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Good morning friends I’m sure I don’t need to inform you that it’s Monday, and for many people that brings a certain ‘attitude’ doesn’t it?
We’re reading Numbers chapter 11 today, and it’s an important glimpse into ourselves.
Have you noticed that too much of anything, even a good thing, can become a problem? When it comes to food, we all have an appetite that needs satisfying everyday, and most everyone has likes and dislikes in food. Have you ever had to eat the same thing every day, at every meal, for several days or weeks? Can you even imagine that?
Numbers 11 is that situation. The 2 million runaway slaves with Moses had been eating “Manna” everyday for several months and they were tired of it. No matter how they cooked it, it was still ‘manna’ and they craved some variety. Their craving produced complaining, and complaining became cancerous, and rumbled through the camp. Listen to verse 4 “The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
Who are “the rabble“? I don’t know exactly, but they seem to be some deeply disgruntled people and their grumbling spread like wildfire. Have you noticed how contagious complaining can be? We see it on the TV news every night, we hear it in our communities, sometimes…very sadly, even in churches, among Christians, right?
I have a question. For Christians, what’s the fundamental problem with complaining? I think it is this… complaining says, “God, I don’t like this situation and I expect You to fix it right now. In fact, if You were really a Loving and Holy heavenly Father, You would have prevented it from happening in the first place, so I would have been spared the discomfort it is causing me right now.”
Now…is that fair or an exaggeration? What are the things in life which cause you and me to complain? Long lines, flat tires, delayed or cancelled airplanes, stormy weather when you have outdoor plans, health concerns, broken promises, grumpy neighbors… what is it in your life that stirs up attitudes and words that are less than God glorifying, God praising?
When you look closely at how both Moses and God respond to the grumbling, in Numbers 11, what does it tell you? I think it’s possible that if you follow the entire story of the life of Moses, this may be his lowest point. Look closely at what he says to God in vs. 10-15…“Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? What have I done to displease You that You put the burden of all these people on me? … Where can I get meat for all these people? I cannot carry all these people by myself, the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how You are going to treat me, put me to death right now…”
What do you hear in Moses’ complaint with God? We’ve all been here haven’t we? Circumstances grow painful and our minds begin to distort the truth, the reality of the situation and of course we look for someone or something to blame, don’t we? And it snowballs doesn’t it? The distortion grows larger and we make assumptions. We fall into very wrong thinking and faulty conclusions, and then we start making accusations. I invite you to analyze Moses’ rant, and see how many wrong things you can identify, in what he said to God. It’s remarkable…but it’s also very real, isn’t it?
Did you know Moses is neither the first nor the last great man of God who concluded the circumstances of life were so bad he asked God to kill him?! Elijah did the same thing, after his great showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel! (1 Kings 19:3-5). How about you and me, my friends. Can we see ourselves in Numbers 11?
Do you see God’s response involved two major things? First, God supplied leadership help for Moses, so he would not feel alone with the burden of leading 2 million people. But please notice it was their anointing with the Holy Spirit of God which made them particularly helpful to Moses in their leadership! Do you see what God said in vs. 16&17? “Bring Me 70 of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the “Tent of Meeting” that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people…” Here’s an important question my friends… who do you have in your life, who is helping you carry the burdens of your life?
Here’s a more important question… are they anointed by the Holy Spirit of God, so you know it is by God’s power they are helping you walk the journey of life before you?
Here’s another important question… are you anointed and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God and for whom are you the helper that they need in carrying their burdens in life?
The second major thing God did was deal with the craving for meat. Do you see God’s miraculous response? Underline verse 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.” It’s fair to say God was a just a little frustrated with Moses…do you see why? Moses had said to God “Here I am among 600,000 men on foot, [plus women and children and animals] and You say, ‘I will give them meat to each for a whole month!’, Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”
It’s important for us to see this isn’t it my friends? Because it’s us, it’s you and me, in our frustrations in life, right? We get frustrated in life and we complain, we distort reality, we jump to very wrong conclusions, we accuse and blame…and we get disappointed with God don’t we? And where does that lead us, friends? Into the dark alley of discontent, perhaps even anger and bitterness, and rather than living overwhelmed with God’s majesty and miracles, we fall into the pit of despair and despondency…and nothing good happens there. Perhaps worst of all… we don’t keep quiet… we grumble, we complain, we talk to other people and our critical attitude spreads like cancer and pretty soon we’ve pulled a bunch of other people down into the pit with us.
As you read the rest of Numbers 11, watch closely to see what God did. Yes, He anointed 70 other men to help Moses carry the load of leadership. Yes He sent quail, enough to feed the people meat for a month. And He also sent a plague, a severe plague. We don’t know what that was, but we see this in vs. 34 “…there they buried the people who had craved other food.” What are the lessons for us, here, my friends?
I wonder what would have happened if the people would have worshiped instead of grumbled? If they had gathered around the “Tent of Meeting” and had a praise service, thanking God for all He had done in their journey so far, and then asking if He’d be kind enough to bless them with a little variety in the manna?? Instead they complained, they grumbled, they craved and turned against Moses and God. . .and they paid a heavy price.
Let’s learn from Numbers 11 my friends… let’s learn really important lessons about how to “walk with Jesus” with a tender, grateful, worshiping heart and resist the temptation from the devil to allow our hearts to turn resentful, complaining, dis-satisfied with God. May I leave you with this very famous quote from Pastor John Piper… “God is most glorified in my life, when I am most satisfied in Him.”
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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