Set The Table

“Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” (Ps 78:19 AV)

 

In retrospect, I am not so sure I would condemn Israel here.  At least from the perspective that I could relate.  As a nation, they had been through a lot.  Having suffered forced slavery and destitute conditions, God freed them from Egypt through a series of plagues sent upon their enemies.  They were not wandering in the wilderness heading towards a land promised to their forefathers.  The word of God does not go into great detail concerning the logistics of this undertaking.  One can only imagine what it would take to organize and move a large group of people numbering in the millions.  With these people, there were households and flocks.  This was not like moving a marching army.  This was the physical presence of an entire nation.  Along the way, these people had to be fed.  They needed basic life’s provision and comforts.  Food, water, and sanitation were all daily and basic needs.  About a month after crossing the Red Sea, they ran out of water.  God miraculously provided water.  Now, they are out of food.  The stress they were under daily finally came to the surface.  The question about, on the face of it, is ridiculous.  Of course, God can.  But the question above isn’t so much about the substance of the question, but rather, the emotion behind it.

In the whole scope of physical problems, plantar fasciitis is not all that serious.  It can be rather painful, but there are worse things. In my journey of victory over this problem, I have found patience to be a key virtue.  When I started mall walking, immediately my foot was on fire.  It was particularly painful in the morning.  I couldn’t even walk fifteen feet from my bed to the bathroom.  The pain was like this for almost a year.  Then I switch from slippers to Crocs, stopped walking for exercise, and bought over-the-counter inserts.  The pain almost completely disappeared.  Then, as the weather improved and walking the dog became a routine thing, the pain returned.  Not nearly as bad, but it was showing up again.  Then came a visit to the Podiatrist.  He felt around my heal and when he squeezed a certain way, I almost went into orbit.  Dealing with a trial similar to this, one can begin to think what was possible is now impossible.  While this ever end?  Can I ever get over this?  When will the struggle with this stop?  Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Even though we can understand Israel’s emotional response to repeated trials of faith, and even empathize with them, we cannot excuse their question.  Looking at God’s response to anger is the pertinent thing here.  The LORD may understand how we feel, but that does not mean He accepts it.  Lack of faith is what angers God the most.  Looking at the context of the verse above, the verses immediately following our verse tell us that God was angry at the question.  Or, more appropriately, the accusation.  By doubting God’s ability, we are accusing God of not being who He claims to be.  It is important to empathize with Israel’s emotions here.  We can often feel the same way.  But we also must keep in mind God’s feelings, too.  We live in a wilderness.  We live in a world that hates God.  Less and less, the response to the gospel is waining.  This is a wilderness.  We can begin to feel as though our churches will shrink and fail.  If we feel that way, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?  You bet he can!