Living in the Spirit
September 21, 2021
Scripture Reading:
Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’
Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favor in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’ –Numbers 11: 4-6, 10-15
The rabble were probably the camp-followers attending Hebrews at the Exodus*. The lowest fringe people, possibly not Israelites, led the grumbling that soon became contagious. I was struck by the listing of foods, which includes not the necessities of life but the unique flavors that enhance meals. Bread is not mentioned, nor is milk or water. Fish is the meat they miss, which is hard to find in a desert. They were collecting manna regularly. They want their image of good times back. They do not recognize that they would not have left if those times had been good.
Listening to the news, I hear the hunger of the people for stability. They want everything to return to normal, even if normal is the equivalent life of the outcastes in Egypt. It is hard to accept that we are being forced to transition to a new normal. We long for a government that waves a magic wand and makes all these challenges go away. I worked for the Department of Human Services for 35 years and know what it takes to deal with a significant crisis with too little resources across one state. I cannot imagine addressing the COVID pandemic; hurricanes, floods, and tornados; wildfires; and an influx of refugees at our southern border all at once. Daily prayers for our leaders are essential.
We also want a magic-wand God to fix everything, even that which we break. God with Us is not our handyperson. God created us with talents, skills, and brains to solve problems when we work together as one and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. When we stop being self-righteous and selfish and start humbly searching for the common good, we will realize that God has been there all along, waiting for us to get over our tantrums and start working with each other with God’s guidance to address the needs of our nation and the world.
Prayer: God, forgive us for failing to be the people you created us to be. Create in us clean hearts and the right spirits to labor in your name for the recovery of our world. Amen.
*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/628.htm
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.