Between: Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You

As a kid, my parents required me to eat whatever was put in front of me. While some of my childhood memories are foggy, I clearly remember sitting at the dinner table with my family at our home in Port Jervis, NY. In most cases, I liked the food that my mom made. Every once in a while, however, food appeared on my plate that I would have rather given to the dog. It wasn't that my mom was a bad cook. I just didn't like certain foods. It was during these times that my dad would say a profound phrase that I now repeat to my children in similar circumstances: "Don't bite the hand that feeds you."

God said a similar thing to the Israelites in Numbers 11. They were between God's promise and His provision. In His sovereignty, God had led them through the wilderness instead of the shorter route on their way to the Promiseland because he knew that they weren't ready for the greatness of what was to come. He needed time to teach them to depend on Him.

Part of that dependence came in the form of food that fell from heaven. It was called manna. While the people were initially thankful for this food from God, they soon became discontent and began complaining. They said, "If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna! (Num. 11:4-6)"

Have you ever noticed that discontentment skews your vision...not to mention your memory? It seems as though the Israelites forgot the tireless hours they worked as slaves in Egypt. They also forgot all that God did to get them out of Egypt. Their skewed vision caused them to be unthankful.

Now before you are too hard on the Israelites, think about your own situation.  Have you ever been unthankful for all that you have? Maybe you are looking for a job, like me. Instead of complaining that you don't have a job, begin thanking God that he is taking care of you now. Perhaps you are experiencing one health problem after the next. Instead of whining about it, start thanking God that he has sustained you through such a difficult time.

Whatever you are facing, guard yourself against unthankfulness. It leads to discontentment and it only makes your situation worse. Don't believe me? Read the rest of the scripture. God's response to their bad attitude came in the form of excessive manna for a month...until it came out of their nostrils! Yuk! Instead, heed the wisdom of Psalm 50:23 which says, "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God."

Don't bite the hand that feeds you!