Title: Strike the Rock (Exodus 17:1-7)
There is an old saying, "Someone else's rice cakes look bigger". It is a word that expresses the unsatisfied human heart as it is in a word that is not satisfied with one's own and is always envious of others. But there is a problem with this unsatisfying life. The result of it is that it always shows up in complaints, dissatisfaction and resentment. If you think about it, this is stupid. What will you do if you don't give the bread in words? There is no motive to get the cake. Nevertheless, if you give me rice cakes, I am grateful. However, it is said that the problem is that you are supposed to resent the person who gave you the bread. This is so bizarre. right? Say, "You drink a glass of cold water. That's all you have to do" and that's it. But unfortunately, they gave me the bread. If that's the case, it's right to say, "You're brave enough for something like this..." Complaining and resentment are wrong. But I can't do this. no no no It is difficult. Reality is never acceptable. I can't accept it, so I live in pain. I hate this environment. I don't like these people either. I hate this situation. They are worried and suffering because they do not like everything.
There is an Israeli fairy tale called . God created all kinds of animals according to their appearance and sent them down to the mountains, fields and seas into the wide world that God had made. But the birds stick out their mouths and complain. "Why did you give us such slender legs while making other animals strong? Lions have ferocious teeth that make them easy to attack, and horses have strong legs that run quickly and run on their hind legs. Why do we have ferocious teeth? Snakes have venomous teeth, so why didn't we give them those teeth? But why did you make them heavy and cumbersome when they ran away by hanging a heavy load on their shoulders? ?" Each of the birds chimed in with their protruding mouths.
After the birds had finished complaining, God smiled and spoke to the birds. "Children, spread the wings of your shoulders, which you consider a heavy burden." The brave king of the sky, the Eagle, first spread the heavy wings on both shoulders, which he considered a cumbersome burden, and moved it with all his might. At that moment, the eagle's body became as light as a feather, and it was able to soar through the skies. Now I'm bound to tell all the birds hope. Ladies and gentlemen, the wings attached to the shoulders of birds were not heavy burdens, but light wings that let them fly in the sky.
We all chatter like birds. I live with only short thoughts like a bird's head. We live with a much more developed idea of making complaints a condition than finding conditions of gratitude in the grace that God bestows upon us. “Trees grow again when they are cut down, but why didn’t people make them like that?” he complains. On the other hand, God made our hair, fingernails, and toenails grow, and we complain. “Why did you bother to cut your hair, nails and toenails every time?” Isn’t this how we live?
God said to Moses eight times, "I will wipe out the complaining people of Israel in the wilderness. I am tired of complaining." You don't know how much God hates complaining. As if to show that fact, if you look at the Bible, there is a story of Korah and his family, who were complaining, and the ground on which they stood was split apart and swallowed alive.
A farmer sent his son to college. After studying for a year, his son studies biology, philosophy, and botany, then returns to his hometown during vacation and uses the knowledge he has learned to confide in one complaint. The complaint was that "God made a mistake in the work of creation." For example, the son said, "Why did God make an oak tree with such large and strong leaves and stems produce so little fruit, and why did God make such a large fruit grow on a pumpkin vine that has neither strong nor thick stem?" It was. Just then, an acorn fell on the son's head. My father saw it and said. “Son, what would have happened if the acorn had been a pumpkin!” The son said, “Oh God, thank you for letting the acorns run instead of the pumpkins on the oak tree.” Our complaints are always like this. In a way, this is a challenge to God's providence and pride.
A man named [Thomas Merton] said: "There is no neutral position between gratitude and ingratitude. Those who are not grateful will soon begin to complain about everything. Those who do not love hate." Whatever the reality, being grateful is the best way not to complain, and loving is the best way not to hate. Please remember. Elephants never consider their nose a burden.
If we have a really bad habit, it is that we are good at telling other people's stories. Complaints and resentments towards others are always a hot topic. This is a very bad habit.
Grievances and complaints always arise from self-centered selfishness. look. In order for me to be treated, I have to slander others, and to be comfortable with others, I relatively resent others. This is what resentment and complaining look like. On the other hand, the fruits of resentment and complaints are always opened in contention. One of the bad habits of Koreans is the psychology of "I'm going to see the end". One way or another, it is said that intuition will be released only when the end is over. So you have to fight all at once to get the job done.
Now, God intervenes in this strife. However, the solution is unique. He tells Moses. “Strike the rock,” and then, by making living water spring out of the rock, He brings back to life those who grumble and complain who deserve to die. This is grace. The truth is, there are people who have nothing to say even if they die only through our actions, but He is a God who brings life to life. Today, we are not satisfied with the situation countless times, complaining about the reality over and over again, and living in resentment in human relationships like a habit, but there is a voice that gives grace so that we can live as your children without being destroyed. Can you hear me? “Strike the rock,” these words save us. These words lift us up. When we have unbelief complaints, we must strike the rock of prayer, not commit the folly of creating quarrels. When you have a desire to resent others, you should not act like an unbeliever, but stand in front of the rock where the living water of love springs up and listen to God's voice. Complaining breeds resentment, and resentment breeds strife. And quarrels are unbelief.
Dear saints!
Complaining and resentment are not really what God wants. Whenever this resentment and complaint arises within us, I hope we can stand before the rock that can break it. Then God speaks. "You hit the rock"