Is Living By Faith Really That Bad?

“And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!” (Nu 20:3 AV)

What they are referring to is the sinkhole that opened and swallowed Dothan, Korah, and their co-conspirators.  Comments like this usually refer to returning to Egypt and dying a slave’s death.  Now, they would rather die a rebel’s death than have to trust the LORD in a time of deep need.  Korah, a Levite not of the lineage of Aaron, sought the office of commander in the stead of Moses.  He knew he was not able to rise to the rank of Chief Priest because he was not of the family of Aaron.  Moses, however, was also a Levite, and if Moses could lead, why not Korah?  Dothan, of the tribe of Rueben, put him up to it.  As a consequence, the conspirators, their entire families, and all their material possessions were lost to a giant hole in the ground.  The event above was only a matter of a few days or weeks.  They were at a very dry place with no water and parched ground.  Mariam had just died.  The people would rather die a rebel’s death than trust God to provide water.  Just a side note:  one better be careful what one says.  God just might accommodate you.  Anyway, their reaction was quite dramatic and surprising.  They would rather fall into a deep hole that closes back on them and die a painful and miserable death than believe God loves them and will care for them even if it looks dire.

I have seen people go to great lengths to avoid faith.  In times past, I have also been guilty.  We would rather be self-destructive than trust the LORD to provide.  We call these people, pig-headed.  I have met a few in my years as a chaplain.  People who think everything and everyone is out to get them and treatment for their illness cannot be trusted.  One such patient was suffering from a curable illness that had time-tested treatments over decades of use.  However, he got it in his head the cure was worse than the fatal disease.  As the chaplain, it was my task to try to convince this fella that what he was choosing to do was not fair to himself, his family, or God.  God gave him his life to use it for Him.  Part of using his life was being a wise steward of it.  He gave his reasons and the sources from which he got his information.  I had to do my own research and present him with a mountain of evidence his opinion was not sound.  All he had to do was trust the smart people God put in his life to save it.  This fella was steadfast.  When it was painfully obvious he was not going to survive this illness, we pled and begged.  Yet, he would rather trust his own judgment than have faith in those who were watching out for his best interests.

We would have to be pretty weak and/or stubborn to refuse to trust God and desire a worse alternative.  I learned early on in my Christian walk that trust was better than the alternative.  To try to fight God by refusing to trust Him does not end well.  To live a self-destructive life rather than to trust the LORD to be Your guide will only end in unneeded pain and suffering.  The Israelites would rather die a rebel's death than wait on the LORD and trust Him.  Thank God for His mercy!  Despite their feelings, God provided water for them anyway.  He did not take their complaints so seriously that the earth opened up.  He had compassion and answered their need despite their lack of faith.  How much more blessed would the water from the rock have been had they believed by faith and God answered?  The water would have been all the sweeter.