3.124 Complaining Always Brings Consequences

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to Him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as savory salt.

Hello, my friends. It's a new day with new opportunities. Choose this day whom you will serve.

Have you ever just had one of those "need to complain" moments where you just got to get it off your chest and just get through the complaints, and then everything seems to be, I don't know, different? Perhaps our episode today will give you a little bit of perspective on a different way to approach that. Last week, we finished Exodus as well as the entire book of Leviticus.

And as I'm looking over the next couple of weeks, just a heads-up, we're basically moving a book a week for quite some time here, my friends, because the Old Testament is ginormous, and we've got to get through all of it in one year. So this week, we are basically reading the book of Numbers, although for Come Follow Me standards, it is Numbers chapters 11 through 14, 20 through 24, and 27. We're also going to be the next week through Deuteronomy, the next week through Joshua, the next week through Judges.

Like, we are moving, my friends. So I hope that you take the opportunity to actually go through these chapters. Obviously, we're only doing, you know, six, seven verses of these chapters and books every week.

So with that being said, let's dive into our Numbers section today. Numbers is interesting because this is the 40-year roaming of the children of Israel as they have escaped from Egypt, but the Lord is not letting them in the promised land yet. They are not ready.

The Book of Numbers could be renamed "The Book of Mumbling," "The Book of Murmurs," "The Book of Complaining." All of these were an opportunity for the Israelites to learn the importance of following the Lord, seeing His blessings in their lives, being true to their covenants, and following His commandments. These are the lessons inside of the Book of Numbers. Now, let's take a look at our verse for today.

It is a bit of a drastic leap when it comes to the complaining side of things, but I think it can offer a good perspective for us. Our verse for today is Numbers 11. It says this: "And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp." Wow, this is not in any sort of dark humor here.

This is very drastic. The people complained, and the Lord sent fire and burnt them to a crisp. Now, I don't think that you and I worry about being burnt to a crisp by the Lord when we complain.

But it's worth us investigating the consequences of complaining. Did you see inside the verse here? First of all, the complaining displeased the Lord.

What does complaining do in your life? When you need those complaint sessions, what's actually been accomplished by the end of it? The Bible says that the Lord heard the people's complaints and angered him.

What was it about the complaining that angered him? Was it perhaps the absence of the people seeing the blessings he brought to them? I think so, especially as you read chapter 11.

And then notice where these people were that were consumed by the fire. They were in the uttermost parts of the camp. This to me is kind of an interesting placement.

Maybe it's not the way it reads to those of you that are reading along here, but to me, this says that these uttermost parts of the camp—these are people that are kind of on the fringe. They're not necessarily in it. They're not really trying to put their heart and soul in it.

We just read last week about those that were willing and able. I don't think this is that group. I think this is the group that are kind of on the edge.

They're sort of willing, and they're maybe able. My friends, complaining always brings consequences, whether we see them in this drastic moment or not. So, I'd like to offer an alternative.

Perhaps in those moments of complaining, you seek a single blessing. Find one. You will find one.

The Lord has blessed you in your life. We can always find a blessing from the Lord. And if perhaps we turn towards the way the Lord has blessed us, it will keep us from focusing on the error of our life.

And that's all for today, my friends. You and I have come here for such a time as this. Step forward in faith, and let's be savory salt. We will be here tomorrow, and we hope you are too.