The People Grumbled (Numbers 11-12)
The Israelites’ grumbling in Numbers 11 and 12 showcases God’s graciousness to provide abundantly more than their ungrateful hearts deserved. Though He made His presence visible among them, they did not believe He offered them His best. God’s people began to treat God’s miraculous provision as though it were mundane.
Why were the Israelites so prone to overlook God’s mercies? How are we tempted to fall into these same patterns?
The Israelites faulted God—and by default, Moses—for not providing the comforts they desired. They openly grumbled, not holding back their objections. Though God faithfully provided for them, they fixated on only the good parts of the lives they left behind, from the delicious food to the consolation found in knowing what to expect each day. Their view of God’s goodness shrank, and their desire for worldly comfort grew with each step they took away from Egypt.
We witness the cycle of unbelief in today’s story: the people grumbled, Moses intervened, God relented from destruction, and they began this pattern all over again. They overlooked God’s provision for their journey and the guidance Moses provided. This pattern is one we can fall prey to as we neglect to express gratitude for God’s provision in our lives. When we, like the Israelites, focus on what we perceive as lacking in our lives, we neglect the undeserved mercy and grace He grants us each day.
Moses was a set-apart leader who interceded for the Israelites and desired that God would redeem them from sin; however, he could not put an end to the pattern of their wayward hearts. But One was coming, a prophet like Moses, who could offer the gift of eternal salvation and forgiveness of sin. The long-awaited Messiah, Jesus, would be the fulfillment of all God’s promises. Help the kids in your family see that God supplies our every need—most supremely, our need to be made right with Him forever. Pray that they see God’s goodness and kindness to them in Christ.
Christ Connection: The people grumbled because they thought they needed more than God had provided. We also grumble when we wish God would give us more of the things we want. But God has already provided what we need most—His Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so we could be saved.