Portion for Reading: Exodus 14-17
Chapter 16:1-3
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 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."
1. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: They complained because they did not have enough food. The supplies they carried with them from Egypt began to run out.
i. Their murmuring was not completely without merit. They did need to eat, and there was little available for food. The problem was they did not see the big picture but Moses and Aaron did see it. They could see where God brought them from, and where God would take them - all Israel saw was the present difficulty.
ii. It was a good thing that Israel was not ruled by a democracy at this point. Things would have gone rather badly for Moses and Israel had they listened to "majority rule."
Chapter 16:1-3
The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 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."
1. Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: They complained because they did not have enough food. The supplies they carried with them from Egypt began to run out.
i. Their murmuring was not completely without merit. They did need to eat, and there was little available for food. The problem was they did not see the big picture but Moses and Aaron did see it. They could see where God brought them from, and where God would take them - all Israel saw was the present difficulty.
ii. It was a good thing that Israel was not ruled by a democracy at this point. Things would have gone rather badly for Moses and Israel had they listened to "majority rule."
Some references from bible on Murmuring.
Deuteronomy 1:26-38
"Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" - Philippians 2:14-15
"Do all things without murmuring and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" - Philippians 2:14-15
1. Murmuring is a Sin Practiced in Secret vs. 26
"You murmured in your tents"
"You murmured in your tents"
2. Murmuring is a Sin Against God Vs. 26-27
"But you rebelled against the Lord and you murmured in your tents"
"The Lord hears your murmurings which you make against Him. And what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord." - Exodus 16:18
"But you rebelled against the Lord and you murmured in your tents"
"The Lord hears your murmurings which you make against Him. And what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord." - Exodus 16:18
3. Murmuring Misunderstands God's Purpose vs. 27
"You murmured in your tents, and said, 'Because the Lord hates us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us."
"You murmured in your tents, and said, 'Because the Lord hates us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us."
4. Murmuring Reveals a Rebellious Heart Vs. 26
"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and you murmured"
"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God and you murmured"
5. Murmuring Discourages Others vs. 28
"Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, 'The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'"
"Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, 'The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'"
6. Murmuring Fails to Recall God's Past Works vs. 29-33
"He will fight for you according to all He did before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw the Lord your God carry you as a man carries his son"
"He will fight for you according to all He did before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw the Lord your God carry you as a man carries his son"
7. Murmuring Reveals a Heart of Unbelief vs. 32
"Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God"
"Yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God"
By Derek Gentle