IRRITABLE ISRAEL

SOME THINK THE BIBLE CONTAINS MOSTLY STORIES ABOUT GOOD PEOPLE. IT DOES NOT. IT CONTAINS STORIES ABOUT "BAD PEOPLE"- THE HUMAN RACE! THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF ONLY ONE HERO---GOD. NOW LET'S LOOK AT MATT.21.  IN THE GOSPEL READING JESUS TELLS A PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD., AN IMAGE OF ISRAEL, THE PROPHETS MISSION AND CHRIST'S DEATH. FOR CHRISTIANS, THE VINEYARD ALSO SPEAKS  OF GOD'S LOVE POURED OUT IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, GIVEN TO US FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. GRAFTED ONTO CHRIST THE VINE AT BAPTISM, WE ARE NOURISHED WITH BREAD AND WINE, THAT WE MAY SHARE CHRIST'S SUFFERING AND KNOW THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION. THEREFORE I TELL YOU THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU AND GIVEN TO A PEOPLE WHO WILL PRODUCE FRUIT. IN ISAIAH 5:1-7; THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL ARE PICTURED AS A VINEYARD THAT FAILS TO PRODUCE FRUIT DESPITE THE BEST EFFORTS OF THE VINEYARD KEEPER (CHRIST.) USING ISAIAH'S PARABLE AS A POINT OF DEPARTURE
 JESUS DESCRIBES A VINEYARD THAT DOES NOT PRODUCE GRAPES, BUT THE TENANTS REFUSE TO GIVE THE OWNER HIS SHARE OF THE CROP. GOD CONSISTENTLY ACTS TOWARDS HIS SINFUL, REBELLIOUS, COMPLAINING, AND  THANKLESS PEOPLE WITH KINDNESS, MERCY AND GRACE. WHAT TRANSPIRED DURING THE PERIOD KNOWN AS THE WILDERNESS WANDERINGS IS A GOOD ILLUSTRATION OF THIS. ISRAEL'S BEHAVIOR DURING THE FORTY YEARS LEFT MUCH TO BE DESIRED. SHE BEGAN TO COMPLAIN EVEN BEFORE SHE CROSSED THE RED SEA. WHY? SHE FEARED THAT GOD HAD BROUGHT HER TO THE COASTLINE ONLY TO PERMIT THE EGYPTIAN FORCES TO CORNER HER, CUT HER TO PIECES. AFTER GOD, IN A DEMONSTRATION OF GREAT POWER, LED ISRAEL THROUGH THE SEA BARRIER (EXODUS) THE PEOPLE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE WATER SUPPLY, FOLLOWED BY
 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THEIR FOOD SUPPLY. THEN IT WAS THE WATER SUPPLY ONCE AGAIN. ONE MIGHT HAVE EXPECTED THINGS TO IMPROVE AFTER ISRAEL WITNESSED THE AWESOME EVENTS AT SINAI. THEY DID NOT. WHILE MOSES WAS STILL ON THE MOUNTAIN WITH GOD, THE PEOPLE PERSUADED Aaron TO MAKE THEM A SUBSTITUTE god IN THE FORM OF A GOLDEN CALF. THEIR ACTIONS GRIEVED GOD. HE THREATENED TO DESTROY THEM, BUT ONCE AGAIN MERCY PREVAILED AND HE RELENTED. THE PEOPLE CONTINUED TO COMPLAIN AND REBEL. THEY WERE DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR FOOD ONCE AGAIN. MOSES OWN BROTHER AND SISTER, Aaron AND MIRIAM, CAUSED TROUBLE. THEY WANTED MORE STATUS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. THE SETTING IS (KADESH--BARNEA) DESCRIBES ISRAEL'S FIRST ATTEMPT TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE PROMISED LAND. A SCOUTING PARTY WAS SENT TO SPY OUT THE LAND AND REPORT BACK. THEY SURVEYED IT, PRAISED ITS BEAUTY AND FERTILITY, BUT INSISTED IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO WREST CONTROL OF IT FROM THOSE ALREADY LIVING WITHIN IT. TWO OF THE SCOUTING PARTY, JOSHUA AND CALEB, OFFERED A DIFFERENT OPINION. THEY INSISTED THAT THE LAND COULD BE TAKEN. HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY OPINION PREVAILED. ONCE AGAIN THE PEOPLE COMPLAINED BITTERLY TO MOSES AND Aaron ABOUT THE FUTILITY OF THEIR SITUATION. BY NOW GOD IS FED UP WITH THEM. HE DECREED THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR ENDLESS DISCONTENT AND FAITHLESSNESS, THEY WOULD HAVE TO WANDER AROUND IN THE WILDERNESS FOR FORTY YEARS--- ONE YEAR FOR EACH OF THE FORTY DAYS THE SCOUTING PARTY HAD BEEN AWAY FROM THEM. BY THE TIME THOSE FORTY YEARS WERE OVER, ALL MEN  OLDER THAN TWENTY WOULD HAVE DIED OFF. A NEW GENERATION WOULD ENTER THE PROMISED LAND.
MORE GRUMBLING TAKES PLACE, AND THE COMPLAINERS SUFFER A TRAGIC END. FIRST THE WATER SUPPLY GETS MORE ATTENTION, THEN THE FOOD ONCE AGAIN. FINALLY, WHEN THE NATION REACHES THE REGION EAST OF THE JORDAN, THE PEOPLE ENTANGLED THEMSELVES IN THE BAAL CULTS. TWO DETAILS STAND OUT THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD. THE PEOPLE COMPLAIN. GOD IS MERCIFUL AND PATIENT. HE ALONE IS THE HERO!