Short Memories – Numbers 20:3
The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!”
When things went well, the people of Israel rejoiced and sang in praise and exaltation to the Lord, declaring Him their strength and song, their salvation, majestic in power.[1] When His miracles were before their eyes, they feared Him and believed in Him with unwavering trust.[2]
However, faith faded with their sight as the Lord led them through the wilderness. As if the Lord’s glory that shown like a consuming fire on the mountaintop had been a mere illusion,[3] they forgot His bountiful giving and denied His steadfast faithfulness to perform that which He had promised them. The sweet incense of their praise turned to the foul stench of self-consumed carping when the sustenance provided from the Lord’s hand failed to satisfy their appetite for meat.[4] They wept and grumbled when deprived of their comfort. They crumbled in fear when challenged to take possession of the lush land the Lord had given to them. Rather than walking with confidence into the Promised Land, they languished in the desert. Following their stubborn hearts, which refused to trust the Lord would go before them, they plotted against the leader the Lord had appointed over them.[5]
One may be tempted to wonder how those who walked through the parted waters of the Red Sea and stood safe and dry on the opposite shore watching the utter destruction of their Egyptian pursuers[6] could have collapsed spiritually as soon as God called them to walk by faith. However, do we not frequently behave with a similar peevishness? Do we not complain bitterly about our various ordeals rather than rejoicing in our imperishable inheritance in Christ Jesus and praising Him for His loving-kindness toward us?
Praise God, for by His grace, we need not behave like the paralyzed Israelites, tossed about by the winds of trial. We can put on the robe of faith and stand undaunted; knowing the power of God protects us.[7] Rather than whining as the road takes an unexpected turn, we can accept the twists and curves, painful though they may be, with grace and hope, trusting in the One who loved us before time began and who has committed, for His own name’s sake, to lead us and guide us.[8]
Remember the Lord’s graciousness toward you and praise Him
with all that is within you for He is our faithful God.[9]
My eyes beheld the parted sea
I walked across the hard, dry sand
And from my lofty vantage point
My heart that day could understand
That Jesus Christ was on my side
That He would keep His word to me
That He would clear the road ahead
As He had parted the great sea
Worship rose, and praise rang forth
How great my God, how good and kind
How sweet His favor seemed to me
With miracles fresh in my mind
But when a cloud obscured my view
When circumstances threatened me
My praise turned into bitterness
Trembling displaced my glee
Hope and trust I refused
Their rightful place within my heart
So faithfulness and joy took flight
And from my God I stood apart
I shook my fist; I stamped my feet
Complaining, threatening, I whined
“How could You treat me in this way?”
I screamed and raged as I maligned
My faithful God, my rescuer
He who championed my cause
He who loved and cared for me
He who overlooked my flaws
I chose the wilderness that day
I chose a bleak and sorry lot
I chose to wander aimlessly
On the day that I forgot
All the Lord had given me
All the promises made good
All that I had seen and known
All I once had understood
[1] Exodus 15:1-2, 6
[2] Exodus 14:31
[3] Exodus 24:15-17
[4] Numbers 11:4
[5] Numbers 14:1-4
[6] Exodus 14:21-22, 26-28
[7] 1 Peter 1:3-6
[8] Psalm 31:3
[9] Psalm 103:1
