A friend of mine pointed out to me recently that some of the things we take as suggestions in God's Word are actually stronger than that. Some are things that God expects from His people, rather than mere options that it would be nice for His people to choose once in a while.
One item that fits into this category is thankfulness. Thankfulness is not merely something that God appreciates when we get around to it; rather, an attitude of thankfulness is an essential ingredient in our walk with God. Without it, we miss out on some of the good things God would like to do for us.
Believe it or not, Israel wasn't always thankful. They were very excited and very thankful when God delivered them from Pharaoh's army at the Red Sea. Forty-five days later, though, it was a different story. The Israelites were out in the desert. The food they had brought with them was gone. They had a genuine need, and they responded in a time-honored, genuinely human way: they grumbled.
Exodus 16:1-3. And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which [is] between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, [and] when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
They could have prayed; they could have asked Moses to pray for them; they could have asked Moses what God wanted them to do. They did none of these things. Instead, their minds went back to the days when they were in Egypt, where they had plenty to eat. They forgot that they had been slaves then; they forgot that the same Pharaoh that had supplied their food had done his best to kill their male babies. And they complained against God for not killing them in Egypt. In spite of this, God supplied their need in a miraculous way.
Exodus 16:4-5. Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare [that] which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. Numbers 11:7-9. And the manna [was] as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. [And] the people went about, and gathered [it], and ground [it] in mills, or beat [it] in a mortar, and baked [it] in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
God's solution was to deliver groceries directly to their doorsteps. But God did not merely supply their need for food with manna; God taught them and tested them with Manna.
Exodus 16:4. Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Deuteronomy 8:3. And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Deuteronomy 8:16. Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might humble thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.
The primary lesson God wanted to teach Israel with manna was to obey Him; and manna was an excellent tool for doing this. For one thing, it was the only food around in abundance. The Israelites could fuss and complain all they wanted about what the wished they had to eat, but in the end, they had to eat their manna or go to bed hungry. For another thing, God completely controlled the production and distribution of manna. As a result, those who chose to disobey God's instructions regarding manna saw the results very quickly. God's instructions regarding manna were simple and easy to understand: 1. The Israelites were to gather an omer of manna for each person in their tent. 2. Manna was not to be left till the next morning, except on the day before the sabbath. 3. On the day before the sabbath, the Israelites were to gather enough manna for two days, as manna would not be given on the sabbath. All manna for the sabbath had to be cooked the day before. In addition to these rules, manna that was uncollected melted when the sun got hot, so anyone who had not collected their manna by then didn't get any. Unbelievable as it may seem, the Israelites tried to break even these few rules. Some tried to collect extra manna, and others tried to collect too little. But when the manna was measured, the man who collected too much had only enough for his need, and the man who collected too little had enough for his need. Some decided to save some manna for the next day; but those who did found that the saved manna stank, and bred worms. Only when they saved it for the sabbath was it good to eat. Still others saved none for the sabbath, and came out that morning expecting to find groceries. Needless to say, they went hungry that day. At first glance, it might seem that God was trying to discourage the Israelites from being industrious, from planning ahead, from saving for the future. Yet, when one reads Proverbs, one finds that God encourages all these characteristics as positive virtues. But none of these virtues profits a man if coupled with disobedience toward God. God used manna to teach the Israelites that He was the supplier of their needs, and that obedience to Him was the way to get their needs met. God gave them manna also to humble them. In the wilderness, not one Israelite could supply his own needs for any length of time. In the wilderness, none of the money the Israelites had taken from the Egyptians before crossing the Red Sea could buy them anything. In the wilderness, no one could produce any goods in sufficient quantity to support himself. In the wilderness, no one was his own sufficiency. Each one ate when God gave them food to eat, drank when God gave them water to drink, and wore the clothes and shoes they had worn out of Egypt, clothes that God miraculously kept from wearing out all the while that they were in the wilderness. People, unfortunately, usually look at things differently than God does. How many people do you know who would be thankful for the same one-course menu day after day for forty years? How many would be thankful for nothing but water to drink for forty years? For wearing the same set of clothes and shoes for forty years? The people did well for about a year. Then one day they started to complain.
Numbers 11:4-6. And the mixt multitude that [was] among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul [is] dried away: [there is] nothing at all, beside this manna, [before] our eyes.
This was something new. The people had complained before when they had a need that wasn't met. This time, though, they were complaining about the way God was meeting their needs!
Psalm 78 gives us God's evaluation of this situation.
Psalm 78:17-23. And they sinned yet more against Him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? Therefore the LORD heard [this], and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
Israel had complained before, and had merely had their need met. This time, there were serious consequences. They did not fuss because they needed meat; they fussed because they believed in their hearts that Moses, and thus God, could not provide it for them, and by asking for meat they would put Moses, and with him, God, on the spot.
But God showed them that He could, indeed, provide a table for them in the wilderness.
Psalm 78:26-32. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And he let [it] fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire; They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat [was] yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen [men] of Israel. For all this they sinned still, and believed not for his wonderous works.
Death might seem to be somewhat extreme as a punishment for complaining; but what these people were saying, in effect, to God and to God's people was, "God is not doing a satisfactory job of taking care of us!" Clearly, God was not pleased with this attitude.
I Corinthians 10:5-6, 11. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted... Neither murmur ye, [as] some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
It is human nature to want more than one has, and there is nothing wrong with working hard to obtain more. But a very necessary part of our relationship with God is thankfulness; and there is no such thing as thankfulness without contentment! If I am dissatisfied with what God has blessed me with now, I cannot be thankful! This is a very "unAmerican" attitude! We live in a culture, where dissatisfaction with what one has at present is considered a positive, driving force toward personal advancement, and essential for maintaining a healthy and growing economy. Ambition is wonderful. Setting goals and striving to achieve them is great. But we cannot build our relationship with God on thinking based on the ways of the world.
I John 2:15-16. Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
We need to become genuinely thankful for what God has already done for us. Only then are we on solid ground in asking Him for more.
I Timothy 6:3-4a, 5b-8. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, [even] the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing,... ...supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into [this] world, [and it is] certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Hebrews 13:5-6. [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.' So that we may boldly say, 'The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.'
The Greek word for "content" in Philippians 4:11 is AUTARKES. It does not mean "self-adequate", but rather, "contented with one's lot, with one's means, though the slenderest." In I Timothy 6:8 and Hebrews 13:5, "content" is ARKEO, meaning, "to be posessed of unfailing strength; to be strong, to suffice, to be enough, to be satisfied, to be contented." The kind of contentment God wants from us is not the kind that settles happily down in a rut and makes its home there, but rather the kind based on an unfailing confidence in God's love and God's ability and willingness to provide for one's needs, regardless of the circumstances. God's kind of contentment does not despair or complain or panic in the face of need, but instead asks God, expecting Him to supply the need His way.
Philippians 4:6. Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
We don't have to murmur and complain to get our needs met. We can be genuinely thankful to God for what He has already done for us, and trust Him unreservedly to meet our needs, based on the promises He has already made to us.
We need to make one final observation about manna: Jesus Christ identified himself as the True Manna.
John 6:32-33, 48-51. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven: but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world... I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
But just as the Israelites rejected manna in the wilderness, so also they rejected the true bread from heaven.
John 6:36. But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not. God did not meet Israel's need in a shabby or haphazard way, but rather gave them the best that He had. This is what He has done for us also. Let us be thankful; let us be obedient to His Word; let us be content with such things as we have; and let us be "careful" or anxious about nothing, but take each need to our loving heavenly Father, confident that He will supply it.