WHY WOULD WE EVER QUESTION HIS LOVE AND CARE?
Psalm 78:12-16
12 In
the sight of their fathers he performed wonders
in
the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13 He
divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and
made the waters stand like a heap.
14 In
the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and
all the night with a fiery light.
15 He
split rocks in the wilderness
and
gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He
made streams come out of the rock
and
caused waters to flow down like rivers.
God had done incredible miracles. The children of Israel had
seen His mighty works, and they had always reacted with praise and worship. It
would seem logical that they would also have continued to serve and worship
their God, but this was not so. In spite of it all, they kept sinning against
God.
Psalm 78:17-20
17 Yet
they sinned still more against him,
rebelling
against the Most High in the desert.
18 They
tested God in their heart
by
demanding the food they craved.
19 They
spoke against God, saying,
“Can
God spread a table in the wilderness?
20 He
struck the rock so that water gushed out
and
streams overflowed.
Can he also
give bread
or
provide meat for his people?”
They sinned, rebelled, questioned, spoke against their God.
They were never satisfied; when their needs were not met, they reacted in sin.
The psalmist shows how this was the result of what was in their heart. Lest we
look at the Israelites with disdain, we must stop and examine our hearts and
lives.
Their sin was questioning the ability and desire of God to
provide for them. When we become bitter or complain, we are doing the exact
same thing. When we become discontent and vent our demands, we are guilty of
their same sin. God continues to provide for and preserve us, and yet we tend
not to be satisfied. God was not indifferent to the actions of the Israelites
and our dissatisfaction still angers Him today.
Psalm 78:21-22
21 Therefore,
when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;
a
fire was kindled against Jacob;
his
anger rose against Israel,
22 because
they did not believe in God
and
did not trust his saving power.
Did you notice what angered God? That they did not believe
in Him and they did not trust Him. Dear friends, we must stop and examine our
lives and recognize all those words and actions that expose our own lack of
belief and trust. When the Bible tells us that we should live by faith it means
that we should not behave in a way that questions God’s wisdom, power,
character, and love. I am amazed and humbled by the fact that, as He did with
the children of Israel, He shows grace to us.
Psalm 78:23
23 Yet
he commanded the skies above
and
opened the doors of heaven,
The next verses display the way God continued to show His
grace. Dear friends, maybe we should stop to reflect on the ways God has
continued to show grace to us, in spite of our lack of faith. He continues to
forgive us although we continue to fall short. And Israel continued in their
roller coaster relationship with their God.
Psalm 78:37
37 Their
heart was not steadfast toward him;
they
were not faithful to his covenant.
We should guard our hearts and lives from acting exactly
like the Israelites.
Remember that this psalm started by reminding us that we
must pass the knowledge of our God on to our children. Our actions expose what
we really believe. Our families are watching and learning who God is to us from
our attitudes and actions. We must guard our lives’
testimonies, as we are observed by others.
God is not at all indifferent to our relationship with Him.
Yes, He does show grace, but He is displeased when we do not believe and trust
Him.
God has shown Himself so faithful. May we praise His
accordingly, and be grateful for His constant care and grace toward us. If we
need to, let us confess our sin to Him and to those to whom we have been a poor
testimony and let us worship our God.
No comments:
Post a Comment