In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!” Exodus 16:2-3
What an amazing lack of faith! There was no memory of God providing drinkable water (15:25), no thought of asking God to provide for their needs, no expectation that God would care. Even though God destroyed a whole army of Egyptians to save them, their first reaction when they had a problem was to complain.
Their complaints against Moses and Aaron escalated, “There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death” (verse 3). They seem to have completely forgotten they were slaves in Egypt. Furthermore, if Moses and Aaron’s intention was to starve the entire assembly then, Moses and Aaron would die too. Their arguments weren’t logical or well thought through.
Yet, perhaps we do the same? We’re quick to forget God’s provision for us. He has provided salvation, access to his grace, fellowship with him and every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Yet we’re often slow to seek God, thinking he is too busy, aloof or uncaring, despite all the evidence to the contrary. God is deeply interested in all that concerns us, so much so that he sent Jesus who became “fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:17).
When we find ourselves in difficult circumstances may our first reaction not be to complain or accuse God of indifference. May we remember the ways God has already provided for us and “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
