08/08/2018 YOUR ARM’S TOO SHORT TO BOX WITH GOD
Numbers 11:23 The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
[New International translation.]
Summary:
Learning to trust GOD after the great exodus from Egypt wasn’t easy for the Israelites. Despite seeing GOD perform great miracles---- the escape from Pharaoh’s army, the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14); the guidance by the pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13); the numerous plagues that occurred in Egypt when Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go (Exodus 7-12), the Israelites still found it hard to totally put their trust in GOD. The Israelites complained about the food (Numbers 11); they were often defiant (See Exodus 32 when the people tried to make their own GOD); they were difficult, argumentative, and often “tried to box with GOD.”
Even, Moses, who spoke directly with GOD, sometimes “couldn’t see” how GOD was going to work things out when GOD promised to give the complaining Israelites the meat they craved, for a whole month, until it came out of their nostrils and became loathsome (Numbers 11:20). Moses could not “see” how GOD was going to fulfill this meat every day for a month promise. Moses counted all the animals in the flocks and herds and the math simply did not add up.
But just because Moses couldn’t “figure it out” didn’t mean GOD could not do it. GOD asked Moses, “Do you think my arm is short” or in other words “Do you think me weak?” Without explaining how, GOD just told Moses “You will see.”
So, just on the WORD of GOD, Moses delivered GOD’s promises to the people. And, GOD did exactly what GOD said HE would do.
ARM EXERCISES
While the LORD does not have weak arms (i.e. short arms), often people who fail to exercise do.
In “The Best Arm Exercises, by Barbara Russi Sarnataro, Dan Agresti, an exercise physiologist notes that arm toning and strengthening are important throughout life. First, he notes that:
Life is a lot better when you’re strong
Just knowing you can lift something, have a range of motion, perform certain daily tasks is important and helps to improve a person’s quality of life. Moreover:
We need to combat the pitfalls of our culture
Our culture tends to have us hunched over a computer, bending over phone screens, sitting in front of TV’s, lounging in chairs at the movies while we eat or perhaps behind the steering wheel of a car or behind a desk. Often we are hunched over. The chest muscles get tighter. We often set ourselves up for decreased range of motion and sometimes for later injury if we continue these patterns. That’s why we need to exercise the whole body, including our arms.
See: https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/the-best-arm-exercises#2