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2026.08.30 (August 30, 2026) – Pastor Peter Ziebell
In Exodus, the Israelites faced hardships under Egyptian rule, subjected to relentless brick-making and demanding fieldwork. The Egyptians aimed to wear them down physically and mentally, causing the Israelites to cry out in suffering.
Their cries reached God, who heard their groaning. This led Him to call Moses to lead them out of bondage. God promised to be with Moses and teach him what to speak, giving him a staff to perform signs.
As Moses approached the Israelites, Egyptians, and Pharaoh, he confidently spoke God’s Word and performed signs with his staff. He struck the Nile, turning it into blood; God then told him to stretch his staff again, bringing frogs into Egypt. When Moses struck the ground, gnats appeared. Moses stretched his staff skyward, and God sent thunder, hail, and fire. Later, he summoned an east wind to bring locusts and grasshoppers. After these plagues, Moses raised his staff over the Red Sea, which split open for the Israelites to cross safely.
As a brief aside, it is important to observe that the plagues inflicted upon Pharaoh and the false gods of the Egyptians were designed to demonstrate the falsehood and impotence of these Egyptian gods. The counterfeit Egyptian god of the Nile River, Nilus, was incapable of reversing the transformation of blood into water. The false Egyptian god of the earth, Seb, was powerless to eliminate the dust gnats. The false Egyptian gods of the sky, Shu and Nat, were unable to halt the fire hail from the heavens, and so forth. Consequently, through the potent Word of God spoken by Moses and the remarkable miracles performed through Moses’ staff, the Israelites were liberated from severe slavery, arduous labour, and oppressive bitterness.
You may expect the Israelites to feel incredibly grateful after their deliverance, but it’s important to remember that human nature can be quite fickle. After being freed from slavery, they camped at Rephidim, where there was no water. “The people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Ex. 17:3). It’s understandable to some extent—water is essential for life, but we see that the people didn’t just complain—they grumbled.
It’s common for us to call out to God when challenges arise, asking for help to escape a tricky situation, for blessings, or for relief from hardships. Yet sometimes, when things don’t turn out as we hoped, we grumble and forget God’s kindness and faithfulness. For example, the Israelites’ prayers for help were answered, but shortly after, at Rephidim, they began to complain as if Moses and God had led them to a dead end. It’s easy to forget the powerful plagues, miracles, and the oppression of slavery from which they had been rescued.
When I think of the Israelites, I see myself. Who hasn’t grumbled and forgotten God’s gifts? We sometimes complain when things don’t meet our exact expectations—thanking God for a crop but grumbling because the yield hasn’t reached our expectations, or the price isn’t as good as we had hoped or praising Him for finding a job but grumbling about the dress code. We thank God for church funds but complain if we have to give more.
Let’s hit even closer to home. We gather in church and, at the beginning of the service, hear in the absolution that we are baptised, claimed, and forgiven in Christ. Yet 10 minutes later, we mumble and complain if we have to sing a hymn with more than a few verses meant to bless us with the same assurance. If it’s a lengthy hymn, we act as if every verse were a long curse we have to sing. Furthermore, through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, you and I have been rescued from hell, the wrath of God, and death itself. Yet at the first sign of adversity in our lives—whether it is a lost job, a health problem, an attack from our enemies, or a financial hardship—we are quick to cry out, “God, have you left me? Do you not care for me? Have you left me here to die?”
You see, the problem with Israel is the same problem with you and me; we are all plagued by impatient unbelief. Our faith is weak and easily irritated. It is as if we have amnesia; we quickly forget all the blessings God has given us. Like those Israelites, we forget God’s provisions and are quickly and easily given to grumbling, complaining, and even attacking God for not giving us what we want, when we want it, and how we want it.
Remember Moses’ staff? What should God have done to the Israelites for their unbelief, grumbling, and quarrels against Moses? They were so agitated that Moses thought he was going to die and believed they would stone him. I wouldn’t have blamed God or Moses if Moses had struck them with that staff. Just as he used it to bring plagues on Egypt, he could have used it to smite them all to death.
As we think about our impatient unbelief and our grumbling as Christians, I am so ashamed of myself. We have been given so many gifts. The Lord has given us daily bread. He has forgiven us for our sins. He has protected us from the Evil One. And yet, at the first sign of struggle, pain, or adversity, I don’t trust, but I question God, and I even complain, “Why, God, have you brought me into this predicament? Have you left me here to suffer alone? Do you not care about me?”
God could justly choose to punish us, just as He did the Egyptians, but He chooses kindness instead. Instead of Moses striking Israel, he was told to strike a rock, and water flowed for those who doubted and complained. Similarly, God could rightfully condemn us for our impatient unbelief, but He doesn’t. Instead, He showed His love by striking His only Son on the cross, so His blood could flow for people like us who sometimes doubt and complain.
That staff of Moses didn’t wield the wrath they deserved but instead struck the rock to provide for the people in a way they didn’t deserve. The same holds true for us. We’re often unworthy of the grace God has graciously given us through our baptisms, and we certainly don’t earn the grace He offers in holy absolution. Yet, He provides it to us because our loving God is overflowing with mercy and abundant in love. Not only did He save us, but He also continually sustains us through our grumbling and complaints, symbolised by striking Christ on the cross so His blood can be poured out for you and me (1 Cor. 10:1-4).
God is merciful and full of grace. He wisely chooses not to give us what we deserve, and instead, generously offers us what we don’t. Through Christ, we receive forgiveness, reassurance, and strength to carry us through our whole lives. It’s truly a gift that keeps giving, guiding us until the very end.