Can God Furnish a Table in the Wilderness?

Can God Furnish a Table in the Wilderness?

Text: Psalm 78:11–22 (KJV 1900)

12 Marvellous things did he in the sight of their fathers, In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; And he made the waters to stand as an heap.

14 In the daytime also he led them with a cloud, And all the night with a light of fire.

15 He clave the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink as out of the great depths.

16 He brought streams also out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 And they sinned yet more against him By provoking the most High in the wilderness.

18 And they tempted God in their heart By asking meat for their lust.

19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, And the streams verflowed; Can he give bread also? Can he provide flesh for his people?

21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel;

22 Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation:

Introduction:

* In our text we have taken this morning we see in the Psalms a recounting of the interaction between God and His people while they were in the wilderness just after God had delivered them with a mighty hand.

* It was still fresh in the memory of the people of God how that God had caused 10 great plagues to fall upon the enemies of God by the hand of Moses.

* The people had just witnessed the waters of the Red Sea parted and standing up in great columns on either side as they passed through that great sea.

* The people of God had stood by as God delivered them for sure death and destruction at the hands of the Egyptian army. They watched as God destroyed their enemies one of the most powerful and feared armies in the entire world.

* These people had witnessed the power of God as no people in the world had ever seen before.

* But I want you to see now the strangest thing, and also learn something about human nature.

* Look now with me at our text again at Psalms 78 and verse 21:

21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel;

22 Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation:

* This is the strangest thing! These people who God had loved and with a great love for them delivered them by great power and miracles, did not trust God to simply meet their everyday needs.

* Because of the mistrust of God’s people, God was filled with anger against them! These people’s lack of trust in God to provide for them angered God!

* Now, even from a human perspective, I can somewhat understand where God is coming from. We all from time to time have experienced the same indignation ourselves.

* Have you ever went out of your way and sacrificed to help someone, just to have them turn right around and talk about you behind your back? I have.

* I’m telling you right now I felt the same way God does here toward His people!

* The Gaul of that person! I went out of my way to help them and this is how they repay me? After everything I have done for them, and they turn right around and talk bad about me! The nerve of some people!

* This stirred up anger within me! And God’s people had stirred up anger within the heard of God by their ungrateful actions and words.

* These people had dared to run their mouths with doubtful comments about the God who had loved them and saved them!

* Listen to their words in our text in verse 19 of our text in Psalms chapter 78:

19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

* This single verse is the main verse of my message this morning. “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

* When we fear that God will not deliver us from our present trouble, and we give ourselves to fear and doubt, we like God’s people in our text, greatly dishonor the character of God!

* This is a sin of the highest order, and a sin that angers God this morning!

* I think of Peter who, because of fear, denied his precious Savior, and brought shame upon Jesus that night in the garden.

* I think of those disciples of Jesus, in the boat on the sea of Galilee on that dark, stormy night who shamefully accused their savior not caring for them.

* I want you to see this morning that when you doubt and question the Lord’s ability to care for your needs, you greatly dishonor the God who loved you and saved you!

* If we persist in our doubts and complaints, we provoke God to anger ,and invite he wrath of God upon us! Listen to the words from the same chapter of our text in Psalms 78:

Psalm 78:21–33 (KJV 1900)

21 Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel;

22 Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in his salvation:

23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above, And opened the doors of heaven,

24 And had rained down manna upon them to eat, And had given them of the corn of heaven.

25 Man did eat angels’ food: He sent them meat to the full.

26 He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: And by his power he brought in the south wind.

27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust, And feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

28 And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, Round about their habitations.

29 So they did eat, and were well filled: For he gave them their own desire;

30 They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 The wrath of God came upon them, And slew the fattest of them, And smote down the chosen men of Israel.

32 For all this they sinned still, And believed not for his wondrous works.

33 Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, And their years in trouble.

* We learn from our test here in Psalms 78, that when we, God’s people, doubt the love of their heavenly father for us, and doubt that he can provide for our needs, that we greatly dishonor God and provoke Him to anger.

* Now I want you to consider something with me. I want you to see a pattern I have observed in the Bible. There are many examples of this, but I want to take just a couple of examples and show you something.

* It seems that there is a definite pattern that we can learn from here. It seems that the manner in which God tests his children is by first delivering us from a situation, and then, right afterwards he tests our faith- a test, not to see if we have any faith, but to strengthen our faith.

* Consider the following examples with me:

I. After God delivered the children of Israel at the red sea, they dishonored God by fearing their circumstances.

II. After a great victory with Laban, Jacob dishonored God by fearing his past (Esau.)

III. After God showed himself strong by the hand of Elijah, Elijah dishonored God by fearing his enemies. (Jezebel)

Conclusion:

* In each of these examples, we see a pattern that a time of great doubt follows a time of great deliverance.

* So how do we apply this truth to our lives this morning?

* By knowing this truth, we cooperate with God when the trials come, and we work with Him, and not against Him as He works to make our small faith into great faith.

* Are you faced with a great trial this morning? There is no circumstance that comes to you that God has not already seen. If God has chosen to allow a trying circumstance into your life, it is allowed in order to bring you into a greater faith.

* So why does God do this to us? Because we will never know the depths peace of God in our hearts until we trust Him with all our heart.

Spurgeon-

The path of faith is the smoothest path, after all. The road of life will always be rough, but he who walks by faith will find half its roughness removed. The greater part of our sorrows come not from heaven, nor hell, nor earth, but from ourselves. We are our own plague-makers, and our own tormentors.

A man with strong faith is like one who wears a leathern glove, who can lay hold of thorns and thistles, and not be hurt; but the man with weak faith is like one, not only with a naked hand, but with the skin off it; everything he touches irritates the tender flesh, and even the small grains of dust may fret within the wound, and breed ulcers and foul sores.

"Be strong." God is with you, so how dare you be dismayed because of your own weakness? "Fear not." The Lord is your confidence; it is presumption for you to mistrust him. "Be strong." The might of God is engaged, by promise and by oath, to bring you safely through. "Fear not." There is no cause for fear; the enemies whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see again no more for ever. "Fear not." Fear weakens you; moreover, it dishonors God, and gives cause to the enemy to blaspheme his holy name.

* This morning this principle, that faith brings peace also applies to our salvation. We are kept by the power of God. What god does is eternal; nothing can be put to it. The Bible says that God will finish the work that He has started in you. Don’t doubt.

* You will never have the peace and assurance that you are truly saved, until you fully trust God with the matter. When you do, God will flood your soul with assurance and peace and remove the doubts that plague your soul.

* Whether it be for salvation, or for your circumstances, or for you needs, God desires that your faith be strengthened.

Hebrews 11:5–6 (KJV 1900)

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Spurgeon-

Oh, if we only believed God as he deserves to be believed, we should be able to move mountains, and cast them into the sea! Nothing is impossible to the man to whom it is impossible to doubt his God. A mighty faith, though it is not in itself omnipotent, yet lays hold upon the omnipotence of God, and girds itself with divine strength. Does not the Lord deserve such a faith from us? Yet we shall never have it unless he gives it to us.

Philippians 4:4–7 (KJV 1900)

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men.

The Lord is at hand. 6 Be careful for nothing;

but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.