One day as I was going through
the readings of a Missal, I came across a passage from the book of Numbers. Taken from chapter 21,
it concerns a time when the Israelites were still wandering in the wilderness.
Wearied by their long sojourn, they began to complain against God and Moses. In
response, the Lord sent fiery serpents against them, and many died from their
bite. The people then beseeched Moses, who made a bronze serpent so that anyone
who was bitten may look upon it and live.
While the passage is often remembered
for Israel’s grumbling and God’s unique approach for curing, the Israelites’ response
in Numbers 21:7 did not sit well with me. When
they beseeched Moses at the latter part of their plea, “…pray to the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us”,
they were addressing the effect and not the source of the problem itself. One
may contend that the first half of their cry, “We
have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you”
already showed their remorse, but had they been truly repentant, they would
have said rather along the lines of “Pray to the Lord that He will forgive us
our sins in His mercy” (see Psalms 51:1).
This exchange reflects one of
the many problems in today’s society – we often attempt
to tackle the fruit, but not the root cause of the issue. It is far
easier, takes less effort and allows us to indulge in our pleasures at that
particular moment in time. It is
essentially the same as to why many would rather sit idle than study for an
upcoming test, or why do some drink excessively knowing they will be getting a
hangover the next day. Or a more dramatic example, why some are willing to
ruthlessly destroy the environment, persecute or murder another for the sake of
temporary money or power, ignoring the long-term and far reaching consequences
later on. So we instead resort to medicine, cramming till the early morning, and
find ways to evade, deflect or cover up our actions.
It is quite sad to see that
problems thousands of years ago are still being repeated today. It reveals along
with it the capriciousness of human nature: that
when something annoys us or did not turn out the way we expect it to, we
complain and throw a tantrum, but when things really start spiralling downhill,
we start praying to God. The way the Israelites cried out in Numbers 21:7 showed that they were primarily driven
by fear and not sincere repentance of their ways. Those driven primarily by
fear will not long maintain their loyalty; rather they long for their breakout
and will be quick to seize it the moment they perceive an opportunity.
The Psalmist was acutely aware
of this when he wrote in 78:34, “When He slew them, they sought for Him,” but almost
immediately after, “But they flattered Him with their
mouths.” Yet knowing all this, God, “being
compassionate, forgave their inequity and did not destroy them.”
No one likes an egoistic person
who constantly complains about his/her situation – they will instinctively distance
themselves, sometimes even on unfounded rumours. Yet St Paul articulated
beautifully in Romans 5:7-8, “one will hardly die for a righteous man…but God shows His love for us in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.” That “Christ…emptied Himself…and
became obedient to death, even death on a cross,” (Philippians 2:5-11) “that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
I have often been guilty of cursing
when things do not turn out the way I want it to – even in incidents where I knew
the fault lies entirely on me –, yet in all my memories that I can recall, God
tolerates my behaviour, and I end up reaching my goal in some way or another. In
the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32),
the titular character came back to his father’s house after wasting everything
he had. In contrast, I am more of a spoiled son, whining about that piece of
meat I did not have. In some ways I resemble the elder son of the parable, who
complains even as he dwells securely in the comfort of his father’s domain.
In this time of Lent, perhaps it is prudent to reflect on my recent experiences,
recalling to mind what the Lord has done for me, the blessings and the trials, and
so learn to be grateful for all He has given me, and that many a time when things
do not turn out the way I want it to is due to my own failures and shortcomings.
“Never forget the deeds of the Lord.”
(Response for the
Psalm in The Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
RFG always.
