Do you find yourself grumbling about what you don’t have or what has happened in life? Why do you grumble? In Numbers there have been some Israelites grumbling against God. In Numbers 16 Korah and other men wanted to claim the right to sacrifice before God and they were killed because of their disobedience. Why were they grumbling? I can only look upon why I grumble and complain about things in my life. Mostly I look at something else that I think would make my life better: a girlfriend, more money, a new car, bigger apartment, a different family, or better health. It all comes down to what I think would complete and make my life better. These perceptions of what I think would complete my life will never satisfy my desires because there will always be one more thing that I think I need. Was this reverence and desire for the priesthood the drive of the peoples grumbling?
In Numbers 17 God settles the grumbling by having Moses place rods into the tent of testimony from the 12 households of Israel. The rod which sprouted was the person who was chosen and allowed to offer sacrifices before God. The only rod to sprout was the rod of Aaron. This rod was kept in the tent of the testimony as a reminder to the people of Israel of who was allowed to offer sacrifice. Following this confirmation God reaffirms to Aaron the role of his descendants as priests and the tribe of Levi as servants to him in Numbers 18. I will be eager to continue reading the story to see if the grumbling subsides of continues.
What can I apply to my life from this story? When I desire to grumble and complain about what I have or don’t have I need to remember God sovereignty. God ordains or allows everything that happens in my life. It is ultimately nothing I do to obtain anything from God. It is just like how God bestowed the priesthood upon Aaron and his descendants. God can do what He wills. That does not make life easy but if I truly believe that God is in control I can rest and trust in His provision.
