As believers, we still have an old nature that causes us to do things that God hates; God doesn’t hate us, but He does hate sin. That’s why God had John write, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:8-9)
So, what does this have to do with Psalm 95? In verses 8-11, the writer warns about complaining, and he uses the example of Israel in the wilderness. You would think that after walking through the Red Sea on dry ground and then seeing the Egyptian army drown, they would trust God to meet their needs. But after travelling three days finding no water, on the fourth day they came to an oasis, but the water was too bitter to drink. All the people could do was turn against Moses and complained when they should have asked Moses to pray for a solution. God showed Moses a piece of wood, and, when he threw the wood in the water, it was instantly drinkable. (Exodus 15). “After leaving Marah, the Israelites travelled on to the oasis of Elim. In Exodus 16, the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron. Complaining about the lack of flavorful food, God answered by providing manna (a honey-wafer) and quail. In Exodus 17, the complainers were at it again. No water at Rephidim where they camped. The Lord told Moses to take his staff and strike a rock, “and water gushed out as the elders looked on.” This was so the important the place was given two names: Meribah which means strife; and Massah which means test.
Both the writer of this psalm and Paul in Hebrews 5 warn believers not to complain but to trust God for their needs. Forty years of wandering in the wilderness was the Israelites punishment, never being able to enter God’s rest.
How can we avoid falling into this trap? Praising God is the answer as the writer shows us in verses 1-7. James tells us to count it all joy when we are tested because it will strengthen our faith. Let us begin and end each day by giving God praise; by doing that, we will be happier and have far less chance of complaining.