That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:10-13
When I was a kid, I loved to take things apart. It didn’t matter what it was, I was really curious and wanted to know what made it tick. How it worked. What the inside looked like. How the different parts connected and worked together. I spent many an hour happily disassembling anything and everything.
There was only one small problem. After taking it apart, I was left with a collection of pieces that didn’t work anymore. There was this pile of stuff that had been changed from something that worked and transformed into stuff that only had one purpose. To be thrown into the garbage. Now, I’m still that way, but I don’t tear things apart. Instead, I now wonder how people got to where they are. As I watch and listen to people, the question flashes through my mind, “I wonder what happened to them? Who hurt them so that they’re so angry and bitter?”
And while that’s a good question to ask about the person who just yelled and screamed at you in the grocery store for taking the last can of tomato sauce off the shelf, did you ever think to ask it of God? If you’re like me, I’m sort of afraid to even think about that. Is it OK to ask God that sort of question? Well, it must be because the writer of this letter brings it up. They don’t hide behind some kind of wall, afraid to ask God what’s on their mind. Actually, it’s a question that we all think about but don’t want to bring up.
In looking back at the nation of Israel, they experienced God’s anger. Actually, they got it a whole bunch of times. But these words are their being scolded about what happened at Massah and Meribah[1]. In both places, God gave them water when they’d run out. Their canteens were empty and there were no 7-11’s in sight. And how does God feel about this? About their lack of faith? About their quickly forgetting who God is and all the things he’s done for them. About the Passover[2]. About walking through the Red Sea on dry ground[3]. About God destroying their enemies[4]. About their celebrating God’s lovingkindness and deliverance[5].
Now, right after all that they’d experienced, you’d think that they’d be faithful for the rest of their lives. Right? Or be loyal to God for a long time. Or to keep remembering that God fought for them so he’s going to provide for them. Right?
Wrong! It only took three verses and three days for them to completely forget who God was and all he’d done for them[6]. That he was their God and they were the sheep of his pasture[7]. That if he brought them out of Egypt, he certainly wasn’t going to let them die of thirst in the desert. So, what’s Gods reaction to this? To their complete lack of faith? To their turning against him at the drop of a hat?
He was angry. He wasn’t just a little bit ticked, but really displeased. It made God disgusted at them. Their words and actions were so offensive to God that it made him sick to his stomach. If it had been us, we’d want to throw up. It’s the kind of insult that makes us feel like spitting something up and out of our mouth.
God had just given them freedom without fighting for it. They had walked through a sea with walls of water on either side[8]. They experienced a pillar that kept them safe from the overwhelmingly powerful Egyptian armies[9]. They had seen miracle after miracle. And what’s God’s opinion of their problem?
And the result is that they are always going astray. They are the kind of people who are always going off course. Their hearts are forever wandering away from God. They’d never be able to be faithful.
Sound like anyone we know? Are there people in our lives that we just want to avoid because they are always, always, always complaining? All they ever seem to be able to do is whine about what’s wrong. How everyone and everything is against them. I don’t know about you, but I just get tired of them and don’t answer their calls. I ignore their emails and text messages. I sometimes just want to crawl into a hole and hide.
But that’s us and how we’ve acted towards God. It’s also why God had to solve our sin problem. Ain’t no way we’d ever be able to fix ourselves. And this is why God deserves all our worship because he keeps on loving us in spite of who we are. What we say. What we forget to say. What we do. Now, isn’t that a great reason to worship him? Give him everything we are? To look towards him with complete humility and to receive his loving forgiveness?
Noodling Questions
How do you react when someone keeps asking why over and over?
What’s the reason that we so quickly forget who God is and all he’s done?
List three things that we can do to answer the why questions with God.
[1] Exodus 17, Numbers 27
[2] Exodus 12
[3] Exodus 14:16-22
[4] Exodus 14:26-28
[5] Exodus 15:1-21
[6] Exodus 15:22-24
[7] Psalm 100:3
[8] Exodus 14:22
[9] Exodus 14:19,20
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