"The Long Arm Of The Lord"
Text: Numbers 11:16-34
11-24-2022
In the name of Him who is able to richly supply all our needs, dear friends in Christ. Did you ever hear the story of the little old widow lady who was barely scraping by? She pinched every penny, but even so, she often didn’t know where her next meal would be coming from or the money to pay her bills. But she was a Christian and every time the smallest blessing came her way, she’d pause and thank the Lord. If she found a dime on the sidewalk, she’d look up to heaven and say, "Thank you Lord!" Whether it was sunny or raining, she’d pause and proclaim, "Thank you Lord!" She thanked God out loud before every meal and at the beginning and end of every day. This woman was constantly thanking the Lord for her blessings.
Unfortunately, this got on the nerves of her neighbor who was an avowed atheist. He regularly mocked the old widow for relying on a God she couldn’t see or hear; a God, who in his opinion, didn’t exist. And if by chance He did exist, He must be too far away in heaven to be very effective. After all, look at how He let this poor old woman suffer. A woman who had trusted in Him! However, that sweet old woman ignored her vile neighbor and kept praying to the Lord and thanking Him for all her little blessings.
Well, one summer day she was praying with her windows wide open. Her pantry and fridge were nearly empty, so she went to the Lord with her requests. The atheist next door overheard the prayer and decided to teach the her a lesson. He bought a bag of groceries and quietly placed them on her front porch. Then he rang the doorbell and ran off to hide in the bushes. The widow was astonished when she opened the door and saw the groceries. Immediately, she looked to heaven and said, "Thank you Lord!" Just then the atheist neighbor jumped out of the bushes and said, "You foolish old woman! God didn’t buy you those groceries, I did!" The little old lady didn’t miss a beat. She turned her eyes heavenward again and said, "Thank you Lord for the groceries. And thanks for making the devil pay for them!"
Now obviously that’s a fictional story. But seriously, if you were in that widow's situation, how many of you would still be thanking the Lord for all your little blessings? Would you do so even though the unbelieving world around you were saying that God doesn’t exist, or that He isn’t able or willing to reach down and help you from His distant perch in heaven? That’s not a rhetorical question. Some of you may have been in those circumstances before, or you’re struggling to get by right now. Either way, it’s quite easy to give in to the temptation to doubt God and His powers when you’re facing dire situations. How can I be so sure? Well, all you need do is look at our text for today and you’ll see a prime example right before your eyes.
God had just led the nation of Israel out of their slavery in Egypt, which was no small feat. The Lord sent 10 plagues to break the will of Pharaoh. Then, He parted the waters of the Red Sea so they could escape from the pursuing Egyptian army. God Himself descended in a huge pillar of cloud to block the Egyptians while the Israelites crossed on dry ground. Once they were safe on the other shore, the army charged in after them and was drowned there by the Lord. They were finally free, thanks to God.
It didn’t take long, though, before they began grumbling. But God graciously provided them with water from a rock when they were thirsty. And when their food was getting scarce, He fed them with manna from heaven. Moses led them to Mt. Sinai where the Lord visibly descended to give His people His divine commandments. As you may recall, while Moses was on the mountain for 40 days, the people became impatient. They enticed Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship. Now if that doesn’t make sense it will once we get to our text for today. Anyway, Moses led the Israelites away from Sinai and the grumbling ensued once again. They were sick of eating manna day after day. They wanted meat. So God tells Moses that He’s going to satisfy their craving for meat, but Moses doesn’t get it. He thinks that God wants him to supply what they want. Then Moses starts complaining too. He basically says, "Lord, where in the world am I going to get enough meat to feed over a million people? I just can’t do it, Lord! You’re asking too much of me!"
God responded to Moses, "Is the Lord's hand shortened?" Translation: “Moses, have you lost your marbles? Whoever said that this was your responsibility? You are right. You could never accomplish this. But I am more than capable of doing it! Although I’ve proven it time and time again, you and the rest of these people act as if I am not able to supply what you need; as if you are out of my reach. I’ll show that I am not some distant God in heaven. So just stand back and watch what I can do."
Here's where we need to backtrack for a second to the golden calf. After seeing God's presence shrouded in a cloud, and after all the mighty things He had done, why in the world would the Israelites turn their back on God and opt for a cold chunk of molded metal? The answer is quite simple. Yes, they believed God existed. And yeah, they had seen Him do some amazing things. But they were convinced that He was now removed and distant. Maybe God was so distant that His hand wasn’t able to reach them where they were at? So, they wanted a god they could see up close and touch. And there’s your reason for the golden calf. Their former Egyptian masters worshipped gods like that, so why shouldn’t they?
And that will explain the strange scene that follows in our text. The people wanted meat to eat, and yet, what did God do first? He doesn’t start by giving them what they want. No. He gathers Moses and the Elders and pours out His Spirit upon them. Do you get the significance of that? These people were acting as if God were distant and therefore powerless to meet their needs. So, God shows that He’s closer than they ever imagined. He’s among them and working in them. Now if He=s that close, doesn’t that mean they are within His reach?!? Of course, they are. And if He can perform such a mighty miracle for them spiritually, then it stands to reason that feeding their bellies will be a snap. And that’s precisely what God did. He sent them more quail than they could ever have wished for.
You know, that’s really one of the root causes of why we sometimes have trouble pausing to thank God for our many blessings, both great and small. The sinful world bombards us with the message that either God doesn’t exist, or if He does, He’s too distant to do anything. The reach of His arm is too short. It’s easy to start believing that especially when we have unmet needs; needs that we’ve brought before God and which seem to have gone unanswered. It’s not ungratefulness alone that causes us to fail to thank the Lord for His blessings. No, it’s also idolatry. Because when you buy into the idea that God=s arm is too short to help you, then like Israel, you’ll rely on someone or something else to meet your needs. That’s what idolatry is and it prevents us from thanking God for our daily blessings.
Well, praise God, He is merciful and kind. He knows our sinful frailty and weakness. Our loving God is not distant or aloof. The Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, came to earth to be among us sinners so that He could live and die on the cross in our behalf. Jesus did so to save us and to show that He is not a God who is far off. After all, one of His names is Immanuel, which means AGod with us.@ Jesus Christ came down to His people, and He wants us to know that He is still close at hand. He graciously says to us, “I am not some distant god, far away in heaven. You are not out of my reach. I am here among you. I can and will meet all your needs. And to show you just how close I am, I will pour out my Spirit upon you. Through my Holy Word and Sacraments my presence is with you. In Holy Communion I am literally present in, with and under the bread and wine. I will dwell among you and in you, because that=s how much I love you."
You see, you are never out of the Lord's reach. He is close at hand. Contemplating that truth, I pray you will be filled with sincere thanksgiving for all God's blessings both great and small. May we thank Him for the gift of faith and for our salvation through Jesus. And may we remember that our gracious God is always near and able to answer our every need. Amen!
Soli Deo Gloria!