Exodus 16:2-8
On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, “Why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!”
God said to Moses, “I’m going to rain bread down from the skies for you. The people will go out and gather each day’s ration. I’m going to test them to see if they’ll live according to my Teaching or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have gathered, it will turn out to be twice as much as their daily ration.”
Moses and Aaron told the People of Israel, “This evening you will know that it is God who brought you out of Egypt; and in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he’s listened to your complaints against him. You haven’t been complaining against us, you know, but against God.”
Moses said, “Since it will be God who gives you meat for your meal in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, it’s God who will have listened to your complaints against him. Who are we in all this? You haven’t been complaining to us—you’ve been complaining to God!”
Maybe we can empathize a bit with the Israelites, here. After all, it's been hard lately not to be a little whiny once in a while with everything topsy-turvy in our own world right now. Today’s story takes place very early on in a topsy-turvy moment in the great story of the people's escape from Egypt. It hasn’t even been two full months since Moses lead the people out of Egypt – and here they are, already complaining. They had been in a bad place in Egypt, but at least it was a place they knew — they’d been there for 400 years – it was ALL they knew. They knew the rules there. But now they’ve been dropped into unknown circumstances, in an unknown world, where nothing much makes sense anymore — and some of it is downright frightening — and so they are complaining.
It would be lovely if we all could be brave and noble when we face stress points but, unfortunately, the all-too-common human response is anger. It’s the “I’m angry (frustrated, frightened — choose your emotion) about this and someone has to be to blame for it,” response. And too often the one we blame is God — “God, why didn’t you do something differently, why didn’t you do this instead, and then I wouldn’t be so unhappy.”
God has taken the Hebrew people out of a miserable situation, saved them from a life of slavery, helped them escape from the forces trying to keep them in that slavery, and promised them a new life in a new homeland of their own, but are they remembering any of these things? Are they grateful for God’s care for them so far? No. At the moment they are hungry and frightened and they are yelling at Moses and Aaron, who are only God’s messenger’s after all, in all this.
But nonetheless, God hears their cries and answers them, providing quail every evening and manna every morning. But are they grateful now? Not noticeably. If you read the rest of chapter 16 beyond today’s reading, you find that many of the people still kept trying to do it their own way rather than listen to God — and you won’t find a word of gratitude in the entire chapter.
We, right now, today, are living with pandemic and fires and apocalyptic levels of air pollution and hurricanes; with the disintegration of our country; with racial injustice and homelessness and selfishness on a monumental level. These things threaten us and yes, we are often afraid — and yet God still provides. Some are suffering grievously from these things and we do grieve with them and pray God’s healing for them. But the majority of us still sleep in our own beds at night, have food in our kitchens, and know our loved ones are safe. How many of us, so lucky, so blessed, remember to be grateful — and to say so out loud? Or do we still feel ill-used because we can’t throw big parties and we have to wear masks? Maybe get impatient with essential workers not moving to our speed, or complain about the things that inconvenience us?
I believe with my whole heart that God is going to see us through this current onslaught of disasters, just as God saw the Hebrew people through their journey – even though it turned out to be a very long one.
How about being grateful that the sun still comes up every morning? That our dog still loves us? That our children are doing OK? That when we’re hurt we have friends who rally round? Or that we still have a church that reaches out to us even though we can’t meet in person?
Gratitude is more than a common courtesy, a social grace, although that is certainly nice, too, but gratitude carries a deep spiritual healing, as well. Healing for those who receive it, yes, and an even deeper healing for those of us who feel it and say it – and mean it.
Here’s a challenge for you: How many reasons can you find in an average day to say, “Thank you”? “Thank you,” to friends? To the stranger who let us go ahead of them in line? To God? Try it for one day – just one day.
Oh, and “Thank you,” for listening.
It would be lovely if we all could be brave and noble when we face stress points but, unfortunately, the all-too-common human response is anger. It’s the “I’m angry (frustrated, frightened — choose your emotion) about this and someone has to be to blame for it,” response. And too often the one we blame is God — “God, why didn’t you do something differently, why didn’t you do this instead, and then I wouldn’t be so unhappy.”
God has taken the Hebrew people out of a miserable situation, saved them from a life of slavery, helped them escape from the forces trying to keep them in that slavery, and promised them a new life in a new homeland of their own, but are they remembering any of these things? Are they grateful for God’s care for them so far? No. At the moment they are hungry and frightened and they are yelling at Moses and Aaron, who are only God’s messenger’s after all, in all this.
But nonetheless, God hears their cries and answers them, providing quail every evening and manna every morning. But are they grateful now? Not noticeably. If you read the rest of chapter 16 beyond today’s reading, you find that many of the people still kept trying to do it their own way rather than listen to God — and you won’t find a word of gratitude in the entire chapter.
We, right now, today, are living with pandemic and fires and apocalyptic levels of air pollution and hurricanes; with the disintegration of our country; with racial injustice and homelessness and selfishness on a monumental level. These things threaten us and yes, we are often afraid — and yet God still provides. Some are suffering grievously from these things and we do grieve with them and pray God’s healing for them. But the majority of us still sleep in our own beds at night, have food in our kitchens, and know our loved ones are safe. How many of us, so lucky, so blessed, remember to be grateful — and to say so out loud? Or do we still feel ill-used because we can’t throw big parties and we have to wear masks? Maybe get impatient with essential workers not moving to our speed, or complain about the things that inconvenience us?
I believe with my whole heart that God is going to see us through this current onslaught of disasters, just as God saw the Hebrew people through their journey – even though it turned out to be a very long one.
How about being grateful that the sun still comes up every morning? That our dog still loves us? That our children are doing OK? That when we’re hurt we have friends who rally round? Or that we still have a church that reaches out to us even though we can’t meet in person?
Gratitude is more than a common courtesy, a social grace, although that is certainly nice, too, but gratitude carries a deep spiritual healing, as well. Healing for those who receive it, yes, and an even deeper healing for those of us who feel it and say it – and mean it.
Here’s a challenge for you: How many reasons can you find in an average day to say, “Thank you”? “Thank you,” to friends? To the stranger who let us go ahead of them in line? To God? Try it for one day – just one day.
Oh, and “Thank you,” for listening.
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