I was reading through the Book of Numbers this morning and what stood out so starkly to me was the ungratefulness of the Israelites for all the provisions the Lord had given them. He not only set them free from the slavery of Egypt but was also making a way for them to have a new and abundant life in a free and beautiful land. How easily we believers can slip into a state of whining when things don’t go the way we expect or want them to. Why is it that our expectations of being a child of God, will provide us with a life of ease— a life of continuous, uninterrupted joy? Do we really expect heaven on earth? Do we somehow think that’s our entitlement for our faith? Was that the experience of Jesus? When he said we must take up our cross to follow him it should have been a huge clue that some rough times might be in our future. We truly do love all the bennies, and there are many, but when the complexities of living in a broken world start closing in on our comfortable space we can launch into a grumpy dissatisfaction, bemoaning the interruption of our deserved happiness.
It’s so easy to slip right into the cultural mindset of entitlement. As is clear from the Numbers 11 text, this is no new 21st century problem. The entitlement to a good life is at the very core of a rebellious heart against a God who provides exactly what he thinks we need at any given time. But, at times, we assume we know better than the One who created us all.
This also is nothing new. Adam and Eve, the first parents of all people, distrusted the goodness of God. Rather than seeing God’s boundaries as protections they saw them as a threat to their freedom and right of choice. They assumed this was their garden—why shouldn’t they enjoy all of its fruits? They questioned God’s authority.
Do we not do the same at times? Does not the inheritance of their disobedience run through our own veins? But, what does God say in Isaiah 1:18-19? “Come now, let us settle this, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If only you will obey me, you will have plenty to eat.”
This side of the cross we have the ability to choose which heritage we want to possess. Life happens to us either way but how we respond to it determines our peace of mind. When we trust the goodness of God , yielding to his authority becomes a safe place—a shelter in the storm. But, if we see his shelter as a threat to our own desired choices we may find ourselves exposed to the elements—taken down by the lightening bolts.
The promises of God, for the believer, entitle us to an eternal inheritance in the presence of God. This entitlement is not deserved or earned but rather given as a gift of love. We can’t demand it. We just receive it. This heritage doesn’t come with brokenness, disobedience or ungratefulness but rather the undoing of all of that. This world awaits the renewal that will come with the return of our Savior. The groans of this damaged planet, the groans of the damaged people will be turned into shouts of joy. The beauty of harmony will fill the entire universe. What hope we now have as we slip under his shelter until the age of storms has passed. This is a heritage worth possessing.
“Instead let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:23;30. NLT