Topical Bible: Repentance: Repentance of Their Complaining Because of Lack of Bread and Water

◄ Repentance: Repentance of Their Complaining Because of Lack of Bread and Water ►

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Introduction

Repentance is a central theme throughout the Bible, often involving a turning away from sin and a return to God. One notable instance of repentance is the Israelites' response to their complaints about the lack of bread and water during their wilderness journey. This episode highlights the human tendency to doubt God's provision and the necessity of repentance to restore a right relationship with Him.

Biblical Context

The Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land was marked by numerous challenges, including periods of scarcity. Despite witnessing God's miraculous deliverance from slavery and His provision through the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites frequently succumbed to fear and doubt. Their complaints about the lack of bread and water are recorded in several passages, notably in the books of Exodus and Numbers.

Complaints and God's Response

In Exodus 16:2-3 , the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, "If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, where we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death." Despite their complaints, God responded with grace, providing manna from heaven as sustenance.

Similarly, in Exodus 17:2-3 , the people quarreled with Moses, demanding water: "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" Moses asked. But the people thirsted there for water, and they grumbled against Moses, saying, "Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" In response, God instructed Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, from which water flowed to quench their thirst.

Repentance and Restoration

The Israelites' complaints were not merely expressions of physical need but revealed a deeper spiritual issue: a lack of trust in God's provision and faithfulness. Their grumbling was a form of rebellion against God's leadership and care. However, God's responses were not only acts of provision but also opportunities for the Israelites to recognize their sin and repent.

In Numbers 21:4-7 , the Israelites again spoke against God and Moses, lamenting the lack of food and water. As a consequence, the LORD sent venomous snakes among them, and many Israelites died. Recognizing their sin, the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD to take the snakes away from us." Moses prayed for the people, and God provided a means of healing through the bronze serpent.

Theological Significance

The Israelites' repentance in these instances underscores the importance of acknowledging one's sin and turning back to God. It serves as a reminder of God's patience and mercy, even in the face of human frailty and rebellion. The provision of manna, water, and healing illustrates God's unwavering commitment to His covenant people, despite their shortcomings.

Repentance, therefore, is not merely an acknowledgment of wrongdoing but a transformative process that restores the believer to a right relationship with God. It involves a change of heart and mind, leading to renewed trust in God's promises and provision. The Israelites' experiences in the wilderness serve as a powerful testament to the necessity of repentance and the boundless grace of God.

Nave's Topical Index

Numbers 21:4-7
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Prayer and Labor for the Gathering of the Great Harvest.
... nothing is needful but simply faith and repentance, and that ... Their hearts are not
fixed, and they shrink from ... To a minister who was complaining of the public ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/xix prayer and labor for.htm

C. The Third Period. Chs. 6:12 to 8:56
... were like children sitting in the market place, complaining one to ... the command of
John or to put their trust in ... to accept both the call to repentance and the ...
/.../erdman/the gospel of luke an exposition/c the third period chs.htm

Footnotes
... the malignants were content to profess repentance for their ... at ministers in the face
of their congregations ... of spirit suppose they lack faith, because they find ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/footnotes.htm

Against Jovinianus.
... doors of the Church were not opened by repentance even to ... Christ," they desire to
marry, "having condemnation, because they have rejected their first faith ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/against jovinianus.htm

Of Prayer --A Perpetual Exercise of Faith. The Daily Benefits ...
... pardon is always to be asked; first, because they are ... have been enabled to profit
in repentance and the ... are humbled with just sorrow for their offenses, and ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 20 of prayera perpetual.htm

Seasonable Counsel: Or, Advice to Sufferers.
... I think that murmuring, shrinking, wincing, complaining, and the ... come with some good
in their hand for ... Where is repentance, reformation, and amendment of life ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/seasonable counsel or advice to.htm

The Epistle of St. James
... God!' The thunder of this call to repentance rolls through ... outward things, and if
people miss their objects of ... it does not follow that this is because they are ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

Church Fabrics and Services.
... compared with the present time, a singular lack of variety. ... of these two days of
airing their respective opinions ... went for no better reason than because it was ...
/.../the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter x church fabrics and.htm

The Pilgrim's Progress
... thought they had lived upon crumbs of bread, or upon ... and gobble up spiders, they
can change their diet, drink ... were come again into the house, because supper as ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the pilgrims progress.htm

Life and Works of Rufinus with Jerome's Apology Against Rufinus.
... of you to be absolved for your repentance, or, if ... a word, against the universal church;
and also because this man ... by our people than those laid to their charge ...
/.../various/life and works of rufinus with jeromes apology against rufinus /