It’s summertime folks. And the heat of Texas is here. And that heat causes many to be on edge—on edge enough to gripe or complain about the smallest of things. Do we have any complainers here today?
This coming November, I will have been pastor here at SEBC for 27 years. Through those years I have withstood a lot of behind the scenes grumbling. It's funny how most of the grumbling and complaints don't surface in front of other people. It always seems to be done under the table, or behind closed doors, or through letters, private phone calls, or emails. I have received them all over the years.
I have thought deeply about each incident and have pretty much come to the realization that most all these complaints or these grumblings come from people who are simply not happy with themselves. They need someone to take it out on. So, I guess the pastor gets to be the sounding board.
Some of the comments that have been made over the past years can really bring a person down, especially a pastor. But those complainers seem to think that a pastor doesn't have feelings or a life of his own. In all these cases I have put it in God's hands and in one way or another God has clearly taken care of each situation.
It's not that I am beyond criticism. But some of the responses I have received over the years could have caused some serious damage to our relationship and our larger work for the kingdom of God.
There is a place for honestly confronting others when done in a loving and gracious way. Yet maturity means learning to guard our hearts from an unhelpful, critical spirit, as we'll learn in this story of Miriam and Aaron's criticism of Moses. Prayer
Numbers 12:1-3 – “Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). 2 They said, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does he not also speak through us?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.”
A grumbling and critical spirit was all too evident with the Israelites throughout their journey in the desert. The people had an uncanny ability to find something to complain about - and their griping was often aimed at their leader, Moses. We find that not only did the complaints and griping come from throughout the Israelite people, but it also came from some of Moses’ closest relatives, his sister and brother, Miriam and Aaron. Something I noticed right off is that Miriam's name is mentioned first which says that she was likely the one leading out in this criticism.
Miriam and Aaron were the older siblings of Moses. Their major complaint is voiced here in the first 2 verses of Numbers 12. They were first critical of his marriage to a Cushite woman. But this first complaint was only a smoke screen to what they really wanted to complain about.
They had a deeper motivation for complaining. “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does he not also speak through us?” Maybe they were jealous of Moses stature as Israel's recognized leader. Maybe they felt slighted and not given enough credit for their own accomplishments. Whatever the reason, their critical spirit toward Moses was fueled by comparing themselves to their younger brother.
It tells us that Moses was a humble man. He would probably have been more than eager to share the platform with his siblings and anyone else. In fact, in the previous chapter, Moses expressed his desire that all God's people would have the Holy Spirit in their lives even as he did.
Numbers 11:29 – “But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account? If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place his Spirit on them!”
But all that Miriam and Aaron could see was God's apparent favor of Moses at their expense. They had lost sight of the ways the Lord had also powerfully used them. For example, many knew Miriam as the prophetess who sang a powerful song exalting the Lord who rescued them from their pursuers when they left Egypt. Aaron was the mouthpiece for Moses before Pharaoh, and was installed as the first high priest of the Lord.
Yet sadly, because they were so fixated on how God was speaking through Moses, they forgot the important ways God also spoke through them to lead Israel. Their eyes could only see through the lens of what they lacked instead of all that they had. As they compared themselves to Moses, that comparison stole their joy and brought about their critical spirit.
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If you have anything to do with Facebook, you can see that most any social media seems designed for comparing ourselves to other people. That tells me that limiting our time on social media would be a good idea. Just a thought. We don't need to compare ourselves to anyone. God has made each of us in our own unique way. God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go.
To all of our Mr. or Mrs. Grumbledumps that are listening today, we need to recognize the dangers and the consequences of having a critical spirit. God gives us a fair warning this morning.
Proverbs 4:23 - "Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of light."
It would be easy for me to look down on Miriam and Aaron for their pettiness, but I can recognize their attitude in my own heart. I can easily go down that same path of comparing myself to other husbands or fathers or pastors or leaders.
If I allow others to be the baseline of how I measure my worth, I start drifting into either pride, despair, or a ping pong match between those two. The result can be a critical spirit that does nothing but demean and diminish others, even as they might be living honorable lives for the Lord. When you start complaining and griping at someone who is on the straight path with the Lord, you're doing nothing more than trying to lift yourself above that person.
One of the tragic fruits of comparison and criticism is the breaking of the fellowship that we were intended to share. Your criticism and complaints does nothing but shatter our communion with others. A critical spirit damages us as it also hurts others. But even more importantly, it impacts our relationship with the Lord because, as we see in the next verses, God also heard their criticism of Moses, and he had something to say.
Numbers 12:4-8 – “Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward, 6 he said:
********“Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my household. 8 I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”
Sometimes I wish that the Lord could get a hold of all the Mr. and Ms. Grumbledumps and say to them what he just told Miriam and Aaron. The Lord was so angered by Miriam and Aaron's criticism that He called them both out, along with Moses, to the tent of meeting. As you can see, the Lord began by distinguishing Moses from the other prophets. He described the close nature of their relationship. Moses had been granted a firsthand experience and knowledge of God's presence that was uncommon to anyone else.
Exodus 33:11 – “The Lord would speak with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend, then Moses would return to the camp. His assistant, the young man Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the inside of the tent.”
Moses was a prophet, but he was more than just a prophet. So, when Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses, they weren't just attacking Moses’ credibility; they were questioning God Himself.
Now I know that not all criticism is unwarranted. Those who lead our churches and serve in various ministries are human and will always have room for growth. Whenever sin or any behavior that doesn't honor Christ enters the scene, loving, constructive criticism should be used; in fact, it might be necessary for someone who's not representing the Lord well.
A Christ-like leader doesn't lord their power and authority over others. Instead, they are humble to listen, even to the calls for correction. They are contrite of heart and not beyond receiving an appropriate criticism or rebuke. Especially if their leadership has been marred by sin.
But at the same time, we need discernment to recognize when criticism is not confronting sin, but actually opposing the very work of God. By the way, one of my highest-ranking spiritual gifts is discernment. I am thankful that God gives me the insight whether to take the criticism to heart or just smile like I had good sense and walk away. If you look closely, Miriam and Aaron were not just speaking poorly of Moses. They were also criticizing God. Their critical attitude toward Moses was also criticizing God in establishing Moses as the person God wanted to lead His people. So, what did God do?
Numbers 12:9 – “The Lord’s anger burned against them, and he left.”
I hope that it shocked Miriam and Aaron to realize their attitude was causing them to stand against the Lord. And their shock should cause each of us to evaluate our hearts before God.
Why did that Facebook post get under my skin?
Why was I personally offended by that person's words?
We have endless opportunities to choose whether or not to shoot darts of criticism. In those moments, we really need to seek the spirit of God and wisdom. Criticism can't merely be rooted in our preferences or our discontent, especially when the one being criticized may in fact be honoring the Lord and His will. Maybe instead of criticizing, we need to thank God that He is at work, even if it looks very different from how we would like Him to work.
Numbers 12:10-15 – “As the cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam’s skin suddenly became diseased, resembling snow. When Aaron turned toward her, he saw that she was diseased 11 and said to Moses, “My lord, please don’t hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Please don’t let her be like a dead baby whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”
********13 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “God, please heal her!” 14 The Lord answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in.”
Things didn't look good for Miriam. Knowing of Moses’ close relationship with the Lord, Aaron was humbled and pleaded with the one he criticized. Moses showed his great humility by pleading to the Lord for her healing. God answered his prayer and healed Miriam.
You might ask why God didn't restore Miriam immediately. God's healing process might seem harsh, but good news has its fingerprints all over Miriam's restoration.
Miriam was given seven days to reflect upon what she has done. Seven days may seem like a long punishment, but Miriam was given the necessary space to reflect. This was time to reflect on her own repentance and the mercy of God.
Miriam was brought back in. God had every right to banish Miriam and Aaron from the community. How amazing it is that after her time outside the camp, Miriam was brought back in. Even though her heart had spoken against God, her restoration allowed her to be welcomed back into the family. But here is even a more important message in these verses.
Notice that the people did not move on. That is such a powerful image. This was a people with a mission to get to the promised land. Yet, they did not move on until Miriam was brought back into their community. The symbolism in this for me is that a church cannot move on until that critical spirit has been extinguished. Is God speaking to you today?
If you are one or know someone who tends to be critical in spirit, you still have the opportunity to come back to the Lord. Not only did Miriam experience physical healing, she also experienced the reconciliation of her relationships that could have been torn apart by her criticism. And relationships are torn apart by criticism. Here's something to think about.
Do people avoid you?
Do they walk around you so they don't have to hear your daily criticism?
Maybe that is God trying to get your attention. I don't know if this message affects anyone here today within the sound of my voice. But I do know that if we tend to have a critical spirit, we can confess that to the Lord, repent of it, and the Lord will receive you back and forgive you. And THEN the church can move forward. Is it you that might be holding the church back?
Miriam's legacy could have been as the one who tried to start rebellion by criticizing Moses. Yet, she wasn't later remembered for her critical spirit, but her role of leadership. Look what God said in:
Micah 6:4 – “Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you.”
Even after what she did, Miriam's legacy was as a leader of God's mission to rescue His people from slavery.
What simple lesson can we learn from this passage?
Don't be a Mr. or Mrs. Grumbledump. Stop trying to dump your grumbling onto someone else.
See things through God's eyes. If something displeases you, don't just criticize and complain about it, get up and do something about it.
This is God’s disciplining word to us all.
