Title: The fear of General Insufficiency
Text: Numbers 11:26-30
FCF: We all fear that there isn’t enough of God’s love to go around, but we’re wrong.
Outline:
1) George McCllelan
a) John Tyler recommendation (age 15) Graduated 2nd in his class
b) Mexican War Engineer, Gen. Scott / outshone by Robert E. Lee
c) Frustrated by lack of laurels … When War started rushed back
d) Scott resigns, now #1 – only complains / snubs Lincoln
e) Such was the reason he was called ‘Little Mac’
You see, at its heart, jealousies and envies – these passions that kill us – are ultimately little – even belittling passions. They tempt us to think that the only way in which one can achieve greatness is to make others small. It’s a hurtful thing – especially to the one who cannot overcome his own jealousy. It’s a trap that makes even the greatest into little men.
2) Jealousy
a) In Marriage: “Who’s winning?” Nonsensical
b) At work: Comptetitveness
c) Even in the Church: Oh, I wish we were like Church X or Pastor Y
3) The Story
4) Jealousy is fundamentally not a failure of self-will but self-esteem
a) We are children of the King! Real princes don’t worry about provision
b) Psalm 8; Psalm 139
c) Daiyenu: It would have been enough;
d) 2 Peter 1:8: If we believe God has given us all things, why worry about what he’s given others?
There’s no reason to be jealous when we really know that God has given us all we really need. Gen. McClellan was a jealous man, because deep down inside, that little Napoleon had a little view of himself. Deep down, he was a pitiful, fearful little man. He was a coward in General’s clothing.
5) McClellan’s fear
a) Inability to move
b) Peninsula Campaign – fake troops
c) Battle of Seven Pines, He was busy protecting his reputation w/a boat captain
6) Lee’s promotion; McCllellan’s relieved from command
Pretty much any historian will tell you the same thing: The Civil War lasted way too long. The North had 3x the population, all of the major industrial centers, and a sense of unity of purpose that the Confederacy could only dream of. What they lacked was good generals to guide them. From only a few months into the War, the South had Robert E. Lee. But petty rivalries, jealousies, and sometimes outright incompetence turned that same post in the North into a never-ending succession of could-have-beens.
It didn’t have to be that way, of course. Take Gen. George McClellan, for instance. At the age of 15, his talent was so clear that President John Tyler’s own letter of recommendation got him into West Point a year before he was legally eligible. Four years later, he graduated second in his class, and went on to serve in the Mexican American War.
He served under the most respected General of his day – Winfield Scott. He was an engineer who performed great deeds and heroic service – but the glory ended up primarily on another of Gen. Scott’s engineers, namely one Robert E. Lee – oddly enough also salutatorian of his West Point class.
Frustrated at his lack of laurels and adulation, McClellan quit his promising military career, but he never really found what he wanted in civilian life either. So, when fighting broke out in 1861, he raced to get a commission as quickly as he could. Within weeks, at the tender young age of 34, Little Mac found himself to be the second highest ranking officer in the Union Army – reporting only to none other than his old commander Gen. Winfield Scott.
Determined not to lose his share of the glory, McClellan refused to share his battle plans with his superior. Within months, Scott eventually even made way for his young protégé, resigning by October, 1861. One might think that having vaulted into the highest rank at the beginning of America’s greatest war, McClellan might have thought he had made it
But no, all McClellan could do then was complain about “the baboon” in the White House. McClellan was so jealous of Lincoln, that he made Lincoln wait, in McClellan’s own parlor, for over 30 minutes, before having the President informed that he was going to bed early. Such was the petty behavior of the man they called Little Mac.
You see, at its heart, jealousies and envies – these passions that kill us – are ultimately little – even belittling passions. They tempt us to think that the only way in which one can achieve greatness is to make others small. It’s a hurtful thing – especially to the one who cannot overcome his own jealousy. It’s a trap that makes even the greatest into little men.
This morning, as we continue in our series on the Seven Deadly Sins, I want to take a look at the passion which is alternately called Jealousy or Envy. I suppose if you had to, you could distinguish between those two words, but for our purposes, the difference doesn’t really mean anything. In both cases, the person who suffers from either jealousy or envy is only happy when he succeeds at somebody else’s expense.
It’s all around us, you know – people who think they have so little that they can only be elevated when someone else is pushed down.
Have you ever seen it in a marriage? One partner thinks they have to be the breadwinner, or else they are somehow diminished. Or if one of the kids prefers dad to mom, well, her eyes turn a shade of green.
It’s rampant at work. I’ve seen how the ultra-competitive companies fight with each other far more civilly than their workers do at promotion time.
Even in the church, it’s so easy to think, “Oh, I know exactly what leader X or Pastor Y should do!” Why, if I was in charge, I’d be so much more spiritual or better at this or that. Who knows, it’s probably true. God knows that the church needs all the leaders it can get.
You know, church bickering is nothing new. In our text this morning, I want to show a passage that frankly I didn’t get until just this week. I’ve been reading Jim Stalker’s book (The Seven Deadly Sins) published back around the turn of the Century. He pointed me to a familiar passage, but not a familiar section.
In Numbers 11, the Children of Israel had been wandering in the desert surviving “just” on God’s own baked treat – manna. Well, after awhile, Israel started grumbling. Well, back in Egypt, we had meat! Oh yeah – didn’t matter who you were – you got the good stuff. And what do we have? Just this stupid old manna. Ok, so, it maybe be baked by God himself, but it doesn’t even compare to them there hot dogs we had back in the Nile!
Such a travesty, isn’t it. No meat, just God’s own manna. They say it tasted like a baked honey-cake. But how is that supposed with a tough, gamey old bird. Hmm?
Well, in the midst of this, Moses calls together the leaders of Israel, and God decides to talk to them directly. The text says that God put his spirit directly on them. God realized it wasn’t that they lacked meat – it was that they lacked trust. So, God gave them his word, directly. And they figured it out.
You can almost hear God’s frustration when says, “Is my hand too short? You are going to see if I keep my word or not!” Trust me – I’ll feed ‘em all! I made all the fish in the sea – surely I can feed all of these.
Now, God is going to go on to give Israel what they thought they needed – namely meat – so much meat, in fact – that people get sick of the smell. He teaches them what it means to tell God that God isn’t providing.
But, in the midst of this object lesson about God’s provision, there’s a curious little story I want to read you. In 11:26 – 30, right after God puts his spirit on the 70 elders, something curious happens. God’s eventually lets go of 68 of them. But 2 of them –Eldad and Medad and Rachel’s dad, well, they don’t know when to stop. They keep prophesying. Looks like the Lord really had something to say.
Well, Moses’ #2 guy – Joshua. He sees this. He sees these two guys still prophesying about the Lord. And now, he’s getting nervous.
Um, Moses? There’s two guys out there still prophesying! Isn’t that your job? If these two clowns keep preaching, people won’t realize how special you are. Aren’t you going to stop them? You know – protect your reputation and all? You don’t really want to share that preaching thing with them, do you?
Moses looks at Joshua and says: “Are you jealous for me?” Don’t you get it Joshua – I wish that everybody was preaching. God is big enough for all three of us to preach – and frankly he’s big enough for all of us to preach.
Don’t worry – I won’t be out of a job. God is big enough to where we could all prophesy. The real question isn’t, why are they prophesying, it’s why isn’t everybody? There’s enough God to go around.
Even in church, its so easy to be jealous of other churches. Oh – they have that great new pastor who… Or, how come they’re so big, and we’re well, not. Its so human to compare ourselves with others. But we don’t need to. You see, God has already given us exactly what we need.
Those large mega-churches? They often crave the intimacy and community that’s natural in small-group setting like this. And the ones that have pastors that know how to smooth over every feather? Well, some people need perfection. Others can handle human. If we believe that God is big enough to provide all we need, then we can rest assured that God is kind enough to know the best way to provide that.
Fundamentally, Moses didn’t get jealous because he understood – there’s enough. You only get jealous when think there’s not enough to go around.
Let me make it as plain as I can. If you find yourself jealous or envious of someone else’s success – think about what you are saying about yourself. You’re thinking, I don’t have what he has. It’s not a failure of will, it’s a failure of self-esteem.
And let me tell you this – if you’re a Christian – if you’re a child of the King – it’s even more serious than that. If you’re jealous of anybody else – you are doubting God’s provision.
Remember Psalm 8: “What is man that thou art mindful of him? Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels?” Why do you think you need anything more? Either you’re way too greedy (and that’s another sermon) or else you don’t think what God has given you is enough. Either way, your God is way too small.
During Passover, Jews have a great remedy for this failure to realize how much God has given them. It’s a song they sing called Daiyenu! That means, “It would have been enough.” They proceed to name their blessings – the Creation of the World, the Blessing of Abraham, the miracles in Egypt. After each one, they tell each other: “It would have been enough!” I can’t see how people who truly believe that could be jealous of one another. If you realize that, as 2 Peter 1:8 tells us, he’s already given us all we need for righteousness and godliness, there’s no reason to think we need more than someone else.
Any other reaction is simply the fear that God isn’t as strong as we say he is.
There’s no reason to be jealous when we really know that God has given us all we really need. Gen. McClellan was a jealous man, because deep down inside, that little Napoleon had a little view of himself. Deep down, he was a pitiful, fearful little man. He was a coward in General’s clothing.
When he had command of more than 90,000 troops on August, 8th 1861, he claimed there were over 100,000 confederates across the Potomac. Two weeks later, he had 120,000 men, but now claimed there were over 150,000 on the other side. This despite the fact that less than a month before, historians now know only about 35,000 had been marshaled at Bull Run.
McClellan’s fear dogged him throughout the next year. Over the winter, Lincoln famously telegraphed, “Sir, if you are not proposing to use your troops, perhaps I might borrow them for a bit?”
In March, he finally moved them down to Newport News and Norfolk, but they only made slow progress. At one point, the whole of McClellan’s army was tricked into thinking that they were stopped by hundreds of confederate guns. In reality, only a few hundred men manned haystacks and theater props, while Lee successfully stopped an attack from the North. In the end, McClellan’s constant feeling that he was so outnumbered essentially lost him Richmond.
Oh, McClellan’s forces did end up fighting near Richmond – for Seven Days, in fact, while McClellan, eager to burnish his credentials with a navy captain left his force. At the Battle of Seven Pines that day, the first in a series of skirmishes was led by a Confederate general eager to show that the Union wasn’t the only endowed army. That general was so successful that Jefferson Davis gave command of all Southern Forces to him – General Robert E. Lee.
McClellan eventually got something for his lack of trust in his own force, too. McClellan’s constant troop envy finally caught up with him. If you drive into Marshall, right near the Baptist Church there, you’ll see the sign. Here Gen. McClellan was relieved of command. After all, what good is any provision, if you refuse to believe you have it?
My friends, God’s already given us all we need. There’s no need to seek any more. If you scared that someone else will get what you need, you don’t have to. There’s an answer. Would you pray with me?
Long Branch Baptist Church
Halfway, Virginia; est. 1786
Sunday, March 11, 2007
47
Enter to Worship
Prelude David Witt
Invocation Isaiah 55:1-9
*Opening Hymn CH#11
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”
Welcome & Announcements
*Praise Song CH#716
“Jehovah Jireh”
Morning Prayer
Meditating on God’s Goodness: A-Z [See Right]
*Offertory Hymn CH#786
“Count Your Blessings”
Offertory Mr. Witt
*Doxology
Scripture Numbers 11:26-30
Sermon
“Envy: The fear of General Insufficiency”
Invitation Hymn #216
“Great is Thy Faithfulness”
Benediction
Congregational Response
May the grace of Christ of Savior / And the Father’s boundless love
With the Holy Spirit’s favor / Rest upon us from above. Amen.
* Congregation, please stand.
Depart To Serve
ANNOUNCEMENTS
In lieu of a responsive reading, we will have a time of meditation. During this time of contemplation, try to bring to mind one attribute of God for each letter of the alphabet.
Looking for a good deal on a book? JoAnne Cross will be at the Book Cellar – a great place for used books – on Saturday. She’d love to have you come by (or is that buy?)! The Book Cellar is located near the Phelps building in Warrenton.
Also on Saturday night, Middleburg Methodist Church is hosting a benefit dinner and silent auction at the Middleburg Community Center in order to raise money for Fish and Seven Loaves. Last year even featured country square dancing. Who knows, you may even find that dining room table you’ve been searching for! Talk to Sally Witt for details.
Next Sunday after church, please plan on sticking around for a light lunch and not-too-heavy movie. Please also be praying for the person you are inviting.
Sunday School: Please remember your Fitness Assessments next week!
PRAYER LIST
Lillian & Natalie’s Schulz’s sister
Corey Keely ∞ Andy Phelps
Irene Griffith ∞ Martha Puryear
Warren Lee ∞ Susan Schulz
Jim Schulz
Long Branch Church
