ScriptureExodus 16:3-4a3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! 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.”4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.Observation - What does it say?The Israelites had just witnessed God split the Red Sea and deliver them from their enemies. They were worshiping God, singing and dancing before him. And in nearly no time, as they begin their journey into the wilderness, we find them complaining against God! They are whining about not having food to eat and saying things like, “Why didn’t the Lord just kill us in Egypt?” Ungrateful complainers.
Understanding - What does it mean?As I read this it made me feel so upset. One of my pet peeves is when people are ungrateful. When I let a car go in front of me and they don’t wave or open the door for someone who doesn’t say thank you I get irritated. I can only imagine the irritation God has when he ‘goes out of his way’ (to say the least!) to miraculously deliver the Israelites from the hands of the Egyptians, and after a quick celebration they begin complaining against him!But the way God responded floored me. He didn’t kill them. Instead, he responded to their complaints about not having food by promising to rain down bread from heaven for them to eat every day. Talk about unconditional love!
God is kind to the ungrateful. This is one of the most amazing things to me personally about God's character. As I read this I couldn’t help but think of a verse in Luke:
Luke 6:35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
When we love our enemies and ‘go out of our way’ to show them our love, without expecting to get anything back, we are acting like our Father in Heaven.
Life ApplicationWorship God for his kindness to me!And, love the ungrateful. Specifically I sense the Holy Spirit bringing to mind my son. He is a great kid, but I find myself annoyed when I see my wife or someone else trying to do something special for him and he complains. Rather than getting upset, I’m going to be intentional about loving him and being gentile with him.God, forgive me for being a complainer! It’s easy to point the finger at the Israelites, but how often do you answer prayer and show me mercy and I fail to say thank you. So often I am so concerned with today’s challenges that I forget to stop and worship you for the way you’ve delivered me from yesterday’s. Thank you for being kind and merciful to us despite our ungratefulness! Help us to be more like you. Help us to be kind to the ungrateful and to love our enemies. Amen.To check out the conversation or to join in click here.
