"The Long Arm of the Lord"

The Lord told Moses, “Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!’ Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’” But Moses said, "Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!' Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?’ The Lord answered Moses, "Is the Lord's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you." So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. (Numbers 11:18-24 NIV).

Let me give you a little context for our reading today. The Israelites were finally free from their Egyptian slavery. Moses had returned to Egypt and led them out. On their journey to their new land, the land that was promised to be “flowing with milk and honey,” they were required to travel through some very inhospitable country. It was dry desert and mountainous paths. It was hard and they complained. They first complained about the journey, then the food. In fact, the common rant was how they were better off as slaves. So God sent manna for them to eat. There are lots of different descriptions of manna in the theological community; however, suffice it to say that it was sweet, pastry-like bread. Not bad. It wasn’t Krispy Kreme, but it could have been much worse than having frosted flakes every day. They could have had to scrounge for grubs and worms!

Crazy as it might seem, they complained AGAIN. They wanted meat, not just pastry. So, God gathers all the leaders with Moses in the Tent of Meeting and He says, “No problem. You want meat; I’ll give you meat until you are tired of it!” Moses still wasn’t really listening very well. The whole point was a caution against rejecting the gift of God’s care and grace. He began to question how God was going to do that! And the Lord answered him with a question: Is the arm of the Lord too short?

I must confess that I have been like Moses at times. I hear and know the promises of God, but I question how he’s gonna pull it off! Well, the key to it all is in understanding that the Lord’s arm is never too short! He has a very long arm and nothing I need is beyond his reach! My peace can only be found in trusting that truth. Of course, that doesn’t excuse my laziness or poor choices, but it does guarantee that he will find a way for me as I seek, he will open a door when I knock, and he will give it to me when I ask! Won’t you join me in the seeking, knocking, and asking? I am convinced that if you do, you will not be disappointed!