I know I am not alone in wishing that sometimes the Lord would hand me a designated "road map", a bottle of water, and some granola bars as He guides me through my life. Have you ever said to yourself, "I wish He would tell me what He wanted me to do/where He wanted me to go/which decision I should make!" Yeah, me, too. When I was still single, and beginning to believe that God just might be calling me to a life of celibacy, I often said, "If I just knew if this was what He really wanted for me!" I already knew the party line about, if you are single, then the Lord has called you to celibacy, and completely agreed. What I wanted to know was if my celibacy was temporary or permanent; I felt the need to prepare myself. Praise the Lord, in His rich wisdom and blessings, I have been blessed with the opportunity to marry an amazing man, and all in God's good time! But there were days when I really wanted to know what that time was!
The Israelites had the blessing we modern Christians, who have never seen but have trusted our Savior, often long for. God made it pretty clear when He wanted them to go and where. By day, He hovered over the Tabernacle in a cloud, by night a flame of fire. If the cloud lifted, the Israelites knew it was time pack up and move out. If God remained over the Tabernacle, they were to stay put. You can imagine a scene like this:
Man 1: Is it time to go yet?
Man 2: (Looks at the Tabernacle). Oh, nope. The cloud is still over that Tabernacle. Another day in Paran.
Or whatever they might have said. All they had to do was follow the Ark of the Covenant and the Lord's cloud or fire, and they knew where they were to go. Visible, tangible guidance from God.
But they weren't satisified.
Already, the complaining starts in chapter eleven, just after they set out from Sinai! In fact, it says that they complained of their misfortunes. You might be thinking, as I often do, "What were those?" After all, they had been rescued from a hard slavery by the Lord, brought safely through wilderness before a galloping army, walked through the sea on dry ground, defeated any enemies threatening them, and are provided food every morning. No grocery shopping; no hunting. Just go out and pick it up off the ground and make whatever you like: boiled manna, baked manna, manna porridge...
It says in verse four, though, that "rabble among them" stirred them up to complaint. These were likely any Egyptians or even people of other ethnicities that escaped Egypt along with the Israelites, and not all of them found the journey to their taste. However, the Israelites did choose to listen to them, and they too missed the food they had known in Egypt, the comforts of a steady bed, a steady diet, a steady job... Familiarity. There is certainty in familiarity. And though the Lord guided them, showed them the way, made it clear in which way they were to go, the Israelites didn't necessarily know everything. They never knew when they were to depart, until it was time to go. They never knew where they were going until they got there. After all, this was new territory. And all of this with a monotony in food, in company, perhaps in scenery. (I don't know: I've never been to that part of the world.)
It's so easy to shake your head at the Israelites and think they were great fools (and perhaps they were) because they were blessed to live in the very visible presence of the Lord and daily experience His provision, and yet they complained. But I have to wonder: are we so different? Would I really be satisfied if the Lord handed me that road map, the bottled water, and the granola bars? Would I happily follow along behind Him then? I have a map. Clearly I can see where I am and where I'm going: unless there's a fork in the road. What if He didn't tell me where I was going? Would I only be content with granola bars? Don't we often find something to complain about?
It seems that the real problem the Israelites have, and maybe that we have today, too, is a lack of faith. You know the famous line from the Santa Clause movies: Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing? The Israelites saw, and yet they didn't trust. They didn't trust the Lord's provision for all their needs, and they weren't satisifed with what they were offered. Even Moses, when the Lord promised meat for a month in response to their groans, was a bit incredulous, wondering where God would get the herds to slaughter. There was a small lack somewhere in faith and understanding in all that the Lord is able to do, a lack of trust for His purposes. When they reach the Promised Land in a few chapters, do they rejoice and storm in to take possession of the land, as commanded? We shall see that soon.
When you have cut all the details down to the essentials, which is more important? Faith and trust in God, or having all the answers? I believe that what God wants for us above all things is for us to have faith in Him and to abide in Him. To do that, do you really need answers? Answers can help, especially when we are weak, but how much stronger our faith must be and is when we don't have them. When we simply rely on God alone. Now that's easy to say. How easy is it, then, to live?
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