Author: David Wilber
Why do people complain and rebel against God’s will? Before we answer that question, it’s important to understand that the reason given by the complaining rebels is usually not the complete picture. Rebels give one reason for their complaint, but there is often a secret reason below the surface.
We read in the Book of Numbers that Korah had a complaint against Moses and Aaron. He said they were bad leaders. He didn’t like the way they were running things (Num. 16:3). But when we take a closer look, we discover that Korah’s real reason for his complaint was a selfish agenda. Indeed, Korah wasn’t satisfied with being only a Levite; he wanted to be a priest (Num. 16:10). He hid his true motives behind his criticisms of Moses and Aaron.
Korah's rebellion began with discontentment. Often when we aren’t satisfied with our current circumstances in life, we will complain and grumble. We will blame other people. We will strive and manipulate and force our own agenda, running over anyone who gets in our way. Korah’s cult following echoed Korah’s complaints against Moses, but they also had their own selfish agenda—to go back to the way things were before:
And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and they said, “We will not come up. Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, that you must also make yourself a prince over us? (Numbers 16:12-13)
Referring to Egypt as a "land flowing with milk and honey" shows how distorted the thinking among Korah’s cult following had become. Discontentment often leads to delusional thinking and bad decisions. Someone who is discontent with their job might immediately quit without thinking it through or having a plan, thus bringing hardship upon themselves and their family. If someone is discontent being single, they might settle for a complete jerk just because they’re tired of feeling lonely. Discontentment leads us to try to force our own way, but most often the outcome isn't truly what we want.
How do we overcome discontentment? One way to do that is to pursue a grateful heart. We are to thank God in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18). We must agree with His sovereign wisdom that He has us where we are for a reason. If we think too much about where we “should” be in life to the point where we become obsessive, it can hinder our spiritual growth. It can make us impatient and anxious.
The enemy’s trick is to ever so slightly take our eyes off of God so that we feel discouraged and discontent. These feelings steal our shalom. And as we see with Korah, they also can lead us into sin and rebellion against God and the people He's placed in our lives.
Whatever your circumstance might be, understand that God has you there for a reason. Maybe He is teaching you something, building your character, or using you specifically to be a light to those around you. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t have goals and work toward achieving them, but we need to understand and be okay with the fact that God’s plans trump ours.
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
So if you find yourself complaining against the will of God in your life, you need to look at the real reason behind your rebellion. You need to deal with your discontentment and lack of gratitude. Trust in God. He loves you. Lay your discontentment down and rest in His divine wisdom. There is wisdom in the saying, "Until God opens the next door, praise Him in the hallway."
We often think of prosperity as something material. Prosperity from walking in obedience is often the opposite. It is having a deeper relationship with the Creator. It is when the desires of our heart become His desires.
Emotions are powerful. Our emotions, like compassion and empathy, often motivate us to do wonderful things like give to charity and help people in need. When we see an injustice, many times it will deeply affect us and move us to take positive action. And yet, strong negative emotions—jealousy, vindictiveness, resentment—can often overpower our better judgment and move us to neglect or hurt people.
The difficulties that we endure in this life are sometimes so painful that we feel stuck in unending sorrow. Many of us have been through tragedies that have left us with a crushing despair, which years later turns into a continuous dull ache that never leaves. We become despondent and therefore reluctant to believe that God could heal us.
Can you recall times in your life when you’ve lost control of your emotions? Perhaps it happens more often than you’d like to admit. We’ve all had heated moments where we’ve reacted out of anger or pain, often provoking others and dragging out arguments. What guidance do the Scriptures give us in these situations?
Is there a danger of leaving Jesus and the Gospel behind in our pursuit of Torah obedience?
Many of us carry around a deep sense of rejection, insecurity, and longing. We struggle to feel accepted, which sometimes drives us to unhealthy behavior. What does the Bible teach us about overcoming these feelings?
When the New Testament authors talk about Abraham, they always highlight his faith. Indeed, Abraham is most well known, both in Judaism and Christianity, for his great faith in the God of Israel. But Abraham also exhibited another important godly characteristic that is often overlooked: hospitality.
Our Messiah said that His return at the end of the age will be like the days of Noah. What can we learn from Noah's flood as it concerns the end days?
We are told in 1 John 4:1 and other passages to “test” the message of a teacher or prophet to see if what they say is truly from God. The reason is that “many false prophets have gone out into the world” and are leading believers astray. What are some of the identifying marks of a false teacher/prophet?
I love to be outside in Yahweh’s beautiful creation. Not too long ago, I spent some time in the woods. I was a good distance from the truck, but I didn’t realize it until the sky started to darken and I heard thunder. A storm was coming. But it was too late. I knew there was no way I’d make it back to my vehicle.
It is often said that believers ought not to judge. Indeed, “Judge not that you be not judged” is one of the most memorized Bible verses ever. Even people who have never read a Bible in their life will immediately quote that verse to silence anyone who might dare express disapproval toward them. But is it true that we are not to ever judge anyone?
Feelings are important and shouldn't be dismissed. But we must not be led by our feelings. We cannot assume that our feelings reflect the complete truth of any situation. Our feelings reflect only how we interpret the truth of the situation. New information or another perspective often leads to a different interpretation.
Why do people complain and rebel against God’s will? Before we answer that question, it’s important to understand that the reason given by the complaining rebels is usually not the complete picture. They give one reason for their complaint, but there is often a secret reason below the surface.
Recently my wife Diana and I had the opportunity to travel to North Carolina to attend and speak at a conference. The weekend was wonderful, and I was so blessed by the encouragement from believers around the world. But I admit I didn’t feel that way at the beginning.
Did you know that God gives us physical things to do in order to teach us spiritual principles? Indeed, He didn’t give us a bunch of random commandments just to watch us jump through religious hoops. He is a loving Father, and His Torah (instructions) is designed to teach us His character and His truth. Every “jot and tittle” in God’s Word has a profound Spiritual purpose—whether or not we recognize it from our limited perspectives.
It's easy to get discouraged by the instability of our culture these days. There is a growing distrust towards our leaders, the Media, and each other—and for good reasons, in many cases! But we shouldn't feel hopeless. Instead we should consider this the perfect opportunity to be a light in the darkness by offering something different, something stable, something that people can hold on to.
In Matthew 24, Yeshua (Jesus) told His followers to look for very specific signs that will mark the end of this present age and signify His Second Coming. But what are faithful followers of the Messiah supposed to do with these signs? How are we to live our lives as these signs begin to take place?
Have you ever heard the popular saying, “Hurt people hurt people”? The idea is that when someone acts like a jerk, someone else was likely a jerk to them. Someone planted that seed in his or her life. Thus, they don’t know what else to do except produce the fruit of death that comes forth from that seed.
Why on earth does God care about whether or not we rest on the Sabbath or eat unclean animals? Is it that big of a deal? What do these things really have to do with being a Christian?
Did you know that you and your spouse weren’t brought together by accident? God put you together for a reason, which is to fulfill His will on earth and to be a picture of Messiah and the Church. Marriage is important to God, and He desires your marriage to flourish.
From the very beginning we see that God’s divine purpose for man includes being in community. Indeed, it was God Himself who said, "It is not good that man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). God declared everything else in creation tov—good—but He apparently thought it was a problem that Adam didn’t have any fellowship. So, what did He do? He established the very first community of believers by creating Chavah (Eve), thus showing that His divine will for man is perfected in the fellowship and unity of His people.
There is perhaps no experience more painful than losing a loved one to death. What does the Bible say about finding comfort and hope in these difficult times?
One of the greatest temptations of mankind is to exalt ourselves. We want people to think we're the smartest, coolest, and most talented. We want to be seen and admired for our gifts and talents. It's natural to desire acceptance and affirmation from others, but there's a danger of idolatry when we make God's work about us instead of Him.
In the Bible we often see God speaking to people, seemingly having regular conversations with them, and revealing Himself in very tangible ways. But that’s not the regular experience of many believers today. Did something change?
In chapter one of Acts, Luke speaks of the miracles that Yeshua did to prove He was alive after He was resurrected. He appeared to the disciples and many others for forty days and taught them about the kingdom of Yahweh. This chapter is also where Yeshua tells the apostles to wait in Jerusalem for the gift that the Father had promised—the receiving of the Holy Ruach (Spirit).
Yeshua said that the world would know the Father sent Him when His followers are united (John 17:21). Therefore, we as believers have an important duty to try to maintain unity within the body of Messiah. But in order to work towards unity, we must first identify the cause of disunity.
Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, wrote how there is a time for everything. There’s “a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). The season of Sukkot is not the time of weeping and mourning. That time was during the month of Elul leading all the way up to Yom Kippur. Sukkot is the time of laughing and dancing. Indeed, God explicitly commands us to “rejoice” in this season!
A consistent theme that we see in the Scriptures is God’s call for His people to make up their minds. God spoke through the prophet Elijah, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow Him” (1 Kings 18:21). God sovereignly chose these words to appear in His Holy Scriptures to be read by us today. He’s asking us the same question: How long before we decide whom we want to follow?
On the Hebrew Calendar, the month before the fall feast days is called Elul. In Judaism, this month is traditionally associated with the theme of repentance, or in Hebrew, teshuvah. It’s a time of introspection, reconciliation, and preparation.
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On every 4th of July in America, we are reminded of the value of liberty. But liberty is not an American concept; it's a biblical concept. God created us to be free.