"And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?" - Exodus 17:7
What spiritual strugglers we can be at times. We who have experienced a deliverance far more lasting and miraculous than Israel's Red Sea crossing, we who have been filled with Bread far greater than Israel's manna, we who have drunk Water more greatly sustaining than that which flowed from Israel's rock in Horeb...yet we can seemingly struggle more so than they did.
Israel was afflicted with the pestilence of negativism. These redeemed roamers had forgotten the sound of Egypt's cracking whip as if it had been their imagination for 400 years. Long decades under the baking sun as they, their fathers, their grandfathers, their great grandfathers and more had spent centuries shaping mud and straw into bricks had now been replaced with an exodus from slavery, and entrance into liberty, and a future as bright as the sun which once burned their bowed backs. These people were free. These people were experiencing what so many were not graced to see. These people were being led by God Himself who proactively rescued them, graciously sent Moses to shepherd them, and promised to take them to a land prepared for them. Their response? Murmuring, complaining, chiding, and demanding. Forgive me but this is nothing more than spiritual vomit.
What strikes me about Exodus 17 is that in verse number seven the negativism of Israel reached such a depth that their final question became 'Is Yahweh here or not, Moses?' From a leader's perspective I can certainly identify with Brother Moe. He had an overwhelming task for which he felt ill-suited and his every effort was met by the complaint of a people who should have rather been singing harmoniously with him. The people complained to Moses, Moses complained to God, and God heard it all. Look at these words from chapter sixteen regarding Israel's negativism:
Ex 16:7 - "Ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that He heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us?"
Ex 16:8 - "...the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord."
Ex 16:9 - "Come near before the Lord: for He hath heard your murmurings."
Ex 16:12 - "I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel..."
Ex 17:2 - "Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?"
We don't need to be overly discerning to note that God equated all of Israel's groaning against Moses as being equal to complaining about God Himself. Hello! The masses prefer to throw stones at somebody with skin on, and rarely are bold enough to speak in reality what they scream in the privacy of their hearts: Hey, God, we think You're doing a lousy job and we demand some changes! Do you think I'm being irreverent? Well, what other conclusions can we draw from texts like these? God in His grace and mercy chooses Moses, commissions Moses, empowers Moses, effectively uses Moses, delivers through Moses, and leads through Moses. This was God's plan, not Moe's, and the people rebelled against God's plan with every complaint. The end result? They could not even discern if God was present among them. The fact of the matter was that He was right there. He ordained difficulty - but He was still there. He allowed Moses to struggle - but He was still there. He let the people complain - yet He never left them. He met them at times with the bare necessities - yet His plan was in full affect. He withheld ease and comfort from them...yet He was actively leading them in the direction of His choosing.
Final thought for the day: Here's how to lose your sense of God's presence. Get negative. Endeavor to begin to find fault in anything possible. Begin to complain about your husband, your parents, your pastor, or your boss. Simply commit to commence on the dim and swampy path of complaint. Here's something that may encourage you: You only have to begin this process. One you begin it there will soon appear the reality that it takes over and you will cruise down this avenue from that point forward without even trying. It's incredible that it will take over and you will soon find the ability to be negative about everything. Your outlook and nature will change. You will master the art of skepticism with barely an effort. We will recognize that yet another professional critic has appeared among us and you can add your name to long list of those who have gone before you. As these slaves to shadowy speculations assemble together they join their voices to sing (in minor chord, of course) "Is God Among Us Or Not?" which is the anthem of those who complain. Oh, by the way, there has never been a victory won after that song is sung. But complainers are no longer looking for victory...they're looking for targets.
God is among us, dear Christian friend. He is actively involved and has not asked for permission to allow some difficulty in our lives. Difficulty reveals the anthem of your soul; trouble shows you what your made of. Changes that you did not ask for reveal to you (not to God) what is truly contained in your heart. People who continually see the negative often do so in an effort to excuse themselves from ever trying harder. If it is all bad, then why expend effort in hope of making it better? Pointing a finger takes less strength than bending a knee or lending a hand. Israel had it better than they had enjoyed in over 400 years. How'd they miss that?
How do we?
