And the Lord said to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.” Numbers 11:23
The children of Israel were once again complaining. Amongst other things, God had brought them out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and given them manna to eat. Yet Moses found himself listening to more crying and complaining. The complaint this time was that they craved meat. God heard their complaining, and it made Him angry. Moses was also so irritated at the people for their complaining that Moses himself did a bit if complaining to God:
So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. Numbers 11: 24-25
Besides the fact that Moses felt a tremendous burden having to oversee over 600 thousand men on foot alone, he also asked God how the meat was going to be provided for all of them.
God gave Moses instructions to gather 70 elders that He would anoint with the same anointing that Moses had to help lead the children of Israel. He also instructed Moses to tell the people that the Lord will give them meat for a whole month. He told the people they will have so much meat until “it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it.”
In his humanness Moses begins to question how God would supply meat for over 600,000 men. He gives God suggestions as if God needs Moses’ suggestions.
And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?” Numbers 11:21-22
Like we often do as we pray, Moses gave God possibilities of what he thought God could do to feed the people. In our humanness we limit God because we are limited as people. Our humanness causes us to be short- sighted.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.” Numbers 11:23
Of course, as we know, God gave the children of Israel Quail. In doing so, He didn’t even let them fully digest their first gathering of quail when He put a plague on the people for giving in to their craving.
We can be pretty hard on the children of Israel. They complain at every turn. Moses, God’s chosen man to lead the children of Israel to the promise land, also is worn down and feeling burdened and pressured with the responsibility of getting these people to the promise land, that he complains too.
How many times have we been in a position that lead to complaining? How many times have we given God suggestions on how he could work out a situation? The good news? Despite our complaining and short-sighted suggestions, God’s will always prevails, even when we get in the way.
God’s will always prevails.
God makes it very clear throughout the story of the children of Israel leaving Egypt, then wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the promise land, that He gets angry when we complain. Our complaining causes wandering in the wilderness and all the problems “the wilderness” brings.
In the end, though, God’s will always prevails. I guess the question is, are we going to surrender to His will or get in the way by murmuring and complaining?
Let’s not wander in the wilderness. Surrender is way better than complaining.
And the Lord said to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.” Numbers 11:23
