We’ve probably all done it at one time or another. We’ll read a passage where the Jews did something (rejected Jesus, complained to God, you name it), and we shake our heads and think, “Silly Jews.”
It seems rational at the moment. After all, why couldn’t the Jews see what was right in front of them? Why did they so easily forget God had saved them from the Egyptians? Why did they not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, especially after all the miracles He performed?
But the truth of the matter is, we’re just as guilty.
Sure, the Israelites complained despite the fact that God freed them from slavery. But we complain despite the fact that God the bondage of sin.
And yes, the Jews rejected Jesus though He fulfilled every Messianic prophecy there was. But how many times have we struggled with our faith?
How often have we questioned God, forgetting all He’s brought us from?
How often have we questioned God, despite the miracles He’s performed in front of our very eyes?
How often have we questioned God, ignoring the blessings He gives us every day?
When we think about it, we’re no different than the Jews in the Bible. The very ones we shake our heads at today.
But we can learn from them. Instead of pointing fingers, we can take the lessons they provide and apply them to ourselves, to our own faith.
Whenever we doubt God’s provision, we can remember how He provided for the Israelites in the wilderness. Then we can begin counting the blessings in our own lives.
Whenever we question Him, we can remember how Jesus didn’t fit what the Jews expected, yet He was exactly what they needed.
Then we’ll realize it’s not “silly Jews” but rather “silly us.”
