WHINE …OR WINE?
Does your life produce a WHINE instead of the WINE?
Oswald Chambers asks this question in My Utmost for His Highest. Burdens squeeze the grapes in our lives that are meant to produce WINE. Yet many times trials result in a different kind of WHINE. God wants us to sing His praise no matter what our circumstances.
It’s easy to have a song on the deliverance side of our own Red Seas. After the victory is sure and we can breathe easier, the song comes easily. The challenge comes before the trial. Will we trust or will we whine?
Can you imagine God’s joy if Israel had sung His praise before they got to the Red Sea? They had been delivered from the plagues of Egypt. God led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They had witnessed the miraculous. Surely they knew nothing was impossible with God. But they chose to WHINE instead of remembering what God had done for them and allowing the trial of their faith to produce true WINE.
Most of us think we’d never doubt God again if waters parted before our eyes, but it took only three days for Israel to forget. God parted water but they didn’t believe He could provide water. They failed to remember what the hand of the Lord had done for them in the past and believe what He was able to do in the future. What a challenge for us today!
One of our participants reminded me of a lyric to an old hymn,”Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I’ve come.” We read in 1 Samuel 7:12 that after the Lord defeated Israel’s enemies, Samuel set up a stone of remembrance, naming it “Ebenezer,” which means “stone of help.” This commemorated victory over their enemy, the Philistines. As we go through these verses this week, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us set up our own Ebenezer so we do not whine.
Read each week’s passage in two or more versions of the Bible. You might try to download an app from Bible Gateway to bring up three different versions on the screen at one time. It’s a great study tool to give us more insight into the scriptures.
Read Psalm 78:17-20
1. How is Israel’s sin against God described here? What specifically did they say against God in verse 19?
Read Psalm 23:5
2. What does the Lord say about a table here?
Read Psalm 78:21-22
3. What was the specific reason God was angry with Israel?
Read Psalm 78:23-27
4. Describe God’s mercy from these verses.
Read Psalm 78:56-57
5. How did Israel respond to all God had done for them? What is our response to current life circumstances?
Let’s take the challenge of this week’s study by looking back at Psalm 103:2 which says, FORGET NOT ONE OF HIS BENEFITS! Let’s agree to establish some stones of remembrance in the process. God bless you as you study His Word this week.
They provoked GOD in the wilderness – when HE had done so much for them – they were asking for meat for their lust – They wanted to know if God could furnish them a table in the wilderness – GOD showed them – waters gushed out and stream overflowed – they wanted so much – so GOD just showed them. The LORD did prepare them a table in them – HE anointed head with oil and they them a cup running over. The LORD was tired of their whining and always asking questions – GOD showed anger against Israel because they did not believe in GOD – and did not trust HIS salvation for them. GOD gave them everything they asked for – all the meat – angel’s food – corn of heaven – everything – GOD showed them who he really was. Israel still with all GOD had given them provoked the most high GOD – they did not keep his testimonies – they turned back just like their own families – is that not just like in our times – all of the things that GOD does for his people and still they complain – we should be so thankful and praising HIM all the time for the many things HE does in our lives – we really do need to NOT forget any of HIS benefits for each one of us in our lives today – GOD is so good to me all the time and HE is always on time with his blessing and answers to my prayers – I just cannot thank HIM enough for everything HE does for me each day. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE TODAY. I do not want to be like the complainers – I want to be thankful all of my days for the blessings – healing and many other things which HE gives me to use down here on earth. Wonderful lesson again.
NO WHINES AT ALL ///////////////.
Glad you pointed out that the Lord prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. What a picture of the anointing oil running down and our cups running over. My father-in-law, Ed, used to say he was so blessed by God that his cup was running over and he was drinking out of the saucer. Thanks for sharing once again, Odella!
Our INGRATITUDE can become a limitation on our experience of God’s presence and power (v.41).
Oh yes, Tim! It does hinder us from living in God’s presence. There’s nothing more important than to practice His presence. Thanksgiving is one of those tools that keeps us there. Love your insight.
Just as we all do not like fair weather friends God also takes no delight in fair weather believers. I also think the issue is not “just” about remembering and praising; it is essentially about the kind of people we are or become when we choose to WHINE.
Interesting point about fair weather believers, Tim. That’s so true, and I think you are right on about who we are “becoming” that affects whether we whine or not. Thanks for joining in the conversation.
I love that this lesson continues to build on the last. God shows His love for us over and over and if we don’t do something to make ourselves remember, we are so prone to fall into despair or worry when it looks like things are going wrong, and forget that we serve a GREAT God who loves us and will take care of us if we will just believe and trust Him. I pray that I am coming to that place where I will truly “rest” in Him for every need and trust His provision in all things. My own needs haven’t really been a problem for me, but I can really work up some serious fretting over my children and grandchildren. God is doing a work in me in that area and this study is a big part of that. I’m learning slowly but surely how trustworthy He is.
As a mom and grandmother, I so identify with the fretting, Peggy. Rest is a big thing with me, too. To be able to trust God and know that He is working everything out as we commit our kids to Him is life changing. So glad you are on this journey with the rest of us. We keep each other encouraged as well as accountable.
I am always dumbfounded when I read these passages. How bull-headed can these people be? But….I know I am also guilty of doubting God’s resources or His willingness to open them to me when I’m in the midst of a trial. I always remember the scripture that says God is faithful to us, even when we are unfaithful to Him, because He cannot deny Himself. Thank goodness He demonstrates His faithfulness & mercy to us over & over again! My praise this week is that my oldest daughter, who will be entering high school next year, just got excepted into a Magnet school for high school. We live in Las Vegas, so this is EXTREMELY important! We have lived here for 1 year, and during that time, she has struggled making friends, though we have prayed & prayed & prayed. In hindsight, now that we know she is switching schools yet again, God’s faithfulness is on display as she will not have to have difficult good-byes to deal with again…but we can go forward with renewed HOPE that God has “a friend who sticks closer than a sister” waiting for her at her new Magnet high school! :) Also, getting into these magnet schools is a lottery system, so again, God’s hand was ALL OVER this, as she applied to 3 magnets, but got accepted to only one. I told my daughter, when I read the letter, I felt like it had red arrows hand drawn by God pointing to the 1 school she got into, saying “This is the path! Walk in it!” :) I love love love that I KNOW God is SO FAITHFUL with my children!
What a beautiful testimony, Tara. Isn’t it in God’s wisdom that He didn’t allow deep friendships to form this past year. Sometimes when God doesn’t answer the way we want Him to, we forget He has something better ahead. This is one example of just that. I’m excited to hear more of what God has planned as this door opened for her by the hand of God Himself! I hope you’re writing this down, taking a picture, or doing something tangible to make a stone of remembrance for her. So she will always remember the hand of the Lord has done this!