A lawyer, a doctor, and a preacher went deer hunting together when along came a big buck. The three of them all shot at the same time, and immediately the buck dropped to the ground. They all rushed up to examine the deer, but couldn't determine whose shot had actually killed it.
They were in the middle of a heated argument when a game warden came by and asked what the problem was. The doctor told him that they were debating who shot the buck. The warden took one look at the buck and immediately pronounced, “The preacher shot the buck!” They all wondered how he knew that so quickly. To which the warden said, “Easy. The bullet went in one ear and out the other.” (As retold by P. J. Alindogan, The Potter's Jar blog, “Hearing”, 3-4-12; www.PreachingToday.com)
Ouch! Is that what people do with my preaching? Well, that’s okay with my words, but it can be a real problem if people allow GOD’S Word to go in one ear and out the other.
How about you? How about me? Do we hear God’s Word without allowing it to transform us?
That seems to have been Israel’s problem from the very beginning. God spoke to them through Moses, and God miraculously delivered them from the Egyptians through the Red Sea. Then, three days later, they seemed to have forgotten all that.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Exodus 15, Exodus 15, where we see how to let God’s Word transform us and make a real difference in our lives.
Exodus 15:22-24 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. That is why the place is called Marah (which means bitterness). So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (NIV)
The bitterness of the water reflected the bitterness in their hearts. They had gone three days without water. They’re about to drop when in the distance they see an oasis. Their parched lips and dry throats can already taste the cool, clear water, but when they finally arrive and bend down for a cool, refreshing drink, they come up spitting out salt water. No wonder they grumbled, but how could they so quickly forget what God did for them just three days earlier?
Exodus 15:25a Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. (NIV)
They may have forgotten God, but God did not forget them. In His grace, He made the water drinkable. Then He gave them a test.
Exodus 15:25b-26 There the Lord made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them. He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” (NIV)
God promised to keep them from Egyptian diseases if they listen to Him.
Exodus 15:27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water. (NIV)
God abundantly provides for His people!
Exodus 16:1-3 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (NIV)
There they go again – grumbling! They not only forgot how BAD Egypt was, but also how GOOD God had been to them. It’s like it all went in one ear and out the other. But even though they forgot God, God did not forget them.
Exodus 16:4-8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.” (NIV)
When God’s people grumble against God’s leaders, they grumble against God Himself.
Exodus 16:9-12 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ” While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” (NIV)
God wants to demonstrate His presence and His power in their midst despite their grumbling. Israel grumbles, so all God says and does goes in one ear and out the other. Their grumbling keeps them from appreciating all that God has said or done for them. We see that in the verses that follow. Even though God provides food for them with strict instructions, some of them disregard those instructions.
Exodus 16:13-18 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” (manna in the Hebrew). For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’ ” The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed.
God provided everything they needed, no more, no less, no matter how much they were able to gather.
Exodus 16:19-20 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them. (NIV)
They completely disregarded all that God told them to do. It’s like Moses’ instructions went in one ear and out the other.
Exodus 16:21-28 Each morning everyone gathered as much as he needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ ” So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.” Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? (NIV)
What God has said keeps going in one ear and out the other. It has no transforming effect on their behavior, even though God’s command is actually to their benefit.
Exodus 16:29-30 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where he is on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” So the people rested on the seventh day. (NIV)
The Sabbath rest was a real gift from God to a society forced to work seven days a week under Egypt’s control. Now, under God’s control, they get a whole day of rest every week! But Israel can’t appreciate it for all their grumbling.
And that’s what happens when we grumble. God’s Word goes in one ear and out the other, and we can’t appreciate all that God says and does for us if we’re complaining all the time. So if you want God’s Word to make a difference in your life…
DON’T GRUMBLE.
Don’t murmur and complain all the time. Don’t become critical and whine about your circumstances every time they don’t match up to your expectations.
Pastor John Beukema, of Western Springs, Illinois, talks about a spring afternoon when an older couple came to his church looking for a handout. They were ragged, dirty, and claiming to be homeless. They said they didn't want money, just some food.
So Pastor John took them across the street to the 7-Eleven. While they waited outside, John bought them each a sub sandwich, chips, and a Coke. Then he watched as they ravenously attacked the food. The man took a big gulp of his drink and made a face. From his seat on the pavement of the 7-Eleven he looked up at John and said, “What is this, diet?”
Pastor John says, “I laughed right out loud because I immediately saw myself. How often I react that way, even to the gifts of God.” (John Beukema, Western Springs, Illinois; www.PreachingToday.com)
When we’re grumbling, we can’t appreciate even the good gifts we have from God.
Don Kistler put it this way: “The person with the discontented heart has the attitude that everything he does for God is too much, and everything God does for him is too little.” (Don Kistler, Tabletalk, 9-18-01, p.15; www.PreachingToday.com)
What is your attitude today?
In country town or city some people may be found
Who spend their lives in grumbling at everything around.
Oh, yes, they always grumble, no matter what we say,
For these are chronic grumblers and they grumble night and day
They grumble in the city, they grumble on the farm,
They grumble at their neighbors; they think it is no harm.
They grumble at their husbands, they grumble at their wives,
They grumble at their children; but the grumbler never thrives.
They grumble when it’s raining, they grumble when it’s dry.
And if the crops are failing, they grumble and they sigh.
They grumble at low prices and grumble when they’re high;
They grumble all the year ‘round and they grumble till they die.
They grumble at the preacher, they grumble at his prayer,
They grumble at his preaching, they grumble everywhere.
They grumble at God’s people and say it’s all display,
But holy folks don’t grumble; they have only time to pray.
Oh, they grumble on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Grumble on Thursday too;
Grumble on Friday, Saturday, Sunday;
Grumble the whole week through. (Thoro Harris)
You know, these people must be the most miserable people on the planet. But let me tell you: there is a better way to live! When life gets hard, don’t grumble…
GROW!
Trust God to prove and improve you during the hardship. Depend on the Lord to make you better and draw you closer to Him.
That’s what God wanted to do for the Israelites. When they came to the bitter water at Marah, Exodus 15:25 says, “There [God] tested them.” Then again, when God sent bread from heaven, in Exodus 16:4, He says, “I will test them…”
It’s not that God had to find out what was in their hearts; He knew already. He just wanted to show them what was in their own hearts so He could help them grow. Later on, when God descended on Mount Sinai in fire and smoke, the Israelites “trembled with fear” (Exodus 20:18). That’s when “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to TEST you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning’” (Exodus 20:20). You see, God’s tests are designed to keep us from sinning and to improve our character.
In Deuteronomy 8, when Moses reminds the next generation of Israelites about what God did for their parents, He says in verse 16, “[God] gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to TEST you so that in the end it might go well with you” (Deuteronomy 8:16).
God tested the Israelites for their own good, to make them better in the end! But instead of trusting the Lord in the test, they tested the One who was testing them. They grumbled, and their grumbling turned to quarreling.
Exodus 17:1-2 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” (NIV)
They were “quarreling” with Moses. It’s a strong word in the original Hebrew, actually used to describe a fist fight in Exodus 21:18. Now, I doubt that they were punching Moses in the face with their fists, but they were punching him with their words.
Exodus 17:3-7 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah (which means testing) and Meribah (which means quarreling) because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (NIV)
By their quarreling, the Israelites were testing the Lord. God was testing them to make them better, but they were testing God, because they didn’t believe in Him. They doubted His presence. Even so, God in His grace responded by giving them water out of the rock.
My dear friends, when God tests you, don’t do what the Israelites did. Don’t test the Tester. Instead, trust the Lord in the test to make you a better person. Depend on God to remove your sin and make you more like Christ in the midst of your trial.
Romans 8 says, “In ALL things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose…to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:28-29). And James 1 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [And] perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4). God designs the tests of our lives to make us better people, to make us mature and complete, like Jesus Christ, His Son!
So don’t grumble in your trial; GROW! Grow by trusting God to do His work in you while you’re going through the trial. And even if you have grumbled a bit already, trust in His grace to provide the cool, clear, refreshing water that your soul needs to make it through the wilderness.
Do you know, the New Testament says this rock, from which the water came, is a picture of Christ Himself (1 Corinthians 10:4)? God in His grace has provided His Son to anyone who believes in Him. Jesus was struck on the cross, but from that beating has come rivers of Living Water to anyone who chooses to drink.
How about you? Will you choose to continue to drink the bitter waters of Marah, reflecting the bitterness in your own heart? Or will you choose to drink the cool, clear, refreshing water that only Jesus can provide even in your wilderness experiences?
I urge you: don’t be bitter in your trial; get better by trusting the One who died for you and rose again. Don’t grumble; grow! Grow by believing that God is right there with you in your trial, and that He will bring good out of that trial in the end.
In a beehive, the queen bee has an interesting way of ensuring the healthy development of her offspring. She lays each egg in a six-sided cell with just enough honey to feed the young bee until it reaches a certain stage of maturity. After she lays her egg, she seals the top of that cell with a capsule of wax. Then, at just the right time, when all the honey is gone, the tiny bee is ready to come out.
But it’s not going to have an easy time. The opening in the wax seal is so narrow, that in the agony of its exit, the little bee rubs off the membrane that encases its wings. Yet, because of that struggle, it is able to fly!
One time a moth got into the hive and devoured the wax capsules. The young bees crawled out without any effort or trouble, but they could not fly. The mature bees, seeing the pitiful, unproductive state of the new arrivals, instinctively proceeded to sting them to death.
God knows we need the struggle to grow. God knows we need the agony to help us get rid of those attitudes that keep us from flying. God knows we need the trial to make us fully useful for His service.
So when life gets hard, don’t grumble; grow! Don’t test the Tester; trust Him to bring you through the test a better person.
Driving through Mineral Wells, Texas, one afternoon in 1994, Jim Rhodes noticed many buildings standing vacant due to the shutdown of a local military base. “I always complain to God about things that bother me,” says Rhodes, “so I asked him, ‘Why aren't these buildings being used to help the homeless?’”
A few days later, an announcement appeared in the paper: one of the base buildings was available to any charitable organization that could put it to good use. More to appease his conscience than to make a serious inquiry, Rhodes sent a letter to city officials, suggesting his idea. The answer he wasn't prepared for came back: “It's yours.”
Decades earlier another complaint to God about abandoned children led him and his wife, Melinda, to adopt eight “special needs” children and be foster parents to hundreds more over the years. Soon Rhodes found himself also helping pregnant and battered women, which grew into New Haven Ministries in 1986.
“The next step was to begin helping homeless families,” Rhodes says. After a chain of miracles, including more than 5,000 volunteer hours from plumbers, electricians, and painters who renovated the facility in Mineral Wells, New Haven Family Center opened its doors in September 1995.
Since then, the center has helped over many families get back on their feet. Families live at the center two or three months while they find employment. The center provides clothes, food, GED, and computer classes. “This is a totally Christian, totally donated, non-government funded ministry,” says Rhodes. “Most of these folks just need a hand up instead of a hand out.”
What's next for Rhodes? “Only God knows,” he chuckles, “but I'm sure he'll let me know the next time I start complaining.” (Tara Tremaine, “Ordinary Heroes,” Christian Reader; www.PreachingToday.com)
What is God trying to teach you in YOUR trial? Please, don’t let it go in one ear and out the other.
