Promise 21 from Numbers 17:10

Numbers 17:10 - "But the Lord said to Moses, 'Put back the rod of Aaron before the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.'" - More than 14,700 people had just died because of their grumbling against the Lord. The Lord knew that if the people went on without punishment then the results would be even worse for the people of Israel than the plague which killed the 14,700. Some people read passages like these and think God is heartless, but God is not limited in His knowledge by the present. God is a merciful God. He put in measures, through the budding of Aaron's rod, to assure that there wouldn't be a repeat of more deaths. It wasn't so that the people wouldn't grumble anymore, but so that they wouldn't die. God loves His people. He was just as saddened by their deaths as those who remained alive. The whole purpose for Him bringing His people out of Egypt is so that they would have life and life abundant. The people were too self absorbed to see and to hear and to believe what God was giving them. Can you imagine how much that breaks His heart? So many believers today are living their lives grumbling instead of living the abundant life that God is giving them. When will believers open their eyes, ears and hearts to step into the promises given to them by God?