2-4-15. Exodus 15:22-25a. Sometimes Grumbling Is OK –my devotional

Exodus 15:22-25a                                                               Kevin E. Jesmer

Key verse 15: 25a                                                               2-4-15

“Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink….” (NIV)

It has been said that grumbling is forgetting the grace of God. But there are times when grumbling is OK. Look at verses Exodus 15:22-25a, “22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” 25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink….” (NIV)

The people could find no water in the desert. They were feeling desperate and were grumbling. To me this was not unusual. If you are in an arid region, then three days without water is a real problem. Some of the babies and the senior citizens were close to having some serious health problems, if they were not already experiencing them. Old people, when their electrolytes get messed up, experience confusion. Babies and seniors may have stopped urinating and experience acute renal injury. People were probably hoarding what little water reserves they had. Finally they found a spring–but the water turned out to be bitter. Their grumbling would have increased a few notches. Yeah….no wonder they were complaining. They needed to let off a little steam. Who were they going to complain to? They were led out in the desert by Moses and Aaron. All three million of them were suffering and they were not really all that spiritual? Were they all supposed to be trusting and thanking God as they traveled and never say one complaining, discouraging word? I don’t think so. There needed to be an outlet for their struggles and frustrations.

What was their problem? Did they have a problem at all? Were they forgetting the grace of God? Was their grumbling simply a part of human nature? I suppose one could say that they could have taken the spiritual high road and conclude that they were not as spiritual as they possibly could be. Ideally they could have all gathered, family by family and had morning and evening prayer meetings. They should have all shared every ration they had with those who were the weakest. They should never have spoken one disparaging word again Moses or God. That is the best thing that they could do.

But they were not there yet. They were not all such spiritual giants. They were disappointed and forgot to come to God in trust and thanksgiving. They didn’t pray and seek God’s guidance until the last moment. They forget that so often, God comes through at the last moment. When we think that all is lost, then God miraculously delivers us. This is how he works. In this way people of faith can live in patience. If God delivered their people from the hands of the Egyptians, then surely he could provide for them. But when they reached the end of their rope they grumbled against Moses.

God heard Moses’ prayer and saw his peoples’ suffering. God understood them and showed them that the best way.  The best way was for the people to pray and trust in God, being confident that God, who called them, would deliver in his way and in his time, even if it is at the last moment. And God did come through. When Moses cried out to God in prayer, God showed him what to do. Look at verse 25, “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink….” The water was purified and the people were able to drink it.

But do you know what? Venting our complaints is O.K. sometimes.  We all need an outlet. We all need someone to bounce things off of. We need to verbalize and process and allow the Holy Spirit to work things out in our hearts. There are so many times that I complain and grumble and then I go to work and talk with some of my fellow nurses and in the morning I have clarity on an issue. I really appreciate pastors who have listened to me and prayed and then give wise words of counsel.

There are people who complained in the Bible. Think about Abraham. He complained to God in Genesis 15:2-6, “But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” God did not rebuke Abraham, telling him that he forgot the grace of God. He listened to Abraham. He planted promises into his heart. He completely forgave Abraham and “credited” his faith as righteousness. God was very graceful and encouraging.

What about Elijah? In 1 Kings 19:9b-10, we read, “….And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” Elijah was full of struggles in life and ministry. But God came to him with wise questions, drawing out of Elijah what he was struggling with. In 1 Kings 19:13b-14, “…Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”  Again, Elijah was grumbling about his situation. But God patiently came to him to draw out what was on his heart. He planted hope and vision in Elijah’s heart. Look at 1 Kings 19:18, “18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Jesus is our good Shepherd. He is willing to listen to our complaints and our grumbling. He will draw out what is troubling us in our hearts and lead us along the path that leads to eternal life. He will plant his hope and vision in our hearts. John 10:2-4 read, “2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”  Real sheep resist the direction of the shepherd. They grumble. But the shepherd whispers kind words. The shepherd knows the sheep’s name. That means he knows everything about the sheep, even their latest complaint topics. The sheep listen to his voice. They follow the shepherd. In the same way, Jesus does this for us, his sheep.

God is always reaching out to us, urging us to share with him what is on our hearts. Listen to his inviting words in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (NIV) In others versions, God says to Israel, “Come let us reason together.” I prefer this. Though we may have many complaints, God still wants us to come to him to reason together and to settle the matter. He is willing to listen and he will lead his flock to green pastures and quiet waters.

All this being said, we should never let complaining get out of control. Philippians 2:14-15 reads, “14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” If we don’t keep complaining in check then our hearts become like un-tethered stallions, ready to run uncontrolled. Our hearts loose focus on Jesus. But this should not stop us from working things out with God or others.

There is a problem if we create an atmosphere where complaints can never be voiced. It will create a culture where no one can share what is on their hearts. In such an culture people do not feel that they can share anything with anyone. Their hearts become heavy and oppressed. It may lead some people to depression and frustration. This should never be. God wants us to come to him and reason together with him.