Goal: 

Last week I presented to you an overview of the important differences that exists between believing IN YHVH verses believing YHVH and how life can and does create obstacles to our believing Yah.

 

Also recall that I discussed two behaviors that proved to be obstacles to the children of Israel believing YHVH. In that discussion I compared and contrasted those two obstacles to obstacles that block or hinder our belief today.

 

So just to rehash real quickly here: Those two obstacles were:

 

(1) Stubbornness and rebelliousness in God’s people.

 

(2) The Babylon that stubbornly resides in many of God’s people.

 

 

So this evening I want to discuss with you a 3rd obstacle to belief, again, comparing and contrasting the history and experiences of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness to our Faith walk today. And the obstacle to belief I want to talk to you about today is not being able to or refusing to see past our present circumstances and then murmuring or complaining about those same circumstances.

Attention:

 

So why am I even talking about something as trivial or insignificant as God’s people being spiritually short-sighted (that is not having vision and not seeing past their circumstances) and murmuring or complaining about those same set of circumstances? Well, I contend that the short-sightedness of the children of Israel, along with their murmuring/complaining became impenetrable obstacles to their believing Yah, which then ultimately led to the nation wandering in the Sinai wilderness for 40-years and an entire generation of Hebrews dying in that wilderness.

 

And because history has a way of always repeating itself, especially as it relates to Yah’s people, we, like the children of Israel before us, stand to wander in the wilderness of this world for a longer time (going nowhere; stuck in our circumstances; displeasing the Almighty because we stubbornly choose to hold on to our ways and to our desires) and than end up not making it into the Kingdom of YHVH because we lack the necessary vision to overcome our circumstances.

 

King Solomon wrote that where there is no vision, the people perish.

 

Perish here the Hebrew word “para’” which does not mean to suffer lose or death. It really means to be left without restraint; to become unruly.

 

And what we saw displayed by the children of Israel out there in that wilderness was one incident after another where the people lost sight of the promises of Yah by focusing on their present circumstances, and then acting a fool—being unruly—and complaining—rebelling over those circumstances. And because many of us today are repeating the same mistakes that the children of Israel made, we stand to reap the same outcome they did.

 

Why would not having the vision to see past our present circumstances or complaining about our situations keep us wandering aimlessly and then dying in the wilderness of this world? Because these actions take our eyes off and away from the prize—off and away from our goal—away the promises of YHVH—off and away the Kingdom of Yah—and most importantly off and away from our relationship with the Almighty. These actions are obstacles to our belief.

 

 

 Need:

 

Scripture records the mistakes and successes of the children of Israel. Thus scripture provides us with brilliant examples of what ungodliness looks like; how YHVH deals with ungodliness; and the expectations YHVH has for His elect (2 Peter 2:6).

 

We as Yah’s elect are called to live lives of Faith:

 

“…the just shall live by faith…” (Galatians 3:11).

 

That faith is not just a cognitive understanding or agreement within ourselves that Yah and the things of Yah are real. But  we are called to believe Yah—that He is and that He rewards those that diligently seek after Him (Hebrews 11:6).

 

Faith is the very foundation of our Faith-walk because scripture tells us that faith is the only thing that satisfies the Almighty. 

 

 

Satisfaction of the need:

 

But if our faith/belief is hindered/impeded/blocked by such behaviors as complaining, stubbornness, rebellion, lack of vision and the Babylon that still resides in us, how can we walk out our belief at such a level that it pleases YHVH?

 

Well, that’s what this series is here to look at: How to overcome obstacles to our belief. 

 

Visualization:

 

So, let’s:

 

• First look at the children of Israel’s history of complaining and not being able to see beyond their physical circumstances.
• Then compare and contrast their story with our present day situations and challenges.
• And lastly, look at some ways to overcoming these obstacles to our belief.

 

We know from Torah that the children of Israel murmured and complained constantly/continuously about their lack of water and food as well as their difficult situation wandering about in the wilderness.

 

Now,the English term murmur is not a commonly used term today, apart from being a term used to describe a serious cardiac condition. But we do find that apart from the cardiac-related meaning of murmur that the term murmur is defined in our modern dictionaries as “a half-suppressed or muttered complaint, best described as grumbling.”

 

So when the act of murmuring is found in scripture, it’s describing the grumblings—the complaints–of God’s people against YHVH and against YHVH’s anointed.

 

Now, we find that when the Children of Israel murmured throughout their wilderness journey, YHVH would respond to their grumblings in one of two ways:

 

• Yah would give the people the things that they grumbled or complained about.
• Or, Yah would become angry and pour out His wrath upon the people in response to their complaints.

 

Let’s look at YHVH’s first response to the peoples’ murmuring—grumbling—complaining where He would give the people that which they complained about not having:

 

 

 

 ²⁴ And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?

 ²⁵ And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: (Exo 15:24-25 KJV)

 

 

 

 ² And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

 ³ 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.

 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.

 ⁵ 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.

 ⁶ And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:

 ⁷ And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? (Exo 16:2-7 KJV)

 

 

 

⁴ 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?

 ⁵ 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:

 ⁶ But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes…wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat… ¹⁹ Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

 ²⁰ But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?…³¹ And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

 ³² And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. (Num 11:4-32 KJV)

 

You see, many folks both within and outside our Faith view the God of Israel as a tyrant who expects or requires too much from His people—that He’s unreasonable and cruel and harsh, and that when His people fail to deliver on the unreasonable expectations of YHVH, well this tyrannical God turns around and simply rains down His wrath upon His people. But as we can see from these 3  examples, Father loved His people and He responded to the peoples’ murmurings and complaints of not having sufficient water and food. And what most fail to see here in these examples is YHVH’s grace in action.

 

 

Now, can we fault the people for needing food and water, living and wandering out there in the wilderness? Probably not. I mean, Yah did give the people what they needed and wanted, did He not? Yes, He did. But the thing we should recognize here is not so much the people needing or desiring food and water. The problem we see playing out here is the way the people went about expressing their needs and desires based upon their lack of vision and their longing for their prior lifestyles in Egypt: They complained or murmured. And their complaints or murmurs were directed  against YHVH and His anointed. And we find that YHVH does not take too kindly to His people murmuring or complaining:

 

 ¹⁰ Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. (Num 11:10 KJV)

 

You see, the peoples’ murmuring or complaining revealed just how ungrateful they were for Yah’s provision; for Yah’s protection; for Yah’s grace and promises. Murmuring or complaining in general displays a gross lack of believing; a gross lack of understanding; a damaged relationship; and of course, a terrible lack of seeing beyond one’s present situation.

 

Well, what should the people have done regarding their food and water situation? Well, for starters, not murmur against YHVH and Moses. Two: express their concerns—their lack of food and water to their assigned elder in the camp and have their elder communicate their needs to Moses. Moses would then in turn petition the Almighty and it would then be up to YHVH to provide for the needs and concerns of the people.

 

If the people would have trusted YHVH—believed YHVH in the first place—if they would see beyond the lack of food and water and look to YHVH as the author and finisher of their Faith—their needs would have been taken care of with decency and order:

 

 ⁴⁰ Let all things be done decently and in order. (1Co 14:40-15:1 KJV)

 

Yah is a God of order. And Yah established a means from early on in the peoples’ journey to address the needs and concerns of the people so that the people may have full and total trust and belief that YHVH—their deliverer and provider and sustainer—that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek after Him.

 

Now, we also find in the Israelite’s story a level of murmuring that upsets and angers Yah to such a level that YHVH’s wrath is poured out upon the complainers and murmurers. This level of murmuring and complaining tends to be of a rebelliousness, insurrection and confrontational nature. And when God’s people cross that line of murmuring and complaining, well, Yah’s wrath is not far behind:

 

And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

 ² And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. (Num 11:1-2 KJV)

 

 

 ²⁷ How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

 ²⁸ Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:

 ²⁹ Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

 ³⁰ Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

 ³¹ But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

 ³² But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

 ³³ And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

 ³⁴ After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

 ³⁵ I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

 ³⁶ And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,

 ³⁷ Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. (Num 14:27-37 KJV)

 

 

Murmuring or grumbling or complaining is indicative of the eyes, hearts and minds of Yah’s people being removed from YHVH and placed on the situation at hand; or on things or people and not on YHVH, who is supposed to be our everlasting portion. And when our focus shifts from YHVH–His sovereignty and provision in our lives–there’s little to no room for belief.

 

 

You see, the more we give room to the carnal (I.e., to the flesh), the less room we have for belief. Why? Because we refuse to see beyond our present situation, and when we do this, we are effectively limiting or even eliminating  YHVH’s sovereignty over our lives. But when we can force ourselves to see beyond our fleshly situations, through the help of the Holy Spirit, we effectively free Yah to work amazing things in our lives and throughout our day-to-day walk with Messiah:

 

 

 

⁸ By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

 ⁹ By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

 ¹⁰ For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

 ¹¹ Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

 ¹² Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. (Heb 11:8-12 KJV)

 

For us today, it’s all about seeing the big picture; seeing the end game; seeing beyond our present situations and cares of life. When we can’t or when we refuse to see beyond our present situations and cares of life, and we  refuse or can’t see YHVH as sovereign and the sole provider over our lives, it’s not possible to believe Yah. And the thing that adds insult to  injury regarding our inability to see beyond our situation is that many of us will default to complaining and murmuring about our situations. And of course, many of us have this habit and tendency to complain about everything and anything under the sun: politics; our health; our money situation; our relationships; the pastors and teachers and preachers Yah has sent to us to teach and enlighten us of His ways; our jobs and careers; and so much more. And all that complaining or murmuring accomplishes is distancing us from YHVH and His protection; His guidance; His provision; His deliverance; and revelation of Himself to us.

 

But if we’re able to look at the examples YHVH has given us in His Word regarding YHVH’s heroes and their stories, embrace fully Yah’s promises, and see the glory that awaits each of us, we will then be able to flip the narrative and recognize that our life-situations are only temporary challenges and that Yah does have something so much better for us than what our natural eyes and desires tell us we should have.

 

On this very issue, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Messianics:

 

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18; NLT).

 

And to the Messianics in Corinth he wrote something quite similar:

 

“For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

 

 

Paul encouraged the Messianic Assembly in Rome:

 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of Yah, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2; ESV).

 

You see, much of what the Ancient Israelites endured in their 40-years of wandering in the wilderness was testing—Father put them through testing. And it was through this testing that Father was proving—perfecting the children of Israel’s belief and trust as well as preparing the people to properly receive the land that was promised to them and their forefathers.

 

Father is not always going to give us the keys to His many promises without first putting us through a bit of testing from time to time. He’s looking to see how we respond to our present situations in light of having knowledge of His promises. He’s looking to see if we’re going to grumble and complain about our present situations. He’s looking to see if we will be obedient to Him and to His ways despite the hardships that are placed upon us during the testing phase. And depending on how we fair in these testings will determine how much of His promises He will extend to us. It’s a fair chance that if we simply falter and fail in our testing because of ignorance on our part, or simply because we’re weak, that Abba may apply appropriate and loving correction and set us on a right course (just as He did when He fulfilled the food and drink needs of the children of Israel). However, if we rebel against Him, we may have to endure some difficult punishment and correction (just as we saw illustrated in the wrath of the Almighty being poured out on those who rebelled against Yah and Moses).

 

From the moment the children of Israel departed Egypt till the time they entered the land of promise, Yah tested the people.

 

 

 ⁷ Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. (Psa 81:7 KJV)

 

 

 ² And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Deu 8:2 KJV)

 

The people were either too stubborn and rebellious, or they did not have the spiritual fortitude to see (to recognize) that Yah was testing them. And the tragedy in all this is that an entire generation died in the wilderness because of their stubbornness, rebelliousness and blindness to the fact they were being tested of YHVH. And even if they were able to recognize they were being tested of YHVH, they still didn’t recognize the fact that Yah had an amazing future in store for them if they would just believe Him:

 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares YHVH, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11; ESV).

 

Folks, the children of Israel were blinded by their stubbornness lack of vision. Despite all the promises that were given to them by YHVH through Moses—that if they would obey YHVH’s voice and keep His covenant, then they would be a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people; and that they would be a kingdom of priests and an holy nation—Exodus 19:5; and despite seeing that YHVH was more than capable and willing to deliver on those promises—seeing what He had done unto the Egyptians and how He bore them out of Egypt on eagles’ wings and brought them unto Himself—Exodus 19:4; the people had convinced themselves that YHVH had brought them out to the wilderness in some sort of a set-up scheme—setting them up for failure and destruction:

 

 ²⁷ And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. (Deu 1:27 KJV)

 

When I was active in the Baptist Church, one of the most popular gospel songs being sung in the 1970’s was James Cleveland’s “I don’t feel no ways tired.” And apart from certain politicians doing their best to politicize it and use it to influence and leverage a certain class of voters, the song did have what I believe to be a powerful spiritual message attached to it—especially in the chorus line which states:

 

“I don’t feel no ways tired. I’ve come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me that the road would be easy. I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me” (James Cleveland).

 

You see, the ancient Israelites had reached a place in their hearts and minds along their wilderness journey where they believed Yah had brought them into the wilderness to suffer and die. They had reached a place in their minds that they could not see the unimaginably wonderful things YHVH had in mind for them: To make of them a holy nation of priests; a special treasure unto YHVH above all the other nations. They lost those promises because they suffered a twisted understanding of their present circumstances that focused on a perceived physical lack; an abandonment; a scheme to destroy them by the Creator of the Universe. And this became a fatal mindset that fueled their stubbornness and readiness to murmur, complain, slander and rebel against YHVH and Moses, ultimately leading to their deaths in the wilderness.

 

You see, Father didn’t lead the children of Israel into the wilderness to die. What caused the children of Israel to wander 40-years and die in the wilderness was their stubbornness, rebelliousness and blindness or lack of vision and belief.

 

How many of us today possess the same mindset as that of the ancient Israelites? How many of us feel that Yah has set us up for failure; that Yah has brought us to a place on this faith walk journey of ours only to abandon us or even condemn us? How many of us have forgotten or have refused to keep our eyes and minds and hearts on the mark of the high calling in Messiah, but in stead have chosen to focus on our present circumstances and embrace a gospel of suffering? How many of us make a habit of complaining about our circumstances and testing Yah’s patience, thinking we’re somehow going to force Yah to do things our way?

 

Folks, the Apostle, using himself as an example, gave us the solution to overcoming this terrible obstacle to our belief:

 

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of YHVH in Messiah Yeshua” (Philippians 3:13-14; ESV).

 

This thing we’re doing that we call Faith; that some of us call religion; that some of us call a way of life, is not for the faint of heart nor the weak of mind. I requires courage and strength, both of which Father gives to those who are His through the workings of the Holy Spirit that is supposed to be operating within and upon His elect. The problem is that most of us either are too scared to turn control of our lives over to the Holy Spirit—let the Holy Spirit drive our lives, while we seek the Kingdom of Yah and His righteousness; as we keep our eyes on the mark of the high calling of YHVH in Yeshua Messiah; while we endure His testing and His chastening; while we forget what lies behind us and keep our minds and hearts fixed on what Father has in store for us.

 

As James Cleveland wrote in his classic gospel hit, no one ever said that the road would be easy. But another famous gospel song, this one by Blind Willie Johnson added to this understanding of ours, that:

 

“If we trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the Lord (I.e., to YHVH) and leave them there.”

 

 

 Action:

 

So one of the things we need to do when facing obstacles to our belief that are connected to seeing beyond our present circumstances and pressing onward to that mark of the high calling, is to (1) engage in fervent, consistent and relentless prayer; and (2) praise Yah always with unrelenting thanksgiving. (Remember, Father does not appreciate ungratefulness from His people. But YHVH will honor the effectual fervent prayers of His righteous ones(James 5:16).

 

On this very subject the Apostle Paul wrote to the Messianics of Philippi:

 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to Elohim” (Philippians 4:6; ESV).

 

Friends, if we cannot see the forest for the trees along our Faith walk (that is we’ve the vision), and life begins to closing in on us, we must stop; breath; find our prayer closets; get down on your knees, or better, on our faces, and open our hearts to Father, knowing He did not bring us this far on our journey to abandon us.

 

The Apostle Peter wrote:

 

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of YHVH, that He may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon Him: for He  careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6; KJV).

 

I’ll repeat: our inability or refusal to see beyond our present circumstances blocks, hinders, opposes our believing YHVH. We must take hold of the vision.

 

Again, what did Solomon say about those who lacked vision?

 

“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18).

 

And certainly the children of Israel, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, suffered from that lack of vision.

 

Folks, hold on to that vision that Father gave to us through the teachings and example of Yeshua Messiah and let it drive you to take positive action in your Faith walk. Pray. Fast. Study. Love one another and Love YHVH as you love yourself.

 

And also, resist the urge to complain. Stop murmuring. Father does not appreciate His people engaging in such evil. Murmuring does not help, but instead it hinders and blocks our belief.

 

While teaching at a synagogue at Kfar Nahum (I.e., Capernaum) and being confronted by Jewish leaders, Yeshua told the Jewish leaders “not to murmur among themselves” (John 6:43). The Apostle Paul counseled the misbehaving Corinthians:

 

“Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer” (1 Corinthians 10:9; KJV).

 

We simply need to stop complaining and as one gospel singer says it, “Let Go and Let God.”

 

For some of us, complaining is a deeply ingrained habit that over time can damage our relationship with the Almighty because it works to block our belief. Why would I say that? Because when we complain or murmur, we’re essentially saying (by our actions) that we don’t appreciate what Yah is doing or allowing to take place in and around us. And thus, we’ve chosen to distrust Him and distrust His provision and sovereignty and willingness and ability to deliver. Not to mention, complaining has the potential of being sinful by virtue of it inciting rebellion and stubbornness within us—both of which are sins.

 

So we gotta repent from our life of complaining a then stop complaining. It might help for us to avoid being around those who make complaining a way of life. If complaining or murmuring is so ingrained into our psyche, we need to seek deliverance from that stronghold while we still can.

 

Bottom line, complaining is a spiritual disease that can lead to Yah’s wrath being wrought upon us and our believing YHVH hindered or blocked.