“The LORD answered Moses, “‘Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
~ Numbers 11:23
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you ever complain? Are you always happy with the food that your ma fixes for you to eat? Are you always happy to go to bed when your dad and/or ma tells you to go to bed? Are you always happy with the toys that you already have? Ask your dad and/or ma if you ever complain. Do you think that it is a good thing to do to complain? Why do you think that guys, gals and kids complain? Do you like being around a kid who is always complaining? A guy, gal or kid who is always complaining is communicating that he or she thinks that he or she would be better off with something different or in a different situation. A guy, gal or kid who is always complaining is communicating being disgruntled about something or a situation. A guy, gal or kid who is always complaining is really a whining, criticizing, nitpicking guy, gal or kid. One of God’s hot buttons is complaining. God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, found out how mad God gets when He has to listen to guys and gals who are always complaining. Numbers 11 has recorded in it a couple of times when God’s specially chosen guys and gals – when they got to complaining too much, pushed God’s hot button so hard that they had God punish them. A year had already passed since the Israelite people groups guys, gals and kids had left Goshen, Egypt for a land area that God was giving them to have to live in as their very own land. The Israelite people group at this time was made up of over 2,000,000 guys, gals and kids. God chose Moses to be His designated guy to lead this motley mob of guys, gals and kids – which was over twice as many guys, gals and kids who are presently living in Delaware, to a land area that God was . . . Moses would at times communicate to God that he really was not enjoying the responsibility that God had tasked him to do – which was to lead His specially chosen guys and gals to a land area that was called Canaan. Moses did not hesitate to complain to God about his feelings – that he really felt like God was expecting him to carry His specially chosen guys and gals on his back to the land area that He was . . .
Complaining invariably will evoke some kind of a response. When God heard the Israelite people group guys and gals – His specially chosen guys and gals, complaining about the hardships that they were having to endure as they trekked through a hot, barren desert, God sent fire to burn at the outskirts of their campsite. When God heard the rabble – who were guys and gals who were tagging along with His specially chosen guys and gals to . . ., complaining about having to eat only manna, God sent hordes of quails. When God heard the guy who He chose to lead the Israelite people groups guys and gals to . . . complaining, God told Moses to choose seventy guys to help him lead this very large cranky, grumpy bunch of complainers. The response that complaining invariably evokes will invariably result in a secondary reaction. In the case of the fires that God sent to burn at the outskirts of where His specially chosen guys and gals had set up their campsite, God stopped the burning fires after His specially chosen guys and gals prayed to Him to stop the fires. In the case of the huge flocks of quails that God used a wind from the sea to drive where His specially chosen guys and gals were camping for them to eat for meat for a month, God included a severe plague with the quail – which began to kill His specially chosen guys and gals. In the case of more help being needed, God gave Moses the more needed help when He filled the seventy elder guys with His Spirit so that they would be able to help Moses.
How do you deal with hardship? How do you deal with not having the kind of food in the house that you like? How do you deal with needing help? Verse 23 has God’s answer, “The LORD answered Moses, “‘Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”’ To deal with whatever is to turn to God for help. If you are having a hard time with another kid in your school, you are to go to God for His help. If you are having a hard time eating the food that your ma is fixing for you to eat, you are to go to God for His help. If you are having a hard time completing your homework, you are to first go to God for His help. Being happy with any situation or circumstance is easy to say but it is not so easy to live out as a lifestyle. When a guy, gal or kid complains – or if a guy, gal or kid is not happy with his or her situation or circumstance, the guy, gal or kid is essentially telling God that He does not know what He is doing as He is every nanosecond unfolding the choreographed, customized life plan that He has made for each guy, gal and kid who will ever live on planet Earth. God expects every guy, gal or kid to always accept without complaining anything and everything that He will bring into or allow to be brought into the life of each guy, gal or kid or . . . the ‘or’ very well could be evoking God’s ability to send fire – which are troubles and trials, or God’s ability to send quail – which are temptations and enticements, or God’s ability to bring a guy, gal or kid into his or her life who will be able to help him or her through whatever he or she is going through. God wants a guy, gal or kid to go to Him with his or her complaints; God does not want a guy, gal or kid to be expressing his or her complaints to another guy, gal and/or kid.
Numbers 11 (766)