The people of Israel complained against Moses and against God: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food or water, and we detest this miserable food” (Numbers 21:5). This was neither the first nor the last time they would complain in this way.

In this instance, God’s response was to send fiery serpents whose bite killed many (21:6). The people confessed their rebelliousness and asked Moses to intercede (21:7). A specific remedy was established: Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, so that people who had been bitten could look at it and survive (21:8-9).

There is something tragicomic in this sequence of incidents: the complaint regarding the inadequacy of God’s provision, leading to the wrath of God, leading to the recognition of sin, leading to intercession and restoration. Whew! Lesson learned, they said: we won’t make that mistake again! And yet they did, running through this same sequence all over again. In the meantime, a number of people had died of snakebite: perhaps some of the dead were complainers, yet some were probably children at play. So often the innocent suffer for the sins of the guilty. I wonder how many children died, in this case, because God’s people complained that on their journey through the wilderness, in a place where there was nothing to eat, they were bored with the manna from heaven God had given them.

Consider this. In the barren desert where no food could be found, there was a miracle day by day with the manna from heaven God provided for them, but that wasn’t good enough for them; so they complained, and people died. They kept getting this wrong, over and over again. Isn’t it strange that they were so slow to learn this lesson? But wait: is the spirit of whining in them really any different from the spirit of whining in us? Despite all that we have received, don’t we again and again complain that God’s blessings just aren’t as good as we feel like we should get?

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And yet you have provided for us in such abundance, O Lord! Your mercy is so great, and your blessings overflow for us day by day. Give us hearts of gratitude, we pray. Teach us to overflow in thanksgiving, for all your rich goodness to us.