Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 11-13.
“The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna’” (Numbers 11:4-6).
The complaints of the children of Israel were a frequent occurrence in the wilderness. It is amazing that those who had seen the power of God first-hand would so quickly lose faith in Him.
Yet we see something about human nature here. Many people want someone to regularly provide for them, even if there are strings attached. They want consistency in their lives, even if their circumstances are not ideal. They do not desire true freedom, for this requires contentment, diligence, personal responsibility, and a trust in the providence of God.
Yes, the Israelites were fed in Egypt. But they were in bondage. They were mistreated. They were denied the freedom to serve God as He commanded. None of that mattered to them now. God’s provisions were not good enough for them. Their future, in their minds, was uncertain. They wanted to go back to slavery.
Even here in the “land of the free,” most seem to prefer the heavy hand of government providing stability. They want the programs, benefits, and entitlements that come from those in power. The problem with this – from a Christian’s perspective – is that the more these things are demanded and the more the government grows in power and reach, the greater the threat to our liberty to serve God and carry out the responsibilities He has given us in this life.
We must look at the whole picture: when a government is given power over our existence, it can take away our freedoms to serve the Lord. The Israelites were not looking at the whole picture. All they cared about was food and stability. Too many people today are guilty of this same myopic view.
“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes” (Psalm 118:9).
Tomorrow’s reading: Numbers 14-15; Psalm 90
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
