Complaints and Fire

Complaining is one of those things all people tend to do that is not necessarily sinful in itself yet can be an indication of a wicked heart that is displeasing to God.  Even when a complaint is justified, our pride and anger can be stirred to transgress in self-righteousness.  We can have our facts straight and our thoughts, feelings and attitudes disjointed from the faith, hope and love Jesus leads us to submit to.

It is perfectly wise to pour out our complaints to God as the psalmist Asaph did in Psalm 77:3:  "I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah."  In an ironic twist these overwhelming thoughts and feelings turned out it to be Asaph's problem, not God's.  While a complaint can be an expression of grief or dissatisfaction, it can also be a judgment or protest against something viewed as unacceptable.  Should our complaint be about what God has done or allowed, Who is only righteous, wise and good, it makes a man sinfully rise up in criticism of God.  To take our complaint before the LORD is one thing, but to murmur and complain to others--as if God has done wrong--reveals a heart has veered from faith and reliance on God.

Numbers 10:33-11:3 is a compelling example of how complaining can be displeasing to God:  "So they departed from the mountain of the LORD on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them for the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them. ³⁴ And the cloud of the LORD was above them by day when they went out from the camp. ³⁵ So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: "Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee before You." ³⁶ And when it rested, he said: "Return, O LORD, to the many thousands of Israel." ¹ Now when the people complained, it displeased the LORD; for the LORD heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the fire of the LORD burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched. ³ So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them."

I wonder:  why did the people complain?  God wasn't the source of the problem but unbelief, selfishness and pride in the hearts of His people.  The presence of God was with His people to guide and protect them, yet they complained.  The text does not say they complained to God but is inferred they loudly murmured in their tents like countless other times.  Their complaining displeased the LORD and His fire burned among them and consumed some of them, even as their murmuring spread like fire in the camp.  Their loud complaining quickly shifted to crying out to Moses, and God immediately responded to his intercessory prayer and quenched the flames.  Complaints and fire share things in common, like how they tend to spread and do great damage.  God was displeased by the complaining of the people, and the people were displeased by the fire He sent.  The response of God Who committed His Law to Moses showed just how destructive complaining is in a spiritual sense when His fire burnt among them, a just response like an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a burn for a burn.

It is good for us to realise when we complain and murmur over what we deem unsatisfactory or troubling, we can be unknowingly complaining against God.  Better to direct our concerns to God ourselves and be casting our cares upon Him than to vent our complaints to whoever happens to be at hand.  Complaining spreads like a fire among people and with this God is not pleased.  It is when we bring our complaints to Him we are enlightened, not with the burning heat of a flame that scorches skin, but by the Light of the World Jesus Christ pierced for us.  He turns our complaints into praise, for the Holy Spirit reminds us of God's great works and His glorious redemption by His grace.

Grace and Gladness

"He who earnestly seeks good finds favour, but trouble will come to him who seeks evil."

Proverbs 11:27

On Sunday at church we looked at a passage that well illustrates the principle held forth here.  When cousin Mordecai communicated to queen Esther the evil devised against their people, she ultimately decided to approach the king without being summoned.  For any who dared do so there was only one law:  death.  There was a caveat, however, for the king could overrule the unchanging law of the Medes and Persians and hold forth the golden sceptre to spare the life of one who found favour in his sight.

Esther, her maids, Mordecai and all the Jews he gathered in Shushan the citadel fasted three days before she sought an audience with king Ahasuerus.  I am certain she earnestly sought the God of Israel who alone is good in that time, for her desire was that she and her people should live.  Her life was dependent upon God as she approached the king.  Esther 5:1-2 reads, "Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. ² So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter."  Walking by faith in God was the means of Esther finding favour with the king, and the schemes of Haman the enemy of the Jews soon came to light and were overthrown.

Haman the Agagite was troubled when Mordecai the Jew refused to bow before him, and was moved to destroy Mordecai and all the children of Israel as well.  He concealed his true intentions before the king to curry his favour and used the signet ring of the king to write into law a command to kill the Jewish people--all under the guise of protecting the king and the good of his kingdom.  But Haman was not content to wait to destroy the man he hated and constructed  high gallows for the purpose of hanging Mordecai.  When queen Ether exposed Haman's deceit and murderous intentions, the king brought great trouble upon the man who sought to do evil and hung Haman on the gallows intended for Mordecai.  In doing good Esther received grace, and trouble came to Haman who plotted evil.

Psalm 32:10-11 reads, "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. ¹¹ Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"  How true it is the one who trusts the LORD is in the blessed position to receive the LORD's grace surrounded by His mercy.  God has extended grace to all through the Gospel, and it is by faith in Him we receive His love, forgiveness, joy, peace and are delivered from evil.  Believers will face many troubles, but in seeking the LORD and trusting in Him we are greatly helped by His mercy and grace.  Trying to gain favour for self leads to trouble, but the one who seeks the LORD will have grace upon grace with gladness in the end.

Hatred Vs. Love

"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins."

Proverbs 10:12

Hatred and love is expressed by how we respond when offended.  The Hebrew word translated "hatred" here is defined as enmity, scorn, to decrease in status.  A heart troubled by hatred is like a kettle on boil that must let off steam.  Troubled souls take pains to trouble others by slander, deceit, sow discord, hold grudges and stew in bitterness.  Because hatred cannot forgive and despises even the suggestion of reconciliation, the aim is to punish, injure and destroy the offender whose offence is perpetually present.

On the flip side, love covers all sins.  Love covers sins, not by ignoring or hiding offences as if they did not occur, by extending grace and mercy to the offender without keeping record of wrongs.  Love is shown by rebuking a person privately for sin, not to humiliate, shame or punish, but with an aim to correct, instruct and ultimately with desire for restored relationship.  Choosing to walk in love and forgiveness is based upon faith in God, having been freely forgiven by Him, and then a commitment to one another to love as we have been loved.  Love operates with the aim of the benefit of others rather than satisfying self.

Hatred and love involve both the head and the heart.  In obedience to the Father, Jesus chose to humble Himself by loving people who hated Him by dying in their place on Calvary.  This divine demonstration of love reveals the God's power, mercy and grace to overcome all the sin of the world and has imputed His righteousness to all who believe through the Gospel.  Our sins have been more than merely covered but washed away by the blood of Jesus which provided atonement.  Knowledge of the love and grace God has shown us guides us in loving God and others, for His love overwhelms all offence.

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times and told him so, and Peter was so troubled over his sin he wept many tears.  Jesus never brought up what had happened again because Peter was humbled and contrite.  There was no need to mention what they both knew.  Instead of taunting Peter, scorning him for his failure or sneaking in a "told you so" with a proud smirk, Jesus three times affirmed Peter's calling to feed His sheep.  Jesus walked in love rather than stir up strife.  If there was any strife or controversy it was within Peter himself, and having received Christ's love and forgiveness the offence was gone.

When someone sins against you, how do you naturally respond?  Do you lash out in anger, ruminate over the offence with resentment or bitterness, gossip, withdraw or stir the pot?  Or have you discovered and received the love and forgiveness of Jesus that implores us to release others from being under our judgment even before they realise they have done wrong?  If we find ourselves troubled and in strifes without the peace or joy of the LORD, offences can be a means of God gently, graciously showing us our need to receive His love and extend it to others.

Being Reconciled to God

Following Christ is infinitely more than ticking boxes.  Our flesh has an awful tendency to act in our own self-interest and take action for our desired outcomes.  Having secured entrance to heaven through the Gospel by faith in Jesus, having repented of our sins, we might imagine we have done the hard yards when the reality is God has done all.  Baptism in water is a one-time event, but fellowship with God and brothers and sisters in Christ must be maintained continuously by faith demonstrated by obedience.  Often our faith lies in a theoretical realm when it ought to be practiced presently:  to believe Jesus rose from the dead is different than believing He is alive, with us as our LORD and God.

Many times we believers (and I speak from much experience in this error) is to write-off passages of exhortation for groups or people other than myself.  I have assumed unbelief was a problem unbelievers have, not realising unbelief is a more common fault against the light of the Gospel truth in genuine believers.  The chosen people of God perished in the wilderness, unwilling to enter into the promised land by faith in God and thus unable.  It was the apostle Thomas who plainly said he would not believe Jesus was risen or seen by other eye-witnesses until he saw and touched him himself.  To him and us Jesus has revealed Himself and said in John 20, "Do not be unbelieving but believing."  Jesus did not say "Believe" as if it was chore on a to-do list and then was done, but could only be obeyed presently and continuously by believing and taking action accordingly.

In our Bible study at Calvary Chapel Sydney last night I was struck by Paul's exhortation to believers to be reconciled to God.  This is something that happens at conversion when we are born again, yet the fact Paul wrote to people in the church implies this is something we must be intentional about during our earthly pilgrimage.  Since God has given us the ministry of reconciliation and the word of reconciliation, Paul followed on in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21:  "Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  To be reconciled is to restore friendly relations and to make one consistent with another, like how inventory is reconciled with a list of items in stock.  There ought to be agreement between the stock counts on paper and what is physically present in a shop or warehouse.  Jesus called His disciples servants, friends and even brethren, and the exhortation to believers is we would align ourselves with Him by faith in righteousness.

We demonstrate our love for God by loving one another in the church, and in like manner we demonstrate our being reconciled to God by being reconciled one to another.  When Jesus said we are to forgive others beyond reckoning the disciples replied with rare insight in Luke 17:5, "Increase our faith."  They understood (at least in part) the connection between releasing others from offence in recognition of God already having loosed us from an enormous debt we could never pay.  Believing our risen LORD and Saviour Jesus has washed us of all sin, imputed His righteousness to us and reconciled us with Himself moves us to be reconciled to one another.  Real friendship involves love, service and sacrifice.  We are Christ's friends if we do all He has commanded us, and being reconciled to God is an exhortation for all believers to continue taking to heart.