The Israelites Were Ungrateful Jerks ... And So Are We

Photo by Creative Commons user hellojenuine

The book of Judges details a story of betrayal -- downright treacherous backstabbing.

The short version of the story is that God delivered his people from seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and he did it many times.

You'd think they would have been grateful. The Lord vanquished their enemies. He toppled walls.

He parted the Red Sea!

But, they weren't grateful. They grumbled. They wanted more. Nothing that God did was ever enough for them. In fact, not only did they not show their appreciation for his miracles and wonders, they turned from Him, on multiple occasions, and went so far as to worship other pagan gods.

As Christians, it's so easy to sit back, read those stories and pass judgement, making statements like, "How dare they turn their back on God after all He did for them!"

My question for you is this: Are we really any better?

This past week, my church has been exploring this topic, and it really hit me hard. It's extremely relevant, as I'm currently going through my own "time in the wilderness."

I don't know how long I'll be here or what God's plan is to rescue me, but it's coming. I know it is. And so you'd think, from the guy who just wrote that last sentence, you'd get no complaints.

You'd be wrong.

I've been worrying all the time. I've been depressed. I even wrote a "vent post" last week, where I aired my dirty laundry.

Does that sound like gratefulness to you?

We begrudge the Israelites for their lack of appreciation. We rationalize by saying that it'd be different if God did real, physical miracles in our midst. If He became a cloud of fire, made manna drop from the sky, parted the Red Sea -- then, we'd fall down on our faces and say thank you, every single day.

HE PARTS THE RED SEA FOR US EVERY DAY!

How many times has He delivered you? How many times have you had a bill that you had no idea how you'd pay, then, out of nowhere, it was taken care of?

He cures illnesses, mends hearts and changes lives.

It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes, the cancer gets the better of someone we love, and we don't understand where God was in all of it. Sometimes, we lose our jobs or even our houses.

I wish I had answers for all of that. I don't.

What I do know is that God is good and merciful more often than we deserve.

Say thank you today.