#DailyDevotion When We Grumble, It Is Against The LORD
Exodus 16:2–8 2In the wilderness the whole congregation grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3“If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt,” the Israelites told them, “when we sat by our pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted! You brought us into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death!” 4“I will send you bread like rain from heaven,” the LORD told Moses. “And I will test them to see if they will do what I tell them or not: Each day the people will go out and gather only what they need for that day. 5But on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring home, it will be twice as much as they gather any other day.” Moses and Aaron told all the Israelites: “This evening you will realize the LORD took you out of Egypt: 7and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, for He has heard you grumble against the LORD. What are we that you should grumble against us.” 8Moses added:…“What are we? You didn’t grumble against us but against the LORD.”
Usually around this time of year, hundreds and maybe thousands of congregations are receiving newly fresh out of seminary pastors. It’s a wonderful thing because we see the LORD providing for the Church those who will preach, teach and administer the sacraments in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ. We often call this time the honeymoon period. During this time no one usually complains about the way the new pastor does things.
Also around this time of the year, that honeymoon period also runs out. Which means then that people are no longer keeping their complaints to themselves. On the one hand they feel familiar enough with the new pastor the feel they can express their concerns about something. On the other hand, well, they feel they’ve earned a right to complain or if I may borrow the word from our text, grumble against the pastor. Moses had a similar experience with the people of Israel. Now that Moses had led them out of Egypt with the LORD’s right hand they were in the wilderness and they were running out of food. The people started grumbling against Moses and Aaron. They wanted to be back in Egypt where they, in their short memory, were thinking it was so easy there and flood was plentiful. They’d rather be slaves and fed then free people and hungry.
Did the Israelites pray to the LORD for help? Nope, they only grumbled against the LORD’s anointed ones, Moses and Aaron, the people representing the LORD. What do we do when things aren’t going as we planned or expected? Do we complain about it or do we pray about it? Do we look to our Father in heaven for every good or do we lash out at those who represent Jesus, the LORD, i.e. our pastors. While we may not always agree with our pastors on how they do stuff, do we grumble against them like the Israelites and therefor are actually grumbling against God who gave them to us or do we pray to the LORD and ask him give help the pastor? Do we go in prayer and concern for the well being of our pastors, not grumbling, but in love and trust to God with thanksgiving bring our concerns? Jesus said to his apostles, and now his pastors, “He who receives you receives me and he who rejects you rejects me.” May we pray for the pastors God gives us and pray with them our concerns when things are as we expect.
Heavenly Father, be with all pastors and congregations, to not grumble against you, but in prayer and thanksgiving make our request known to you so we may receive your grace in due time. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.