Title: Why They Call It the Desert
Text: Numbers 11:4-23
Thesis: The “desert” is one of the best places for faith to grow.
Series: The Bible in 90 Days Whole Church Challenge
We are continuing our The Bible in 90 Days Whole Church Challenge Series this morning. We began the journey last week with childless Abram and Sarah… this week their descendants number in the hundreds of thousands. This week our journey of faith takes us with those hundreds of thousands of descendants, as they leave Egypt and trek their way across the
wilderness to the land God had promised Abraham. In our story today, we will focus on one incident from those years of wandering that illustrates how challenging life can be and how a desert journey is a journey of trust.
Introduction
A desert is a landscape or region that receives almost no precipitation… less than 10 inches per year. It may also be defined as a place where more water is lost through evaporation than falls as precipitation. A desert is a region where there is a moisture deficit and vegetation is sparse to almost non-existent. The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara in northern Africa which covers 3.5 square miles. By comparison, our own Mojave Desert covers 54,000 square miles. And by comparison… the Sinai Wilderness in our story covered approximately 25,000 square miles. The northern Sinai is a desert plateau bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and the southern Sinai is mountainous and bordered by the Red Sea. It is the landscape the Children of Israel wandered over for forty-years.
Deserts are dangerous places where the greatest danger is in lack of preparation and panic. In his Desert Survival Primer, David Alloway says that when you find yourself in a desert crisis you need to do five things:
• Accept the situation without blaming yourself or anyone else.
• Start a fire and brew a cup of tea.
• Consider your options.
• Decide on a plan. And execute your plan.
• Develop survival skills necessary for traversing a desert, i.e., learn and grow as you go.
He also suggests that you carry a pocket sized desert survival kit which is packed with approximately thirty items like a tea bag, bouillon cubes, three Band-Aids, signal whistle, magnifying glass, mirror, etc., a knife, two 1-liter canteens, a blanket and a compass. These items are intended to provide you with the essentials of water, fire, shelter, signals and food.
Now, knowing that a desert can be a foreboding place, imagine the desert as a metaphor for a time or season in your life when you feel spiritually dry and that God has deserted you. When we journey through a spiritual desert we need to have a survivalist’s mentality and understand the experience as an opportunity for our faith to develop.
The first survival skill we need when we are in the desert is:
I. Survival Skill # 1: Don’t Whine, Numbers 11:4-6
(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! (5) We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost… also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.” Numbers 11:4-6
The “rabble” in our text were the uncivil, very vocal minority of that day… but as is true of most vocal minorities, they influenced and ultimately controlled the majority and everyone began to complain.
Complaining is the beginning of a downward spiral where we: 1. Focus’ on the negative 2. Fall into despair and 3. Fail to thrive… and die.
They became so caught up in their complaining that they considered slavery and death preferable to eating manna. Keep in mind… no one was starving. No one was weak and debilitated. They just wanted pizza.
All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword… wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” Numbers 14:2-3
In my thinking this week, I was reminded of the passage from I Corinthians 10:1-13 in which Paul warns the Corinthian Christians. He cites the history of the Children of Israel as an example to us. He says we should not be ignorant but rather informed so that we may avoid making the mistakes they made in their spiritual journey.
He reminds us that they were a blessed people but “nevertheless” God was not pleased with most of them and as a result their bodies are scattered across the desert. Paul cites their failures in the practices of idolatry, pagan revelry and sexual immorality, testing God and (of all things) grumbling. Isn’t it a curious thing that most of us manage to not get tripped up over idolatry or sexual cavorting but fail miserably in grumbling and complaining. It is sobering to realize that God is as displeased with grumbling and complaining and criticizing as with sexual immorality.
While in Michigan this summer I read the Milwaukee Journal daily newspaper every day which featured the ongoing saga of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Local 1947 and Mercury Marine Corporation in Fon du Lac, Wisconsin.
It seems the average union scale worker at Mercury Marine was earning $20 per hour plus benefits. Mercury Marine, which also owns a plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, told the union that unless they made some serious concessions they would be forced to move their operation from Fon du Lac to Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is a “Right to Work” state with no unions, lower wages and a plentiful work force.
Part of the concession was that wages would freeze at $20 per hour for seven years and new hires would start at $13 per hour. The workers were outraged and the union leaders vowed to reject the concessions. So the union voted it down. And Mercury Marine promptly announced their operations would move to Tulsa in the next two years.
This shocked the union workers in Fon du Lac because they had always thought that they could negotiate a better deal… but this time when Mercury Marine offered their “take-it-or-leave-it” deal, they were serious. Suddenly, 850 workers and their families were faced with reality… keep Mercury Marine in their community and learn to live on $20 per hour until the economy turns around or have 850 families lose their jobs.
When the union workers went home and the reality of the situation sunk in… the realized that a job was better than no job and they quickly organized a second vote readily agreeing to the concessions asked by Mercury Marine. And the city of Fon du Lac and the state of Wisconsin is suddenly motivated to offer incentives to keep the industry at home as well.
When those union workers went home and told their spouses the news… when the city, county and state realized that there would be the loss of 850 jobs and devastation to the entire area economy, it suddenly occurred to them that maybe “manna” wasn’t so bad… maybe a diet of coriander bread was better than no food at all.
This week I stopped by Walgreens to get my flu shot and asked the pharmacist about the new H1N1 vaccine and she told me that the Health Department had ordered 7.7 million doses that would be administered in October to the most at-risk for swine flu. The H1N1 is the vaccine against swine flu.
Gratitude is the vaccine or antitoxin against grumbling and complaining and criticizing.
Application: When you find yourself in the desert and you are tempted to slip into negativism, grumbling and complaining… Stop it! Nurture a grateful spirit by focusing on what God is doing and what is good.
• The first survival skill: Stop Whining and become grateful.
The second survival skill we need when we are in the desert is:
II. Survival Skill #2: Get Help, Numbers 11:10-15
(10) Moses heard the people of every family wailing… and Moses was troubled. (11) He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you… (14) I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.” Numbers 11:10-15
Someone has suggested that the only reason the Children of Israel wandered in the desert for forty-years is because the men were too proud to stop and ask for directions. It is commonly understood that men are reluctant to ask for directions and we assume it is some kind of macho pride thing. But there may be other reasons:
Play Clip: Why Men Don’t Ask for Help http://www.jokeroo.com/video/funny/directions.html
We don’t know if Moses was such a man but we do know that eventually, Moses came to realize that he was in-over-his-head and let his frustration and fears be known to God. When confronted with a task that taxes our skills or an obstacle we cannot navigate or a burden too heavy to carry, the wisest and most godly thing we can do is acknowledge our need for help.
If we cannot get from Point A to Point B given who we are and our resources, the best thing to do is acknowledge it and receive help.
Every year Michigan’s Timid Motorist Program assists hundreds of drivers across the five mile long and 200 feet high Mackinac Bridge that connects Upper and Lower Michigan. The drivers are so afraid of heights that they can’t drive their own cars. (Turning Point Daily Devotional, 9-2-09)
Moses was looking at a very long and very high bridge, so to speak, when he realized he did not have the where-with-all to carry the burden of getting two million unhappy campers to the Promised Land. So he cried out to God:
“Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people who keep wailing, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.” Numbers 11:12-14
Deserts are not only places of deprivation… they are places of desperation. Moses did not know what to do. He was at his wits end. He was in big trouble physically, emotionally and spiritually. But he did what he needed to do. He came clean and admitted he could not do what needed to be done.
Application: When you find yourself in the desert and nearing “meltdown,” begin by asking God to help. The bible says, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 4:31 And it is appropriate to ask for and accept the help of others… our strength is not in being body parts but body parts functioning as a whole.
• The first Survival Skill we need for navigating the deserts of life is: Stop Whining and Be Grateful.
• The second Survival Skill we need for navigating the deserts of life is: Ask for Help.
The third survival skill we need when we are in the desert is:
III. Survival Skill #3: Grow Strong
(16) The Lord said, “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people… (17) 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… Numbers 11:16-18
Surviving is not only a matter of being willing to ask for help, it is a matter of letting others help.
God gets it. When Moses reached a human impasse, God gave him meat to feed the people and seventy leaders to help him so he did not have to carry the burden alone.
Jesus gets it. Jesus understood the principle of multiplying yourself through others. He chose twelve disciples.
Jesus established the church to act as his body in the world… followers of Christ have been the presence of Christ in the world since his ascension and will continue as such until his return.
The whole idea of the Covenant Church acknowledges that we as a Covenant can accomplish more together than acting alone.
On Thursday evening I watched the Pittsburg Steelers and the Tennessee Titans play the first NFL game of the season. It was a very good game played by two very good teams. As you know, The Steelers were the Super Bowl Champions last year. The Steelers have many outstanding players but Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is the key player on offense and Troy Palamalu is a super star as a safety on defense. Palamalu was injured during a blocked field goal attempt and missed the second half of the game and may be out for several weeks. However… the Steelers are not Ben Roesthlisberger and Troy Palamalu. They are a team of coaches and players. They would be powerless if the sole offense was Ben Roesthlisberger and the sole defense was Troy Palamalu. The strength is in the team playing together… admittedly the team is made better by outstanding players but the strength of Ben Roesthlisberger is only effective when he says, “Okay guys, I cannot win this game without the help of everyone on this team playing his respective position as his best.
Two things were apparent about Moses that enabled him to be a stronger leader:
1. He believed that God is more than capable of meeting our needs.
The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? You will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.” Numbers 11:23
2. He wanted others to be empowered and used by God.
But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” Numbers 11:29
The secret of strength is acknowledging our own weakness and dependence on God and others because, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” II Corinthians 12:10
Application: If you find yourself in a desert, seize the experience as an opportunity to grow. Moses’ growing edge in that experience was learning to let others share the burden of leadership. We all have growing edges and as we come to face our limitations and trust God and others, we will become stronger people. Paul reminds us that “He who has begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
Conclusion
Moses and the Children of Israel did not accomplish a lot during those forty-years of wandering around in the desert wilderness of Sinai. They didn’t build any homes or cities. No entrepreneurial Israelite opened a Super Sinai Wal-Mart. No one developed a new Vaccine to stave off desert dropsy. It was pretty much a place where God met his people. God went with them. He guided them by day and protected them at night. He spoke to them and cared for their needs. He blessed them when they were faithful and disciplined them when they weren’t. It was in the desert that they learned to live as free people rather than slaves. It was in the desert that they learned to follow God completely and in doing so they survived.
From their experience we learn that when we find ourselves in our own deserts:
• The first Survival Skill we need for navigating the deserts of life is: Stop Whining and Be Grateful.
• The second Survival Skill we need for navigating the deserts of life is: Ask for Help.
• The third Survival Skill we need for navigating the deserts of life is: Grow through the Experience.
