Pastor Dean Siley
The Bible is full of examples of godly people who say, “I’m scared. I’m hurt. I’m upset. I wish this were different. Lord, would you do something about this?” There are many examples of a biblical, godly way to offer a groan or lamentation…to express our hurt or disappointment. Grumbling has a different heart posture.
Grumbling, however, is not a humble cry for help, but saying to God, “I know how to run the universe a bit better than you do.” Instead of saying, “This really hurts, but I’m ready to receive whatever I must receive from God’s hand”, grumbling says, “This stinks, and I’m ready to rebel against God’s heart.” That’s the difference.”
Kevin DeYoung, Pastor & Theologian
The way we behave says a lot about the condition of our hearts.
Exodus 15:22-25
The Israelites don’t cry out to the Lord, they just grumbled against Moses. However, Moses, cried out to the Lord.
Exodus 16:1-36
“Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” Do you pause to question where your grumbling is pointed? If we’re honest as believers, I think in our hearts we are grumbling against God. The Lord wants to transform our hearts. No matter your circumstances, you can call out to the Lord and trust that He will guide you and give you what you need.
Application
The Israelites grumbled:
- Exodus 15:24 – They were thirsty
- Exodus 16:2 – They were hungry and longed for Egypt
Four times we see that the Lord heard the Israelites grumbling:
- Exodus 7 – You shall see His glory
- Exodus 8 – He will give you meat and bread
- Exodus 9 – His glory appears
- Exodus 12 – Meat and bread appear
The Lord keeps His promises. He does not promise things will be easy or that there will be no pain or suffering. What He promises is that He will be with us through it all.
Charles Spurgeon – See God’s answer to man’s murmuring. They send up their complaint and He promises to rain bread down from above. It is a blessed story on God’s part all along: a rain of mercy for a smoke of complaining.
Endings are difficult even when we are enslaved. Moving forward means change. Change can be scary because we want to remain in control.
John 6:31-40
Moses is not the Hero of this story. The hero is Jesus who made a way for eternal life.
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