Genesis Chapters 16-17

Moany ranger is what I called my children when they were younger and would moan about everything. Starting from “are we there yet, why mum, can I, I don’t want to, not again,” to mention a few. I am sure some of you have experience of what am talking about. Children moaning about things is frustrating but on adults. I don’t quite know how I feel about that.
The Israelites would qualify as “moany rangers” in every sense of the word. They were ungrateful and loved the sound of their own groaning.
Murmuring against the Lord is a sin, but it didn’t seem to bother them, they wanted what they wanted when they wanted it.
Sounds like a child? But that’s like a lot of us adults as well.
Fancy them emerging from the wilderness of “sin” with a long list of complaint against God and Moses for water. But their moaning was basically that God wasn’t doing a good job of caring for them, which became a habitual thing for them. With everything God had done for them, you’d think they will not only appreciate Him but understand that He’ll never fail them.
Sadly, the motif of moaning runs right throughout the Exodus story, they wanted water, complain! Wanting food, complain! Tired, complain! They even complained about the miraculous provision of all their needs. In Exodus 16:3, they felt death was better than to be killed in the wilderness. Note the difference between complaining and crying out to God for help, Psalm 50:15. God always hears us when we cry to him for help but complaining is like the whining of a child who doesn’t get their way.
There are people, even believers who’ll complain about anything that goes wrong: seeking to apportion blame; decrying the current situation. Perhaps you’re guilty of it, I know I fall into that sometimes.
We all tend to be moany rangers when things don’t go according to our plans and desires.
Pauls says to believers in Philippians 2:14 to not complain at all, but we do daily, we find things to murmur about — secret murmurings and complaints against other people which rises from selfishness, pride, envy and ignorance. When we moan more about our problems than we praise, we are apportioning the blame of idleness to the Lord-God is never idle, He is constantly working behind the scenes to brings His will and plan for you to pass. Do not murmur. Philippians 4:6.
Moses got nothing but grumbling and moaning from the Israelites, as Jesus did from the Jews in His time when he proclaimed himself as the bread of life, John 6:41-51-The Jews of Jesus’ day grumbled a lot-especially when Jesus reveals who He is, the Son of God. Rather than responding to this Good News with faith, rather than responding with “Lord we believe, please help our unbelief,” they ask, “How in the world can this be?” Even after He performs miracles for them and shows through His actions, not only who He is, but how much He loves and cares for them, they still grumble.
You and I do the same, we, like the Israelites, soon forget the glory, the blessings and promised of God and focus on the little things that shouldn’t matter. Don’t be a moany ranger, be a praise ranger.
Shalom