Complainers

Numbers 21:4–9

People were always complaining to Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway? At least we had food and water there,” some of them said.

“Yeah,” someone else grumbled. “I’m tired of manna.”

Moses was angry. “You wouldn’t even have manna if it wasn’t for God. He sends you that food from heaven every day.”

“But we used to have something different every day,” another man shouted.

God had to get the people’s attention again, so he sent snakes among them. The people walked down into a small valley, still complaining, and suddenly there were snakes everywhere, even in the trees and high up on the rocks. They couldn’t get away from them.

People everywhere were crying for help: “Moses, pray that God will take the snakes away. Please, ask him to help us.” Just as he had done before, Moses asked God to help the people.

“Make a bronze snake and put it on a tall pole. When the people simply look at it, their snakebites will be healed,” God said. Moses made a snake out of bronze and told the people to look at it.

Everyone who obeyed the command was healed. Once again God saved his people.

Becoming a Man of God

A man of God doesn’t complain.

The Israelites always had some new complaint. God was sending them food from heaven every day, and yet they complained that they had to eat the same thing day after day.

Moses, on the other hand, looked at the blessings God was giving them every day and was thankful for God’s care.

Do you complain? What kinds of things do you complain about?

A Verse to Remember

The LORD is good to those who wait for him,

to anyone who seeks help from him.

Lamentations 3:25