Worthless Whiners...

I Samuel 10:25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
God was at work. He was responding to the cry of His people for a king.  To be sure, there were problems with their hearts and motives, but God had spoken through Samuel and appointed Saul.  Everyone was on board - well, almost everyone. The historian here, and in a few other choice places, uses this word "worthless." Of course, God is the only one with a position to make such an evaluation or statement, but we get the idea. They were doing nothing for the good of God's people except whining. They were contributing nothing,and that included nothing for the celebration of Saul becoming King. We will see this on and off again throughout the period of the Kings - groups of people splitting off, even from the few good kings, because they would rather complain and point fingers, than do something of value and support God's leaders.  When have you been the whiner? 

A Sad State of Affairs...

Judges 2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lordand served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
The people of Israel had entered the promised land under Joshua, and taken over section after section.  Before his death, God had him divide the land into parts for each tribe.  They continued to make progress, but never completed the call God had given them.  They stopped trying.  Keep in mind that God never promised them it would happen overnight. In fact, He said it would not.  But they were to keep moving forward.  But they stopped.  When that happens, the people of God begin to divide. The tribes became more separate rather than united to stand with each other.  This led to further failure, frustration and division. The worst part is: when this happened the Glory of God was tarnished before the watching world.  What happened? They gave their hearts to other gods - to non-gods, to idols.  That's one of the greatest causes of division yet today in the people of God. We stop moving forward in faith, and fall to other, false gods and distractions.  Thankfully, Judges is far from the end of the story. The cure is the same: let us return to faithfully love and serve God and one another. 

Falling into the cracks...

Numbers 16 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. 2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. 3 They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?” 4 When Moses heard it, he fell on his face, 5 and he said to Korah and all his company, “In the morning the Lord will show who is his, and who is holy, and will bring him near to him. The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
We're all saints, right? So, what made Moses and Aaron so special? These men rebelling against Moses and Aaron had the responsibility to offer incense in worship. They were "this close" to being in the Holy of Holies. But it wasn't enough. They considered themselves as being treated unfairly and were demanding their rights.  True to form, Moses fell on his face - an act of humilty and vulnerability.  He allows the Lord to decide. In the end there is a great divide - in the earth and between the groups, with the rebels falling into the earth in a judgment by God.  Divisions do not end well, especially for those who rebel against God-given authority.  For those of us "in Christ", we are all saints. But we still are different parts of the body, with assigned gifts and callings. When we begin to rebel against God's design, it's like having too many left feet. We won't be able to dance - only go around in circles, or maybe trip into a pit. Beware the envious eye that looks at others and says "Why not me?" 

The Good Ole Days...

Numbers 14 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
Stuck in the past.  That describes many of God's people throughout the generations: always looking back, thinking it would be better to go back to the old building, the old music, the old way of doing things, while never thinking about what they are actually saying: let's split up, divide, give up on this thing God calls community.  This is not to say that every change is always good, or always to be made, just for the sake of change. But often, like here, God has made it very clear that He wants them to move forward, not turn back. There are many things from our past we are to carry with us (like the ark) - traces of our faith throughout history.  But when people grumble, refuse to change, and start breaking covenant, it's time to recommit to what God has called us to be: His called-out community of redeemed followers.  Cherish the good ole days; envision what God still has in store.

Being with God, or Seeing Something Happen?

Exodus 32 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
Whenever things are going well, Satan tries to disrupt God's people. Sometimes his tool of choice is discontentment.  Moses was doing the right thing: spending time with God to hear the will of God, so God's people could move forwards. But we tend not to be patient.  The people wanted to see something happen (rather than enjoy some rest after centuries of slavery and a harrowing escape from Egypt). Their solution was to split off from Moses and start something flashier. Being with God together was no longer the main thing.  They forgot why they had been delivered. Today distractions and discontentment continue to divide God's people. They are lured elsewhere in pursuit of greener grass, only to find they have brought along themselves, who are resistent to the change God wants to make.  What they end up doing may look like a celebration, but it's not worship. 

When you're ready for the people of God...

Exodus 3:7 Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Moses had seen the oppression God was talking about - over 40 years before. It was not that God finally realized it - he had seen it too. But Moses had not seen God's people from the right perspective. He viewed them as people who needed him to solve their problems his way as an outside contractor or consultant. So God had allowed him to go 40 years without his people.  Moses was now in the place where he could appreciated God's people, and his need of them. When he was able to say "Who am I?", and humbly accept God's call to be a part of his people, then God could do something with him.  Sure, there would be many times Moses would feel like giving up on God's people, but he never did. He stuck with them till his calling was fulfilled.  Is it time for you to go back to God's people?  Are you ready? Or are you still stuck on yourself and with yourself?

Those who stay, and send others away...

Genesis 37:18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 

The account of Joseph and his brothers shouts about the Sovereignty of God, despite the evil hearts and bad actions of men.  We know how the story ends: God uses Joseph to deliver his family from starvation and extinction.  Nonetheless, the brothers' envy and closemindedness drives them to drive Joseph, and his vision, away.  How often this happens in God's family, the Church.  Someone catches a vision for what God can do, and others, willing to stick with the status quo, and protect their own little kingdoms, drive them away, splitting the family, and robbing them of joyful experiences they could have had together.  What makes Joseph stand out so much is how he does not become bitter and retaliate.  That is so UNLIKE many who have been driven by churches.  They speak evil and wish the worst for those they have left behind.  Not Joseph: he longed for reconciliation and reunion, and cherished it when it happened.  So whether you've left, or been forced to leave, or you've stayed and made others leave: Is there any bitterness that remains, robbing you of the joy of the Lord, keeping you from being reconciled to brothers and sisters?