Don’t respond to crisis with:

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? – Exodus 14.10, 11

Trapped against the sea, the Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. The Israelites thought they were doomed. After watching God’s powerful hand deliver them from Egypt, their only response was fear, whining, and despair. Where was their trust in God? Israel had to learn from repeated experience that God was able to provide for them. God has preserved these examples in the Bible so that we can learn to trust him the first time. By focusing on God’s faithfulness in the past we can face crises with confidence rather than with fear and complaining.

 

Erodes our faith in God:

The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the LORD’s people,” they said. – Numbers 16.41

Just one day after Korah and his followers were executed for grumbling and complaining against God, the Israelites started again with more muttering and complaining. Their negative attitude only caused them to rebel even more and to bring about even greater trouble. It eroded their faith in God and encouraged thoughts of giving up and turning back. The path to open rebellion against God begins with dissatisfaction and scepticism, then moves to grumbling about both God and present circumstances. Next comes bitterness and resentment, followed finally by rebellion and open hostility. If you are often dissatisfied, sceptical, complaining, or bitter – beware! These attitudes lead to rebellion and separation from God. Any choice to side against God is a step in the direction of letting go of him completely and making your own way through life.

 

A response to stress:

In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. – Exodus 16.2

It happened again. As the Israelites encountered danger, shortages, and inconvenience, they complained bitterly and longed to be back in Egypt. But as always, God provided for their needs. Difficult circumstances often lead to stress, and complaining is a natural response. The Israelites didn’t really want to be back in Egypt; they just wanted life to get a little easier. In the pressure of the moment, they could not focus on the cause of their stress (in this case, lack of trust in God); they could only think about the quickest way of escape. When pressure comes your way, resist the temptation to make a quick escape. Instead, focus on God’s power and wisdom to help you deal with the cause of your stress.

 

Pray instead:

So they quarrelled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?” – Exodus 17.2

Again the people complained about their problem instead of praying. Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayer. We should make a determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining, because complaining only raises our level of stress. Prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen.

 

Complaining kept Moses from his work:

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood round him from morning till evening. When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand round you from morning till evening?”

Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and laws.”

Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves. –    Exodus 18.13-26

Moses was spending so much time and energy hearing the Hebrews’ complaints that he could not get to other important work. Jethro suggested that Moses delegate most of his work to others and focus his efforts on jobs only he could do. People in positions of responsibility sometimes feel they are the only ones who can do necessary tasks; but others are capable of handling part of the load. Delegation relieved Moses’ stress and improved the quality of the government. It helped prepare them for the system of government set up in Canaan. Proper delegation can multiply your effectiveness while giving others a chance to grow. Moses not only decided these cases, he also taught the people God’s laws. Whenever we help others settle disputes or resolve conflicts, we should also look for opportunities to teach about God.

 

Take yours to God:

Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. …

But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the LORD, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.

If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now – if I have found favour in your eyes – and do not let me face my own ruin. – Numbers 11.1, 6-15

The Israelites complained, and then Moses complained. But God responded positively to Moses and negatively to the rest of the people. Why? The people complained to one another, and nothing was accomplished. Moses took his complaint to God, who could solve any problem. Many of us are good at complaining to each other. We need to learn to take our problems to the One who can do something about them.

 

I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.” But when I was silent and sill, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased. My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue – Psalms 39.1-3

David resolved to keep his tongue from sin; that is, he decided not to complain to other people about God’s treatment of him. David certainly had reason to complain. David was the anointed king of Israel, but he had to wait many years before taking the throne. Then one of his sons tried to kill him and became king instead. But when David could not keep still any longer, he took his complaints directly to God. We all have complaints about our job, money, or situations, but complaining to others may make them think that God cannot take care of us. It may also look as if we blame God for our troubles. Instead, like David, we should take our complaints directly to God.

 

Comes from forgetting what we have:

The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into cakes. And it tasked like something made with olive oil. When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down. – Numbers 11.4-9

Every morning the Israelites drew back their tent doors and witnessed a miracle. Covering the ground was white, fluffy manna – food from heaven. But soon that wasn’t enough. Feeling it was their right to have more, they forgot what they already had. They didn’t ask God to fill their need; instead they demanded meat, and they stopped trusting God to care for them. “If only we had meat to eat!” they complained to Moses as they reminisced about the food they had in Egypt. God gave them what they asked for, but they paid dearly for it when a plague struck the camp (see 11.18-20, 31.34). When you ask God for something, he may grant your request. But if you approach him with a sinful attitude, getting what you want may prove costly.

Dissatisfaction comes when our attention shifts from what we have to what we don’t have. The people of Israel didn’t seem to notice what God was doing for them – setting them free, making them a nation, giving them a new land – because they were so wrapped up in what God wasn’t doing for them. They could think of nothing but the delicious Egyptian food they had left behind. Somehow they forgot that the brutal whip of Egyptian slavery was the cost of eating that food. Before we judge the Israelites too harshly, it’s helpful to think about what occupies our attention most of the time. Are we grateful for what God has given us, or are we always thinking about what we would like to have? We should not allow our unfaithful desires to cause us to forget God’s gifts of life, food, health, work, and friends.

 

Other sources of our complaining:

…they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” – Numbers 21.5

In Psalms 78, we learn the sources of Israel’s complaining: (1) their spirits were not faithful to God (78.8); (2) they refused to obey God’s law (78.10); (3) they forgot the miracles God had done for them (78.11). Our complaining often has its roots in one of these thoughtless actions and attitudes. If we can deal with the cause of our complaining, it will not take hold and grow in our lives.

 

Don’t complain about problems without doing something about them:

It was a long time, twenty years in all, that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” – 1 Samuel 7.2-3

Israel mourned and sorrow gripped the nation for 20 years. The ark was put away like an unwanted box in the attic, and it seemed as if the Lord had abandoned his people. Samuel, now a grown man, roused them to action by saying that if they were truly sorry, they should do something about it. How easy it is for us to complain about our problems, even to God, while we refuse to act, change, and do what he requires. We don’t even take the advice he has already given us. Do you ever feel as if God has abandoned you? Check to see if there is anything he has already told you to do. You may not receive new guidance from God until you have acted on his previous directions.

 

Temper it with words of joy:

…he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” – 2 Chronicles 10.14

Rehoboam must have gotten an unbalanced picture of leadership from his father, Solomon. Apparently Rehoboam saw only the difficulty of leading the nation, not the opportunities. He mentioned only the harsher aspects of Solomon’s rule, and he himself decided to be very harsh towards the people. As you discuss your responsibilities with your children, be sure that you temper words of complaint with words of joy. Otherwise you may sour their attitudes toward the work you do and those you serve.

 

Why is it so harmful?

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe – Philippians 2.14-16

Our lives should be characterised by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will ”shine like stars” in a dark and depraved world. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God’s word. Are you shining brightly, or are you clouded by complaining and arguing? Shine out for God.

 

EXTRA:

(‘ Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life – in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labour for nothing.  – Philippians 2.14-16 Why are complaining and arguing so harmful?  If all that people know about a church is that its members constantly argue, complain, and gossip, they get a false impression of Christ and the gospel.  Belief in Christ should unite those who trust him.  If your church is always complaining and arguing, it lacks the unifying power of Jesus Christ.  Stop arguing with other Christians or complaining about people and conditions within the church and let the world see Christ.

 

Often transacted at city gate:

The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. – Genesis 19.1

The gateway of the city was the meeting place for city officials and other men to discuss current events and transact business. It was a place of authority and status where a person could see and be seen.  Evidently Lot held an important position in the government or associated with those who did because the angels found him at the city gate.  Perhaps Lot’s status in Sodom was one reason he was so reluctant to leave (19.16, 18-22).

(‘   When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.  – Genesis 18:33 God showed Abraham that asking for anything is allowed, with the understanding {“Sand”} that God’s answers come from God’s perspective.  They are not always in harmony with our expectations, for only he knows the whole story.  Are you missing God’s answer to a prayer because you haven’t considered any possible answers other than the one you expect?).

(‘   Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them.  But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”  – Genesis 19:8 How could any father give his daughters to be ravished by a mob of perverts, just to protect two strangers?  Possibly Lot was scheming to save both the girls and the visitors, hoping the girls’ finances would rescue them or that the homosexual men would be disinterested in the girls and simply go away.  Although it was the custom of the day to protect guests at any cost, this terrible suggestion reveals how deeply sin had been absorbed into Lot’s life.  He had become hardened to evil acts in an evil city.  Whatever Lot’s motives were, we see here an illustration of Sodom’s terrible wickedness – a wickedness so great that God had to destroy the entire city.)

 

He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “hat town are you from?”  He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” – 2 Samuel 15.2

The city gate was like city hall and a shopping centre combined. Because Jerusalem was the nation’s capital, both local and national leaders met there daily to transact business and conduct government affairs.  The city gate was the perfect spot for this because government and business transactions needed witnesses to be legitimate, and anyone entering or leaving the city had to enter through the gate.  Merchants set up their tent-shops near the gate for the same reason.  Absalom, therefore, went to the city gate to win the hearts of Israel’s leaders as well as those of the common people.

(‘ In the course of time, Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him. – 2 Samuel 15:1ff  David wrote several psalms during the days of Absalom’s rebellion.  Some of them are Psalms 39, 41, 55, 61, and 63).

(‘ Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. Absalom behaved in this way towards all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. – 2 Samuel 15:5-6 Absalom’s political strategy was to steal the hearts of the people with his good looks, grand entrances, apparent concern for justice, and friendly embraces.  Many were fooled and switched their allegiance.  Later, however, Absalom proved to be an evil ruler.  We need to evaluate our leaders to make sure their charisma is not a mask covering graft, deception, or hunger for power.  Make sure that underneath their style and charm, they are able to make good decisions and handle people wisely).

 

Ancient bargaining methods:

“Ephron answered Abraham, “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.”  – Genesis 23.14-15

The polite interchange between Abraham and Ephron was typical of bargaining at that time. Ephron graciously offered to give his land to Abraham at no charge; Abraham insisted on paying for it; Ephron politely mentioned the price but said, in effect, that it wasn’t important; Abraham paid the 400 shekels of silver.  Both men knew what was going on as they went through the bargaining process.  If Abraham had accepted the land as a gift when it was offered, he would have insulted Ephron, who then would have rescinded his offer.  Many Middle Eastern shopkeepers still follow this ritual with their customers.

 

Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants. – Genesis 23.16

Four hundred shekels of silver was a high price for the piece of property Abraham bought. The Hittites weren’t thrilled about foreigners buying their property, so Abraham had little bargaining leverage.

Ephron asked an outrageous price. The custom of the day was to ask double the fair market value of the land, fully expecting the buyer to offer half the stated price.  He was not trying to take anything he didn’t deserve.  Even though God had promised the land to Abraham, he did not just take it away from Ephron.

 

God demands fairness & honesty in:

Honest scales and balances are from the LORD;

all the weights in the bag are of his making. – Proverb 16.11

Whether we buy or sell, make a product or offer a service, we know what is honest and what is dishonest. Sometimes we feel pressure to be dishonest in order to advance ourselves or gain more profit.  But if we want to obey God, there is no middle ground.  God demands honesty in every business transaction.  No amount of rationalising can cover for a dishonest business practice.  Honesty and fairness are not always easy, but they are what God demands.  Ask him for discernment and courage to be consistently honest and fair.

(When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. – Proverb 16:7 We want other people to like us, and sometimes we will do almost anything to win their approval.  But God tells us to put our energy [? Stamp] into pleasing him instead.  Our effort to be peacemakers will usually make us more attractive to those around us, even our enemies.  But even if it doesn’t, we haven’t lost anything.  We are still pleasing God, the only one who truly matters).

 

“ ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: You have gone far enough, O princes of Israel! Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right.  Stop dispossessing my people, declares the Sovereign LORD.  You are to use accurate scales, an accurate ephah and an accurate bath.  The ephah and the bath are to be the same size, the bath containing a tenth of homer and the ephah a tenth of a homer; the homer is to be the standard measure for both.” – Ezekiel 45.9-11

Greed and extortion were two of the major social sins of the nation during this time (see Amos 5:10-13). In the new economy there would be plenty of land for the “princes” (45.7, 8) and no longer any basis for greed.  Therefore, God commanded the princes and the people to be just and right, especially in their business dealings.  Consider the ways that you measure goods, money, or services.  If you are paid for an hour of work, be sure you work for a full hour.  If you sell a bushel of apples, make sure it is a full bushel.  God is completely trustworthy, and his followers should be too.)

(Ezekiel 1-7 says that the land allotted to the temple was in the centre of the nation. God is central to life.  He must be our first priority.)

 

Why business community didn’t like Jesus:

Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. – Luke 19.47

Who were the “leaders among the people”? This group probably included wealthy leaders in politics, commerce, and law.  They had several reasons for wanting to get rid of Jesus.  He had damaged business in the temple by driving the merchants out.  In addition, he was preaching against injustice, and his teachings often favoured the poor over the rich.  Further, his great popularity was in danger of attracting Rome’s attention, and the leaders of Israel wanted as little as possible to do with Rome.

 

EXTRA:

(One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. “Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said, “Who gave you this authority?”  He replied, “I will also ask you a question.  Tell me, John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or from men?”  They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven’, he will ask, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’  But if we say, ‘From men’, all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet.”  So they answered, “We don’t know where it was from.”  Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.” – Luke 20:1-8. This group of leaders wanted to get rid of Jesus, so they tried to trap him with their question.  If Jesus would answer that his authority came from God – if he stated openly that he was the Messiah and the Son of God – they would accuse him of blasphemy and bring him to trial.  Jesus did not let himself be caught.  Instead, he turned the question on them.  Thus he exposed their motives and avoided their trap).

(He went to on tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed.  He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.  “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do?  I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’  “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over.  ‘This is the heir,’ they said.  ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.  “What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”  When the people heard this, they said, “May this never be!”  – Luke 20:9-16. The characters in this story are easily identified.  Even the religious leaders understood it.  The owner of the vineyard is God; the vineyard is Israel; the tenants are the religious leaders; the servants are the prophets and priests God sent to Israel; the son is the Messiah, Jesus; and the others are the Gentiles.  Jesus’ parable indirectly answered the religious leaders’ question about his authority; it also showed them he knew about their plan to kill him).

(He said to the chief servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore and oath to him concerning this matter. – Genesis 24:2, 9.  In Abraham’s culture, putting a hand under the thigh was how an agreement was sealed or a covenant ratified.  To accomplish the same purpose, we shake hands, swear oaths, or sign documents in the presence of a witness).

(Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. – Proverbs 16:18. Proud people take little account of their weaknesses and do not anticipate stumbling blocks.  They think they are above the frailties of common people.  In this state of mind they are easily tripped up.  Ironically, proud people seldom realise that pride is their problem, although everyone around them is well aware of it.  Ask someone you trust whether self-satisfaction has blinded up to warning signs.  He or she may help you avoid a fall).

(A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction – Proverb 16:22.  For centuries people sought a fountain of youth, a spring that promised to give eternal life and vitality.  It was never found.  But God’s wisdom is a fountain of life that can make a person happy, healthy, and alive for ever.  How?  When we live by God’s word, he washes away the deadly effects of sin (see Titus 3.4-8), and the hope of eternal life with him gives us a joyful perspective on our present life. The fountain of youth was only a dream, but the fountain of life is reality.  The choice is yours.  You can be enlightened by God’s wisdom, or you can be dragged down by the weight of your own foolishness).