“Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. ‘Oh, for some meat!’ they exclaimed.”

Numbers 11:4 (NLT)

My wife Cindy and I have four grandsons. Two of them are eight years old and are cousins. They are best friends and love to play together. But we have seen them get into some fierce arguments. Often it is over a certain game that one of them is playing that the other one wants to play. It is humorous to watch children in a room full of toys complain about the one toy they don’t have. But the same thing happens with adults. It’s easy for us to overlook a hundred things that we do have and focus on the one thing that we don’t have.

That is what happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness. No sooner did they break camp at Mount Sinai than they complained. Now we don’t know what they complained about, but God was displeased, and the fire of the LORD consumed some of them in the outskirts of the camp. After this, the mixed multitude yielded to an intense craving for the meat, cucumbers, garlic, leeks, and onions of Egypt. They complained about the manna they received daily from the LORD. They felt that they had made everything they could make with manna, and they missed the “good ole days” of eating gourmet foods in Egypt. But they had forgotten the bitter bondage that they escaped.

Finally, the constant complaining of the people discouraged Moses. He was weary of bearing their complaints, and he prayed to the LORD that if this were how he was going to be treated to take his life now! Murmuring and complaining spreads like wildfire.

It is easy for us all to overlook the substantial and nutritious manna we receive from God through His Word and the Holy Spirit and crave the dainty morsels of the flesh. But yielding to these cravings and forsaking God’s mercies only brings sorrow and more dissatisfaction.

When I am tempted to start complaining about what I don’t have, I find it helpful to start thanking God for what I do have. Soon the craving subsides, and I am much happier. May God help us today to find satisfaction in the manna of His Word and in our relationship with Him and with others. And if we feel overwhelmed with the burden we carry (as Moses did) then let us cast our cares upon Christ because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).

Remember: complaining leads to misery, but gratitude brings joy!

Thanks for reading. I’m glad you’re here. 😊

Photo by Nadya Spetnitskaya on Unsplash