Series: Untold Stories of the Old Testament #1
Date: CHCC: May 20, 2012
Title: Complainers
Text: Numbers 11-12
INTRODUCTION:
2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
Today we’re going to get some important lessons from some obscure chapters in the book of Numbers. When we get to Numbers 11, the Children of Israel had been camping around Mt. Sinai for almost a year. It had taken them about 3 months to travel from Egypt --- where they had been slaves --- to Mt. Sinai --- where they became a free nation.
During the 11 months they’d been at Mt. Sinai, they had received the 10 commandments, they had constructed and dedicated the Tabernacle, and they had consecrated the priests. They had organized the 12 tribes and they had raised an army for defense. Israel was now a nation, ready for action.
Unfortunately, their first action was to start COMPLAINING. Numbers 11:1 "Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused."
Today we’re going to look at 4 things we can learn about the sin of complaining. And we’re going to look at 3 lessons about how to respond to criticism. That’s 7 points, so we have to move fast. Stay with me!
The first lesson is that…
1. Complaining is a deadly sin
We tend to think of complaining as nothing more than a harmless way of making conversation. But that is not how God sees it. Numbers 11:2 tells how God reacted when His people started complaining. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
God didn’t consider complaining to be a minor little flaw. In the examples we’re going to look at today, God gave two deadly consequences to complainers: consuming fire, and leprosy. It’s obvious that God considers complaining to be a deadly sin. He cannot tolerate complainers among His people. It’s enough to make me want to be sure I don’t turn into a complainer!
After the fires broke out, the people cried out to Moses. He prayed. And God made the fires die down. But before long the whining started up again. The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat!” Numbers 11:4
They were complaining about the miraculous manna that God had provided for them. In essence they were complaining against God. This is why complaining is such a deadly sin. When we complain, what we’re really saying is, “God hasn’t given me enough. God’s not fair!” Complaining is the opposite of thanksgiving.
The next thing we learn is that …
2. Complaining discourages others
Notice how Moses reacted to all this whining: He asked the Lord, “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?” Numbers 11:11 Moses told the Lord that taking care of those people was like taking care of a bunch of babies … and he went so far as to say, “ If this is the way it’s going to be, then please just go ahead and kill me!”
Complaining is the opposite of encouraging. Never underestimate how your complaints will demoralize other people! I remember Mel Sabaka saying “I don’t have trouble motivating others – I have trouble with other people de-motivating me!”
Maybe you work at a place where there’s a culture of complaining. Then you know how demoralizing it is to spend all day in that environment.
Maybe you live in a home that has developed a culture of complaining. Nobody can enjoy that kind of home life!
I’m so thankful to say that CHCC does NOT have a culture of complaining. But I’ve seen plenty of churches that do.
One thing I’ve noticed through the years is that when complaining springs up, it’s usually directed at the very people who are trying the hardest and doing the most to minister to others. In fact, it’s often directed at the ones who have helped the complainer the most.
I remember the first time I learned this. I was talking to a lady who announced she was leaving the church. I invited her to come in and tell me what the problem was. I was shocked that the people she was complaining about were the Sunday School teachers --- who had stood by her through all kinds of troubles, and other church leaders --- who I knew had actually donated money more than once to help pay her bills.
By the end of that conversation, I felt like Moses … just kill me now! In fact, I had to go home and lie down for an hour just to get over listening to all that vitriol.
Since then, I’ve seen that it’s not unusual for complainers to target the very people who care about them the most. That was certainly the case with Moses! And it didn’t take long for Moses to learn another lesson …
3. Complaining is contagious
In verse 4 we saw that complaints started with “the rabble.” These were people on the outskirts of the camp … the deadbeats or the “riff-raff.” But the complaining spirit caught hold in the camp … and before you knew it, it had spread all the way from the riff-raff to the top leaders.
Numbers 12: 1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.
Miriam and Aaron were leaders in Israel, and they were Moses’ own sister and brother. So this criticism came close to home. People have various theories about why they objected to this Cushite wife. But whatever their reasons, you can count on one thing. The complaint was trivial. Complaints usually are petty … and complaints are seldom timely or helpful.
Moses had already married the woman, so it was too late to object. And they offered no solution. So what was the point of all the complaining? Complaining really HAS no point. It does nothing positive, but it can spread through an organization or a home like a deadly disease.
When the contagion of complaining spreads through a Church, there is no limit to the devastation it can cause. Every now and then, I catch wind that “several people” are complaining about something or other. (It’s never one person with a name, it’s always kind of vague … “several people.”) Sometimes it may be a legitimate complaint … and we may need to do something to improve the situation.
But my biggest concern is not usually the issue they’re complaining about. My number one concern is that a spirit of complaining could spread from that group of “several people” and take hold in the church. Nothing can quench the Holy Spirit like a spirit of complaining!
The reason this is true is because …
4. Complaining is a symptom of deeper sin
Every chronic complainer has a hidden agenda. Most of the time they are careful to keep it hidden … even from themselves. But our hidden agenda is never hidden from God.
In the case of Miriam and Aaron, the Bible immediately reveals their hidden agenda: Numbers 12:2 tells what they were really thinking: “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” Underneath the trivial complaint about Moses’ wife was the hidden SIN of jealousy and selfish ambition.
Any time we have a sermon like this one, it’s normal for us to start thinking about other people the sermon fits. “I wish old so-and-so could here this sermon. They really need it!” But this is a point we each need to apply to ourselves.
Next time you catch yourself complaining --- (and let’s admit, we all do it!) --- stop and ask yourself what your REAL motivation is. What underlies your critical attitude?
We try to hide our real intent --- even from ourselves --- because what is really causing us to complain is probably something ugly.
• It might be jealousy or selfish ambition (like Miriam and Aaron).
• It might be perfectionism or need to be in control – where everything has to be the way you want it or you can’t be happy
• It might be bitterness --- an underlying anger and resentfulness over something that doesn’t seem fair to you
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what is causing you to have a critical spirit. God can root that sin out of your life … and then you’ll be able to replace complaining with thanksgiving. And you’ll be able to stop discouraging and start encouraging.
Jesus addressed this same issue in Matthew 7:3 when he said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
It never feels that way to us when we’re criticizing someone else. It seems like we’re seeing clearly, and THEIR problem is a big one. But think of it this way: The other person may very well have a fault or weakness. But the fact that you have focused in on their fault means that you have a much greater fault. In God’s eyes, a critical spirit is a serious sin.
When the Israelites complained, God sent a consuming fire. When Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses, God struck Miriam with leprosy. We should never underestimate the damage our complaining can do … especially in the church. God cannot tolerate complaining among His people.
CONCLUSION:
So far we talked about lessons we can learn about complainers. This is important, because all of us are tempted to complain sometimes.
I want to end by talking about how we can respond when we are the TARGET of a complainer --- because (unless you just sit around doing nothing) you WILL be the target of complaints at some time.
Next time that happens to you, remember that Moses responded with WISDOM, with HUMILITY, and with GRACE.
When the Israelites were complaining about the food, Moses turned to God in his frustration and admitted, I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. Numbers 11:14
God told Moses to get 70 men to help him and delegate … and that’s what Moses did. In that way, he responded with WISDOM.
There’s almost always a grain of truth in any criticism. God can give you the wisdom to see where the truth lies --- and address the issue in a way that makes things better for everyone.
Moses responded with HUMILITY. Numbers 12:1-2 tells how Miriam and Aaron complained against Moses. Verse 3 throws in this little aside: (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
Moses didn’t even try to defend himself. He just stood back and let the Lord defend him.
God is capable of coming to your defense when you are unfairly attacked. When you’re under attack from a critic is a good time to test out the truth of James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
God defended Moses in no uncertain terms --- when Miriam came down with leprosy.
And notice that Moses responded with GRACE. He prayed for Miriam’s healing, and God answered his prayer.
If we can face criticism the way Moses did – with WISDOM, HUMILITY, and GRACE --- we’ll find that God can defend us and that our relationships can be restored.
