Writing 'Bible Stories For Big Kids' started out as an absorbing project for me. But as much as I love the Old Testament, there are many chapters which are very detailed in descriptions and instructions but, at the same time, cannot be overlooked just in case....... And then there is the action, so much easier to convert to a story. In between these two aspects are many events and personalities where a 'pause button' would come in handy so as to explore, question or even analyse what is happening. But the story must keep going.
Now that the story is written and the big picture has been 'painted' there is time to select parts of the story and have that closer look. In Numbers chapter 9:15 ff we have the explicit details of God's guidance - the cloud covering the Tabernacle by day and during darkness, the appearance of fire. When the cloud lifted, then the people moved on. The people were totally dependent on God's guidance and timing, a rather scary thought for someone like me who prefers to be reasonably organised and in control. But that is what God wants of us - to trust him; not blindly but based on his story of how he continually cared for his people. If you are tempted to question God's guidance, go back to the Bible and see how God dealt with the people in the Bible stories - that's my solution.
The people's grumbling about lack of meat in Numbers chapter 11 seems a bit over the top, but eating the same food - Manna - morning noon and night week after week would be a bit much. I am sure we could all sympathise with the people, but was grumbling really necessary? After all the miracles the people had witnessed, from the plagues in Egypt, through the Red Sea and the 10 Commandments at Mt Sinai to their daily Manna, surely the people could have been more concilliatory in their approach to Moses and therefore to God; but it is so much easier to grumble and complain.
In the best selling self help book ever published 'I'm Okay You're Okay' 1969, Thomas Anthony Harris explains communication techniques which would have been a great help to the grumbling Israelites. The first few chapters are well worth reading where he explains 'Parent Adult and Child'. If the Israelites had only used the 'Adult', they could have avoided a very great plague.
There are many occasions where a complaint is valid but the way we communicate that complaint can often determine the outcome. How many times do we read in the Bible, to ask God for what we need, " but with a thankful heart" ( Philippians 4:6). When Hannah had poured out her heart to God about wanting a son, what did she do? She returned to her family and had a meal, something she had been unable to do for a while.
Once again the Bible provides us with a constructive solution in how to handle a problem. Do we grumble like the Israelites, or pray like Hannah?
Now that the story is written and the big picture has been 'painted' there is time to select parts of the story and have that closer look. In Numbers chapter 9:15 ff we have the explicit details of God's guidance - the cloud covering the Tabernacle by day and during darkness, the appearance of fire. When the cloud lifted, then the people moved on. The people were totally dependent on God's guidance and timing, a rather scary thought for someone like me who prefers to be reasonably organised and in control. But that is what God wants of us - to trust him; not blindly but based on his story of how he continually cared for his people. If you are tempted to question God's guidance, go back to the Bible and see how God dealt with the people in the Bible stories - that's my solution.
The people's grumbling about lack of meat in Numbers chapter 11 seems a bit over the top, but eating the same food - Manna - morning noon and night week after week would be a bit much. I am sure we could all sympathise with the people, but was grumbling really necessary? After all the miracles the people had witnessed, from the plagues in Egypt, through the Red Sea and the 10 Commandments at Mt Sinai to their daily Manna, surely the people could have been more concilliatory in their approach to Moses and therefore to God; but it is so much easier to grumble and complain.
In the best selling self help book ever published 'I'm Okay You're Okay' 1969, Thomas Anthony Harris explains communication techniques which would have been a great help to the grumbling Israelites. The first few chapters are well worth reading where he explains 'Parent Adult and Child'. If the Israelites had only used the 'Adult', they could have avoided a very great plague.
There are many occasions where a complaint is valid but the way we communicate that complaint can often determine the outcome. How many times do we read in the Bible, to ask God for what we need, " but with a thankful heart" ( Philippians 4:6). When Hannah had poured out her heart to God about wanting a son, what did she do? She returned to her family and had a meal, something she had been unable to do for a while.
Once again the Bible provides us with a constructive solution in how to handle a problem. Do we grumble like the Israelites, or pray like Hannah?
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