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Num. 20
There is nothing wrong with presenting our needs and desires to God. In fact, He tells us to give Him our cares and concerns. I do think, however, that how we do this matters. I notice several things about the Israelites’ complaints.
- They masked their complaint against God by projecting it onto a mere human. They threw their accusations at Moses and Aaron, as if they were the ones in control. God isn’t fooled. When life gets hard, we need to acknowledge His control in it rather than getting angry with the people we want to blame.
- They received God’s gift as a burden. They failed to look for and see the good, of which there was plenty, in their hard situation.
- Their dissatisfaction led them to see the world’s offerings as better than God. Their skewed perspective and misplaced priorities shaped their attitude of defiant bitterness toward their giving God.
Rather than going to God, or worse yet, to the humans under His authority, with defiant, self-elevating accusations, we need to do things God’s way. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication WITH THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6 – emphasis mine).
Ps. 58-59
Of his enemies, David said to God, “Do not slay them, or my people will forget; scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.” (Ps. 59:11). That makes me think of how God never fully removed all of Israel’s enemies from the Promised Land. Portions of those evil nations remained among them and caused them problems from time to time. This verse then made me consider one of the reasons God leaves evil in our midst. As David said, “lest [we] forget”. Until that appointed time when we can no longer sin against God, He keeps our enemies among us so that we don’t forget that we need Him.
Is. 9
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were likely far more without excuse than we realize today. These people studied the Old Testament scriptures for a living. They knew the prophecies inside and out. Or at least, they should have. Thus, many of Jesus’ comments and actions would have held far more significance and meaning to them than they do to us. And there should have been absolutely no question among them as to who Jesus claimed to be, and actually was.
Take Jesus’ well-known statement, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:30). Why did He use that specific language? I see the reason right here in Isaiah 9. In his prophecy of restoration, Isaiah said of God, “For You shall break the yoke of their burden” (Is. 9:4a). He goes on to give the means of the oppressor’s defeat. “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is. 9:6). By using the specific language of yoke and burden, Jesus connected Himself to this Messianic prophecy. In hindsight we can also see that the oppressors were not foreign governments but, rather, the religious leaders who led God’s people astray.