Knowing God's will is important. When I am 100% convinced God wants me to do something, it is much easier to meet obstacles along the way. But most of the time God's will regarding the mundane things of life is rarely clear to me. For example, should we sell our house and buy elsewhere or stay put?

The lesson for Sunday says:


And the lesson for Monday says:


Points to note: the murmurings arose among the mixed multitude; to prevent the spreading of the murmurings through the entire camp, fire (lightning) came from the cloud and consumed the instigators of the trouble; Moses himself came very near distrusting the Lord.

Satan... came with his temptations first to the mixed multitude, the believing Egyptians, and stirred them up to seditious murmurings. These murmurings would soon have leavened the entire camp, had not the wrath of God in fire from Heaven flashed like lightning from the cloudy pillar and consumed those who were the instigators of the trouble. Yet this, instead of humbling them, seemed only to increase their murmurings. When Moses heard the people weeping in the door of their tents, and complaining throughout their families, he was greatly distressed. Here Moses, himself, came very near distrusting the Lord. ... The burden seemed almost insupportable. Did not Moses at this time regret that he had not consented to have Israel destroyed, and himself made a great nation? Such temptations troubled him. It grieved him sorely to have them direct their complaints against him, as if every supposed deprivation was chargeable to him. ... His heart sunk within him; but he turned to the only One who could help him in his trouble. His was a prayer which was almost a complaint. ‘Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?’ ‘Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.’ This prayer does not do honor to Moses, who had seen so much of the power of God. The burdens of care had overtaxed him. He could have borne them all had the people stood by him; but he knew that their perverseness would only be quelled by the display of God's wrath, and he preferred death rather than to see Israel disgraced and their enemies triumph. The Lord heard the prayer of his servant, and the answer came, strong and positive, directing him to gather before him seventy men... who were qualified to be judges or officers. ... But had Moses shown simple trust and confidence in God, corresponding to his great goodness and mercy, these men would not have been chosen. Serious trouble would eventually result from their enlarged authority. God would have guarded his servant continually, and strengthened him in every emergency, had he relied fully upon him. Moses was not excusable in so nearly imitating the people in murmuring against God. He magnified his burdens and services, when the Lord was really the worker, and he only the instrument. Poor, weak human nature, how little is it to be trusted!” {ST, August 12, 1880 par. 3-7}

What is really important is to know God's will about spiritual things and follow it. I think this is easy (to know; not always to do). About secular things, we should pray about them, and I believe that if God wants you to go in a certain direction he will open doors for you.

Was the "fire" lightning or "like" lightning? Is there a difference?

I don't think we can know. I think its appearance was like lightining, but we don't know exactly what it is. PP 379 says, "The most guilty of the complainers were slain by lightning from the cloud." The passage above says, "fire from Heaven flashed like lightning from the cloudy pillar."

It's interesting that Ellen White also mentions lightining in connection with Christ's coming:

"Before the Son of man appears in the clouds of heaven, everything in nature will be convulsed. Lightning from heaven uniting with the fire in the earth, will cause the mountains to burn like a furnace, and pour out their floods of lava over villages and cities, molten masses of rock, thrown into the water by the upheaval of things hidden in the earth. There will be mighty earthquakes and great destruction of human life. But as in the days of the great deluge Noah was preserved in the ark that God had prepared for him, so in these days of destruction and calamity, God will be the refuge of His believing ones." --Letter 258, 1907. {3MR 309.4}

Note that the apostasy received its consequences "from the cloudy pillar." God directly addressed the apostasy, rather than just letting sin take its natural course.

Tom would probably say the fire that killed them was pent up until God withdrew His protection. As such, God wouldn't have killed them; instead, sin, which upset the balance of nature, is what killed them.

Tom probably would, since he pretends God does not kill. If this is the case, sin somehow has a double standard. Sin does not leap out and kill the serial murderers today, whereas in the case mentioned above, sin killed those who but voiced complaints. Sin does not strike sinners dead today for mocking God--or even claiming He does not exist. Why?

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Again, Tom would say God, not sin, is in control. The pent up forces of nature are held in check until such time God deems it necessary to unleash its fury. It is sin, not God, that wields the forces of nature like a "slaughter weapon". God simply permits it to play out according to His established and enforced limits.