Almond Joy
Numbers 17
So God tells Moses that He's going to put an end to all of these chest pumping, I'm God's vessel complexes the Israelites seem to be having. He has Moses collect a staff from the leader of each tribe. After the leader's name is written on each corresponding staff, they are placed in front of the ark of the covenant. The man He chooses will have a staff that has sprouted.
So the next day when Moses goes to check on the staffs. Aaron's has not only sprouted, but has budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. Moses shows the staffs off and returns the non-blossoming staffs but God tells him to return Aaron's where it had been near the ark. This is to serve as a "sign to the rebellious."
He says it will "put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die."
However, instead of bringing peace, it freaks the Israelites out. We're doomed! You can't go near the tabernacle and live! Is this it for us? Are we going to die?
I'm struck by how different God's mood is here, just one chapter later. Earlier Moses pleads with God to spare the camp and in His wrath He sends the plague. Here, without any recorded solicitation from Moses, God has a plan to spare them from future wrath. He wants to stop their grumbling so they won't be the recipients of future wrath.
God wants us to be spared- God wants us to be at peace with Him- and while prayer is an amazing opportunity to bond with Him- He (at least here) is looking for ways to spare us future pain whether we're looking for those ways or not.
Second- what God intends as relief, the Israelites turn into stress. This fig leaf from God- this clarity of His will- doesn't make things easier for them... instead they freak out.
Can we take things God intends as blessings and make them not only worthless, but thorns in our sides- opportunities that we resent, relationships that we take for granted, gifts that we squander and use in ways He never intended? God may be giving us everything we need- but because of our lacking in wisdom we miss the big picture.
Instead of seeing His gift of peace, we assume we're going to die.
Numbers 17
So God tells Moses that He's going to put an end to all of these chest pumping, I'm God's vessel complexes the Israelites seem to be having. He has Moses collect a staff from the leader of each tribe. After the leader's name is written on each corresponding staff, they are placed in front of the ark of the covenant. The man He chooses will have a staff that has sprouted.
So the next day when Moses goes to check on the staffs. Aaron's has not only sprouted, but has budded, blossomed, and produced almonds. Moses shows the staffs off and returns the non-blossoming staffs but God tells him to return Aaron's where it had been near the ark. This is to serve as a "sign to the rebellious."
He says it will "put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die."
However, instead of bringing peace, it freaks the Israelites out. We're doomed! You can't go near the tabernacle and live! Is this it for us? Are we going to die?
I'm struck by how different God's mood is here, just one chapter later. Earlier Moses pleads with God to spare the camp and in His wrath He sends the plague. Here, without any recorded solicitation from Moses, God has a plan to spare them from future wrath. He wants to stop their grumbling so they won't be the recipients of future wrath.
God wants us to be spared- God wants us to be at peace with Him- and while prayer is an amazing opportunity to bond with Him- He (at least here) is looking for ways to spare us future pain whether we're looking for those ways or not.
Second- what God intends as relief, the Israelites turn into stress. This fig leaf from God- this clarity of His will- doesn't make things easier for them... instead they freak out.
Can we take things God intends as blessings and make them not only worthless, but thorns in our sides- opportunities that we resent, relationships that we take for granted, gifts that we squander and use in ways He never intended? God may be giving us everything we need- but because of our lacking in wisdom we miss the big picture.
Instead of seeing His gift of peace, we assume we're going to die.
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