Introduction: Those, who disregard the past, are destined to repeat it. Those, who live in the past, are doomed to relive it. Such was the case with the people of God in Psalm 106. Psalm 106 is a historical Psalm written, I believe, to remind God's people of what they had in the Lord.
The people of God were just never quite satisfied. This goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. God had given to Adam and Eve the whole world except for one tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. After a rather lengthy conversation with old smutty-face, Eve took the forbidden fruit and gave to Adam also. After the Devil talked to her, she was not satisfied with her paradise existence. So, she lusted exceedingly over what she could not have and took it.
Then there was their son Cain. He was never quite satisfied with what dad and mom had taught him about the grace of God. When God required a blood sacrifice, he wanted to give the fruit of his labor to the Lord. There is nothing necessarily wrong with giving God the fruit of your labor but not when He requires something else. Cain's lack of fulfillment in the will of God led to jealousy, hatred, and eventually the murder of his brother, Abel.
Let's take a huge leap forward to Psalm 106. Here is a history lesson in dissatisfaction.
- They had prayed for deliverance. Deliverance came, but they provoked God at the Red Sea, "And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." (Exodus 14:11,12)
- They prayed for food, and God gave them manna. Soon, manna was insufficient, so they complained and demanded meat. God gave them meat, but even fresh quail could not satisfy them, "And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague." (Numbers 11:32,33)
- They had prayed for a deliverer, and God gave them Moses. Soon, they became dissatisfied with Moses, the man of God, and demanded another to lead them, "And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?" (Numbers 16:3)
- They wanted a powerful God to help them, but when God did not answer right away, they made them another god and worshipped it, "They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image." (Psalm 106:19)
- They begged for a new land, and God gave them the land of promise. However, at the entrance to the land, they were not satisfied with it, for it would take hard work and sacrifice to settle in it, "Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD." (Psalm 106:24,25)
On the Psalm goes, and on their history goes. They were never quite satisfied with the way the Lord dealt with them. The story hasn't changed much since then. The names and faces have changed, but the sin is the same. The dissatisfaction is the same. Just as they were never quite satisfied with what God did, so are we in much the same way. The Bible records:
- They forgot God.
- They got in a hurry.
- They tempted God.
- They became dissatisfied with God's best.
- They envied others.
- They demanded foolish things from God.
They ended up paying for their dissatisfaction, "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul." (Psalm 106:15)
Is there something we can do to avoid this pitfall?
1. When you pray, expect God to answer. He answered their prayers. He gave them Moses, manna, meat, and a land filled with milk and honey.
2. When God answers, don't complain about the answer. "Awwww, manna again?!"
3. Whatever you do, don't look back. When things got a little rough in the wilderness, they desired the things of Egypt. I am surprised at the number of God's people today who return to the world the minute things go sour. LOOKING BACK WILL TAKE YOU BACK. YOUR GAZE DETERMINES YOUR DIRECTION!
* Dissatisfaction with the will of God will point your eyes toward Egypt.
4. Don't second-guess God. "If I knew it was going to cost me this, I would never have asked God for this."
5. Don't get mad at God when He answers your prayer and delivers you but makes you face a long, hard journey to a land filled with giants.
Conclusion: Dissatisfaction with the Lord's will is caused by many things. If you get in a hurry, you may leave the will of God behind. Always be willing to wait on the Lord. Impulsive decisions are caused by uncontrolled desires. These lusts produce prayers that are not in the will of God.
What to do? Follow the admonition found in Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Dissatisfaction brought Eve into sin. Dissatisfaction brought Adam into sin. Dissatisfaction brought Cain into sin. Dissatisfaction brought the children of Israel into sin. Where has dissatisfaction brought you? Are you never quite satisfied?