Foundations – Exodus Grumble, Grumble, Grumble… Exodus 16:1-31 October 21, 2018
I. The REASONS for GRUMBLING. (v.1-3)
A. DISCONTENT in the PRESENT. (v.3)
B. GLORIFICATION of the PAST. (v.3)
C. FEAR of the FUTURE. (v.3)
Even though we left the Jews on the safe side of the Red Sea, “…fearing the Lord and putting their trust in Him” (Ex. 14:31), things change. Here we are just a few weeks later and they are grumbling. We would never do anything like that…
1. Which is the hardest for you to shake, discontent in the present, an idealized perception of the past, or fear of the future? Why?
2. What is your current “grumble”? Is it with God?
II. God’s PROVISION for his people’s NEED. (v.4-16)
A. To REVEAL Himself and to TEACH us.(v.4-11)
B. In UNEXPECTED and UNKNOWN ways. (v.12-15)
C. The gifts of LIMITS and BALANCE. (v.5, 17-19)
As usual, God works on multiple layers. The people need food. God gives it to them, but even in that act, He is teaching them. There is much that they have to learn as they grow into life as the people of God. 3. Kid’s question: When have you been really surprised by something? What was that like?
4. When has God acted in a way that surprised you? What was the result of that?
5. What areas of your life need the “gift of limits”? How can you apply that?
III. TYPICAL human REACTIONS. (v.20-30)
A. We HOARD what is GOOD. (v.20)
B. We REFUSE to REST. (v.27-30)
One thing I love about the Bible is that I see myself all through it. I come face to face with the fact that my humanness is so much like that of all the characters, both good and evil that I see in the stories of the Scripture.
6. Do you “hoard” what is good? Do you “overwork”? Why? How can you stop?
IV. The GIFTS of this PASSAGE.
A. LIVING in the PRESENT. (Mt. 6:34; 2 Cor. 5:17; Lam. 3:22,23)
B. The Sabbath to REST and to REALIZE. (Ex. 31:13; Ez. 20:12,20)
C. OPENING up to the NEW. (Is. 43:18-19)
Like every passage, if we will sit with it long enough, God gives us gifts to take with us on our spiritual journey. The sometimes come in packages that don’t look like gifts, and we often push them aside rather than experience them for what they are, but they are gifts nonetheless.
7. How do you currently practice “sabbath”? If you don’t, why don’t you?
8. Where might God be calling you to let go of something old and make way for something new? How will you respond?