Have you ever felt like your life is missing something or that it should just been better in general? Even when your life is going well, do you feel the desire or need to complain about it not going well enough? Can I ask, what is enough in your mind or when will it be enough?

The Israelites were living in slavery in Egypt. Life was difficult. There were great burdens on them to the point that they cried out to the Lord.

God heard their cries and knew what was happening to them. He was ready to take action and help them gain freedom once again. So, God preceded to do this with Moses and his brother Aaron acting as a go between Him and Pharaoh and Him and the people. After words were spoken and signs were performed, Pharaoh refused to let the people go and even increased the burdens upon them.

This is where you see the first grumble of the sons of Israel. God is working on helping them out of oppression, but they complain to Pharaoh and then to Moses and Aaron that things are only getting worse for them (Ex. 5:15-23). This grumble has some legitimacy because even Moses then asks God why he was even sent. After God responded, He sent Moses and Aaron to press Pharaoh to let the people go again. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened in all this, and then God brought the plagues on Egypt. After all the plagues were passed, Pharaoh did exactly as God had said. He sent the sons of Israel out of Egypt. God gave His people freedom once more.

Not long after this decision, however, Pharaoh decided to pursue the sons of Israel into the wilderness to enslave them again. The people saw the pursuit and grumbled again to Moses. Why did you deal with us this way? Why did you bring us out here to die? It would have been better for us to stay and serve the Egyptians (Ex. 14:11-12). After everything God had done to give them freedom, they are already grumbling and complaining that oppression would have been better. God performed signs and wonders through Moses and the plagues and already they doubt in the Lord’s ability to save them. Not to mention the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that was leading the people. God is actively with them yet they still grumble. Why? When will God do enough for them?

God precedes to give them salvation once more by parting the sea so they could escape the pursuit of the Egyptians and even destroyed the Egyptians pursuing them with that divided water. Freedom was given and off into the wilderness they went. God took care of them over and over again. However, once in the wilderness they grumbled a third time. “What shall we drink?” Moses cried out to the Lord and He gave the people a source of water (Ex. 15:24-25). Once again God did not hesitate to take care of them.

Two months into their departure from Egypt the people grumbled once again. This time they grumbled out of hunger, which we all can agree is a legitimate need in life. However, they spoke in a way that flew in the face of all God had done for them. They spoke of Egypt and the full bellies they had there (Ex. 16:2-3). God had done so much for them already and yet once again they didn’t trust Him to take care of their needs. Instead, they complain and wish for days of oppression when they could eat their fill.

As you can see, the sons of Israel seem to have a pattern going on in their lives. No matter how much is done for them, it is never enough. We could go on looking at more passages about them grumbling over and over again. They even grumble again for water, something God has already shown He will give them, but it just never is enough. God did more for the sons of Israel than most would probably say they deserved.

The truth is, God has done more for all of us than any of us deserve. God cares for us in the same way that He did the sons of Israel. He takes care of our needs, the most important of which is the safety of our eternal soul. God gave us His Son. His Son who became the sacrifice for our freedom from sin. Our soul can be with God only because of what God did for us through Jesus Christ.

When you add that truth to everything else written in the Bible and all the works of God you can see around you, is it enough? Do you need more? What does God need to do for it to be enough for you? Jesus was the last piece in God’s plan to give us something that could bring about our salvation. If Jesus isn’t enough for you, nothing will be…