Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
From what I have read, the “fleshpots of Egypt” made the school cafeteria food I had when I was a kid seem like a gourmet feast. God knows what “flesh” (if any) was in these big pots of stuff the Egyptians were feeding the hordes of Israelites they were enslaving to make bricks for the Pharoah’s building projects. Think prison food from the 18th century, or the gruel fed to African slaves as they were being “shipped” to America. Found a few rats? Throw them into the pot. Water from unclean runoff? Sure, why not. Spoiled plants and vegetables? Yep. Moldy bread? Most likely. These people don’t deserve better. Israel couldn’t wait to escape from both the labor and the larder.
But now, after just a short time after being freed by the hand of God, and journeying through the wilderness, these ungrateful people began to long for those big cauldrons of slop. Or worse yet, for death, back in Egypt. Why? Because they were hungry. They complained to Moses and Aaron, but in actuality, they were bitching at God, for they knew it was God who delivered them from the hand of the Egyptians. The Bible tells us several times in the Exodus narratives that Israel was a “complaining” people, but that’s being nice. They knew how to bitch, and bitch they did—to Moses and Aaron, to each other, and even to God.
Have you ever known anyone like this? People who just are never satisfied with what they feel are the cards they were dealt in life? Rarely is their misfortune at all their fault—it must have been someone else, or something else, or even God Almighty who has left the to “starve” in the desert of deliverance. Some sort of “Eeyore out,” proclaiming “Woe is me, I’ll never make it!” or becoming aggressive with their gripes, complaints, and bitches, actively blaming, shaming, or slandering those whom they believe responsible, including the Divine Presence. These can be tiresome folk—excruciatingly hard to listen to for more than a few measured minutes, and at worst, even beginning to cause even civil folk to question their plight as well. The veracity and venom of their bitching is something to behold. I’ve seen it in stores or restaurants, aimed at clerks or waitstaff, or in public offices, railing against underpaid public servants. It’s irritating at least, and depressing, at most. And sometimes the bitching starts very early, prompted by the bitchers’ dissatisfaction with what they perceive as the too-slow pace of the bitchees’ in their effort to solve their problems for them.
Now, if I were God, these people would get a “charge” out of the bolts from on high I would send raining down. Ingratitude at such a velocity and volume would be rewarded by a reprise of a few of the plagues sent against Egypt. Hungry? Here, have several million frogs to fricassee! I’m afraid I would be a bit reserved in my ability to offer much grace in the midst of the grandiose gripe.
Of course, as my wife regularly points out, I am not God, and that is a good thing for all of humankind, including me! (You see, I can be pretty hard on myself, sometimes.) So, what does the God of Israel do in response to the Big Bitch? Not what you would expect.
Yahweh sends food from heaven—a mysterious substance dubbed “Manna”—to feed them. The sweet, white “bread from heaven” would appear like the morning frost, and they were allowed to harvest as much as they could eat that day. Hoarding it was not allowed, but a family could eat their fill. How did Israel respond? They bitched that they weren’t getting any meat. Did God zap them thistime? Nope, God sent the quail in the evening, and again they could eat their fill.
There are two lessons here. First of all, I have to suggest that grateful living is so much more pleasant to others around us, and it must be sweeter to God, as well. If you have been around people who are grateful for all they receive, they are edifying and energizing, rather than tiring or irritating. Studies have shown that “thankful” people are also healthier people, because they are not consumed by the constant negativity of bitching! This critical vitriol encourages bile and stomach acid, and when really cranked up, releases the bitter taste of adrenalin in a bitchy one’s mouth, and can lead to prolonged worry over even simple slights, as they perceive reality. Secondly, this just can’t be pleasant to God, who is the ultimate source of our being and our blessings. As believers, we are encouraged to praiseGod for God’s provision and God’s goodness, and I have observed that there is a power in this kind of gratitude-based praise of the Divine Presence. The more I am thankful, the more I seem to receive to be thankful for.
It is so important to see in this narrative, however, that God offers grub and grace as a response to the griping. How amazing is that? Does God really love God’s people this much, that God would “reward” our bitching with the blessings that sustain us? This, my friends, is Amazing Grace! As Christian believers, we see this same unmerited favor in the Christ event. Christ came proclaiming love and forgiveness, and humanity responded with hatred and murder. We killed the messenger. But again, God responded with pardon, partnership, and provision, with nothing due on our part but a simple “yes” to the invitation!
In the lectionary epistle passage today from Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul states:
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
The apostle advocates for the Christlike behaviors of “quit your bitchin’,” blessing rather than grieving the Holy Spirit, engaging edifying rather than evil speaking, and forgiving one another and being kind to one another. This is where I’m coming from in this message today. I wish I could say that it is where I’m actually coming from, personally, but believe me, even at age 66, and as an active Christian for 48 of my 66 years, I’m still a work in progress. I would say I’m generally a grateful person. I am grateful not only for God’s blessings, but for the incredible people God has brought into my life, and with whom I have had the privilege of living with or working with over all of this time. I’m pretty good with saying “thank you” and showing appreciation. But I bitch. Too much. About stupid things.
But thanks be to God that God even hears my gripes and acts on them with love instead of sending the lightning down. If I could only learn to send my gripes to God as prayers, instead of saying them out loud around people who are powerless to fix the problem. Friends, I challenge us all to get with the program and pulverize the pessimism. Let us exchange the bitches for blessings, and the gripes for gratitude, in the name of Jesus, who modeled it for us and makes it possible. Amen!
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