Is Shortened? Series

01.01.2026

NEW YEAR SERMON

Numbers 11:18-23 - Is the Lord's hand shortened?

Greetings: The Lord is good; and His Love endures forever!

Happy New Year 2026!

Introduction: Tonight I would like to start with a question? Is the Lord's hand shortened? This is the question of God to Moses by the Almighty God, by Covenant Keeping God, by promise fulfilling God. Why God had to tell Moses about His Character, about His Power, about His Omnipotence. Moses was not an ordinary person, not an unbeliever, not atraditional Servant of God. Moses was a Holy Man, an Honest Man, Humble man, and a Meek Man throughout the earth while he was on the earth. He was a Prophet of God, a Man of God, and a Servant of God who had enjoyed inexpressible intimacy, closeness with YHWH.

YHWH told Aaron and Miriam: “Listen to my words:“When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid tospeak against my servant Moses?” (Numbers 12:6-8). Then why this question to MOSES?

Let me bring out briefly the larger and immediate context of this Question of God. The larger context is that the Children of Israel were the children of Abraham, Children promise of God, and they were in slavery for about 420 years in Egypt. They were redeemed by YHWH with His an outreached arm and wonders through ten plagues.  They had crossed the Red sea, had seen miracles after miracles. They had the grace to witness the presence of God (Numbers 11:35-36). But now, on the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of Exodus, within two years of redemption, the sojourners complained, cried, cursed, and yelled at Moses and at God.

The immediate context is Moses was facing problems in the family circle, among the relatives and Jealousy colloquies.  Before the question of the Lord, the initial general complaints of Israel (Numbers 11:1–3), the complaints about food (vv. 4–9), Moses’ own complaint to the LORD (vv. 10–15), After the question, the zealous of Eldadand Medad (Numbers 11:26–29), and the quail (vv. 30–35)., and the rain of Quails.

Tonight, let us think about God and our present situation, but Trust in the Lord and not grieve Him - Numbers 11:1-9; Trust in the Lord and not Question Him (Numbers 11:11-17); Trust in the Lord and not Underestimate Him(Numbers 11:18-23).

1. Trust in the Lord and not grieve Him - Numbers 11:1-9

‘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!”’ (Numbers 11:4-6). “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” (Numbers 11:20). Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents (Numbers 11:10). The Lord was sad, displeased and grieved.

In Exodus 12:38 we read that there a Mixed multitude joined the Israelites when they left Egypt. The Hebrew word for multitude is rab meaning "great," "many," or "large." In the Targum the phrase is vaguely rendered "many foreigners," and as "a medley of outlandish people", as 'strangers' and 'proselytes.' They are varied groups of forced labourers, people of different origins, seized the moment and left Egypt with the Israelites. According to Ibn Ezra, these were the people from the bottom of Egypt's social strata who took the opportunity to escape from their fate. After seeing the series of miracles that God performed in Egypt, many locals, Egyptians, and others, decided to leave with the Israelites and joined them. (Exodus 12:37, Numbers 1:46) showing that Israel obviously consisted of many non-biological Jews who had joined. Moses married a Midianite (Exodus 2:16-21). Rahab was a Canaanite (Joshua 2:1, 2).

They remembered the onions, garlic, cucumbers, melons, and leeks of the Egypt, they have forgotten the beatings by the Taskmasters and the cruelty they experienced under the hands of Pharaoh. 6 Lakhs men rejected God. They Wailed, yelled, complained, ungrateful, and stiff-necked. Regretted for freedom longed for slavery. Unholy people (Numbers 11: 18-20). David Guzik says that they were affected by “False Memory Syndrome.” The Talmud Yoma divides the Wilderness Israelites into three groups: The righteous, the average, and the wicked.

The Discontent was their condition. They came in response to miracles, signs, and wonderswithout born-again. They are not for God but to achieve the desires of their flesh. They are full of murmurings and complaints. Their eyes and desires are still in the world. They attend church out of attraction by the entertainment of some. They do not walk by the Spirit but in the flesh (Romans 8:7). The unsaved are the source of most of the complaining and bickering within the congregation.  Blessings in disguise is good, blessings with disguise is unwarranted (Numbers 11:10-15). Matthew Henry: “A few factious, discontented, ill-natured people, may do a great deal of mischief in the best societies, if great care be not taken to discountenance it.”