly response. Their response is grumbling. The word for grumbling used here means to complain or murmur. The word is used a total of 14 times in the Old Testament, with five instances in Exodus, eight instances in Numbers, and once in Joshua. Complaining, grumbling, or murmuring was a characteristic of the Exodus generation. In their frustrated state, they grumble against Moses and say, “What are we supposed to drink?” Moses, in turn, goes to the Lord. The Lord tells Moses to take a log, or a tree, and throw it into the water. The water is changed from bitter to sweet. The Lord, once again, has provided for His people. Complaining is the theme of these passages.
We must address the origin, nature, location, effects, and remedy of complaining and grumbling. As I mentioned, my thesis for these verses is that complaining is the antithesis of praise and worship. So, where there is a void of praise and worship, inevitably that void will be filled with complaining and grumbling in some way.
First, let us look to Genesis for the origin of complaining. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and He rested on the seventh. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had perfect union and communion with the Lord. He walked with them in the cool of the day. In our fallen, sinful state, we can only imagine the closeness of this relationship with God. Yet, as we know, Satan deceived Eve, and Adam rebelled against the Lord. They ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which brought physical, spiritual, and eternal death to all humanity (Romans 5:12). We see the origins of complaining in Genesis 3:11-12:
11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
When confronted by the Lord, both Adam and Eve desperately seek to place the blame elsewhere. “It wasn’t me, it was the woman you gave me!” says Adam. What a horrible complaint by a feeble, finite being towards a holy and infinite God. He blames the Lord, “It was the woman YOU gave me.” The very origin of complaining is rooted in Adam’s rebellious treason against God in the Garden of Eden. The origin of complaining, grumbling, and murmuring lies within humanity’s rebellion against the infinitely good Creator.
Second, we look at the nature of complaining. By nature, I mean the characteristics or qualities of complaining. Every person, family, church, organization, government, and so on has a reputation in the outside world. Nature speaks to the defining characteristics or qualities of a person, family, or group. So, what is the nature of complaining? The defining attributes of complaining are unbelief, faithlessness, mistrust, and rebellion. For the people of Israel in this passage, their complaining and grumbling weren’t truly against their leaders; it was against the Lord (Exodus 16:8). Their unbelief, faithlessness, mistrust, and rebellion were ascribed to the God who saved them out of Egypt.
This is why complaining is so detrimental to the life of a believer. It shows a lack of trust in God’s sovereignty and providence. If we believe that Christ is truly the sovereign King of our lives and His church, then we would not have complaints freely flowing from our mouths. Instead, Psalm 150:6 would fill our hearts:
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
The nature of complaining robs us of praising Christ like we should. Complaining steals the joy of Christ and replaces that joy with unbelief, faithlessness, mistrust, and rebellion. We no longer have heavenly eyes beholding the glory of Christ by faith. Instead, our eyes are lowered to this earth, causing us to grumble about things outside of our control. This is why complaining is so egregious to our Lord. In essence, while we may murmur in the shadows away from the physical presence of others, we boldly and foolishly declare before Christ’s throne: I do not trust You in this situation. We forgot the grace, mercy, and love of Christ.
Third, the heart is the location of grumbling. In Matthew 15, Jesus calls the people to himself after the Pharisees and Scribes accuse the disciples of breaking the traditions of the elders. Here is what Jesus tells the people in Matthew 15:17-20:
17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
How often do we contribute complaining to a matter of the mouth? We hear complaining and think, “I can’t believe that person said those things.” However, the heart is the actual location of complaining. The mouth merely says what is rooted in the heart. We must diligently search our hearts for areas of complaining and seek to slay it dead by the Spirit’s power.
Fourth, the effects of complaining and grumbling are devastating. James writes these words regarding the tongue in James 3:5-6:
5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
Have you ever played the telephone game? One person whispers something to the person next to them, and then the statement is whispered down the line. When the last person hears the statement, they tell the entire group what they’ve heard. In most cases, the last statement is not even close to the original statement. This is similar to the effects of complaining. How often does an original complaint take on a life of its own? As one looks back, there is a damaging path that has strained and sometimes torn apart families, friendships, workplaces, and churches.
A more systemic effect of complaining is that we distort the intentions of the Lord. This is clearly seen with the Exodus generation. The Lord, in His faithfulness and covenant love, redeems these people. He brings them out of Egypt. However, the people of Israel entirely distorted the Lord’s intentions. Moses says this to the people in Deuteronomy 1:27:
27 And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
Wow. How incredibly terrifying is that sentence? The people viewed God’s act of love as hate. We also think and act just like these Israelites when murmuring fills our hearts. Instead of seeing God’s love in all that happens to us, we misconstrue it as hate. The effects of complaining are incredibly harmful.
Now that we have an understanding of the origin, nature, location, and effects of complaining, we look to the only remedy for grumbling - the glorious gospel of Christ Jesus, whereby we are made children of the living God. Listen to Paul’s words in Philippians 2:14-16:
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
Do all things without grumbling or disputing is a command. God commands His people to do everything without grumbling. There is no room for complaining in our lives, not in our homes, not in our marriages, not in our parenting, not in our friendships, not in our community, not in our workplaces, not in a newly renovated Walmart, and certainly not in our church. We are called to live blameless and innocent lives because God has adopted us as His children. When we murmur, we are no longer shining lights to the world, holding fast to the word of life; we are blemished, like the crooked and twisted generation we live among.
The glorious Gospel of Christ Jesus is the only antidote for the bitter sickness of grumbling. In the Gospel, there is a promise that the Lord will transform us by the Holy Spirit. We are no longer bound and controlled by the spirit of complaining, but our hearts and mouths are loosed to sing praises to the One true God, and to live in unity with one another. Praise Christ, for He has broken the chains of grumbling hearts and freed us to sing glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He knows our wayward hearts and calls to remove complaining from our lives. Christ is the only remedy for a complaining heart.
We return to the test found in Exodus 15:26: “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” The people are reminded of the mighty plagues that befell Egypt, for it was the Lord’s doing. Furthermore, there is the promise that He would not bring plagues upon them so long as they keep His commandments and statutes. They needed to both hear His voice and obey His words. There are hints of the commandments Yahweh was to give the people at Mount Sinai here in this verse.
In verse 27, we see something amazing about the Lord: He led them to Elim where water was abundant. Despite their complaining and grumbling against Him, He graciously gives them what they need. The same is true for us as well. Despite the complaining that wells in our hearts, He so graciously gives us what we need for the day.
Exodus 16:1-36 - Grumbling in the Wilderness of Sin
Exodus 16:1-36 - Grumbling in the Wilderness of Sin
1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” 9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” 13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’ ” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’ ” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? 29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’ ” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)
The narrative continues, and the people of Israel complain because they do not have food. Once again, they fail to trust the Lord their God even though He is with them. “You’ve brought us out of Egypt to kill us by starvation!” they clamor. The Lord, as always, provides for their needs once again. Bread will be given each morning. The Lord, as we see in Exodus 16:4, does this to test them. What was the purpose of this test? To see whether or not they will obey Yahweh.
The people are summoned to come before the Lord in verse 9. At this time, they see the glory of the Lord as it appeared in a cloud. Wow. What a marvelous event. Yet, Yahweh does not come down to show off. He is reminding these people, “My presence is with you. Trust me! I will provide for you, dear children.”
The people of Israel are then instructed to gather manna each morning, and only what they needed for that specific day. No coincidence that each household gathered exactly what they needed, nothing more and nothing less. However, at first, they did not listen to Moses. They kept it till the morning, and the bread became full of worms, and it rotted. In His goodness, He also provides quail in the evening.
There is a vital spiritual lesson for us here - the Lord provides for our daily needs, but we must come to Him each day for provision. How often does the daily devotion get ignored or shortened when life gets busy or challenging? We must return to the Spring of Life every day. Furthermore, will we trust that His presence is with us every day? This is what the Israelites missed. Trust Christ!
They were given a special command for the Sabbath Day. They are to take what they need on the Sabbath, the day before. It is a holy day unto the Lord, and there will be no work done on this day. However, some still went out on the seventh day looking for the manna. The Lord sees their disobedience and says to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and laws?” Finally, the people listened and rested on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath is a wonderful gift the Lord has given us for rest. We are meant to enjoy the Lord on this sacred day. The Sabbath is not a time to catch up on all the menial tasks we didn’t get to during the week. This is a day we expressly set apart to enjoy Christ in worship.
Lastly, we see that an omer, about two liters, of manna is kept in a jar as a testimony before the Lord. They ate manna for forty years. Some might look at this and think, “How boring to eat this every single day.” We’d miss the point of the goodness of God if our thoughts stopped there. Despite the sinful grumblings of the people, God’s loving care never wavered. As the Lord said in Deuteronomy 2:7:
These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’
He always provided for a generation that was later called hard-hearted. Every single day, every day, His covenantal love was poured out on them. This truth is just as true today as it was back then. Has there ever been a day when you’ve said, “Christ has not provided for me?”
Closing
Closing
The people of Israel grumbled and complained because they failed to see that the Lord is the ultimate source for their provision. They blamed their leaders, Moses and Aaron, when they were dissatisfied with the Lord. How many times have we had the same situation arise in our lives? In our dissatisfaction, we are quick to complain about governing authorities, whether at home, in the church, in government, or in the workplace. We grumble and complain, totally oblivious to the reality that we are telling Christ, “I don’t trust You! I want different water. I want different food.” In our times and seasons of complaining, our hearts look elsewhere for our nourishment. When we do this, we forget the wonderful words of Jesus in John 6:35:
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
And John 4:10:
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
Let complaining not fill our hearts and mouths taking the place of glorious joy and praise. Let praise to Christ, who is our bread and living water, freely flow.
