DON’T GET WEARY IN WELL DOING
Numbers 20:1-13
OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW
V:1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
- According to Matthew Henry, the text is set 38 years after
The whole nation refused to believe that they could overtake
the inhabitants in the promised land.
- God promised that all the nation 20 years and above would die out and not enter the promised land.
- The nation arrived back in the same place that it started in
The desert.
- The text starts with the death of Miriam, the older sister of
Moses.
- It was a time of grief for Moses and Aaron.
- Throughout the years, Moses had seen many deaths.
- The death of a family member affects people in different
Ways.
- Even the strongest Christian can for a moment be overcome
In grief and lose his focus on God.
COMPLAINING, AN UNGRATEFUL ATTITUDE
V:2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, \”If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord\’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!\”
- For 38 years, the nation of Israel complained to Moses about
Being in the desert in face of the glory of God that was
Constantly before them.
- It was the normal operating mode of the people to complain
When they experienced a lack of something.
- They had no faith in the God that never allowed them to lack
Any basic needs.
- They complained about what they didn’t have, but fail to
Praise God for all they had.
- The nature of complaining is this; if I don’t have it, I need it
And I am entitled to it and God ought to provide it.
- In the nature of complaining is also somebody other than
“ME” is responsible for my desires.
- Someone intentionally put me in a situation of need.
- Someone’s bad decision is the cause of my problems.
- Complaining never assumes me as the root cause of my needs.
- Complaining never assumes I can make do with what I have.
- Complaining never goes in prayer with thanksgiving requesting
Assistance.
- Complaining never considers the goodness of God in what He
Has done as the basis for hope in what He will do.
- Complaining is an attitude of ungratefulness.
- Complaining is an attitude of impatience.
- Complaining is an attitude of unfaithfulness.
- Leaders must expect and be prepared to handle complaints.
- The strength of leaders before complaining people is
Their faith in God.
- The basic tool to handle complaints is to love the
Complainer.
- Leaders must listen to the complainers without becoming
Hostile or upset at the complainers.
- Leaders must resolve to allow God to handle the complainers
using them.
A LESSON IN HANDLING COMPLAINTS
V:6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 \”Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.\”
A. Moses the great diplomat of God gives us the procedure for handling
Complaining people.
- Listen to the complaints
- Make no decision before the complainers
- Leave the assembly of the complainers
- Go to the house of prayer and humble yourself before the Lord
- Take the complaints to The Lord in prayer.
- Wait on a Word from the Lord.
B, The Lord’s reactions to your prayer
- Observe the Glory of the Lord before you
- Listen attentively to the Word of the Lord.
- Take the staff from the Arch Of The Covenant
- God with a witness (In this case Aaron the High Priest)
Before the people
- Call a meeting of the complainers
C, Let God work through you under His guidance.
- Speak to the rock before the people
The rock is Jesus Christ
- Expect the Glory of the Rock before the eyes of the people
- Wait on the Lord to provide for the needs.
In this case the water for them and their livestock.
A BIG MISTAKE, MOSES DISOBEDIENCE
V:9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord\’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, \”Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?\” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
- Moses Attitude
- Before the people, Moses was impatient and hostile
- He berated the people before the Lord.
- God showed no anger or hostility toward His
Complaining people when He gave Moses and Aaron
Directions.
- We have not been called to voice our hostility
Toward God’s people.
- Moses showed a lack of tolerance and compassion
For God’s people.
- Moses claimed credit for bringing water out of the rock.
- We can never claim the power of God for ourselves.
- We should never appear to be the authority over
Nature.
- Moses disobeyed God’s command.
- He was instructed to speak to the rock.
- The Rock is Jesus Christ, the living water.
- Moses struck the rock in hostility.
- Who would strike Jesus but His enemy?
- Moses acted under the influence of Satan.
- We have to be careful not to let our emotions
Get in front of the mission of God.
- The mission is to show God’s love.
- We are never too high to lose our humbleness.
- Moses took it upon himself to exhibit his power before
The people.
- By raising his arm with the rod of Aaron he assumed God’s
Position.
- He forgot in anger that Rod represented the power of God.
- He forgot in anger that rock represented the sacrifice of Jesus.
- He forgot in anger that the gushing unlimited water
Represented the glory of God.
- He forgot in anger that this display was the love of God for
His people.
- Moses expressed his unbelief in the power of God.
- He struck the rock twice. Once was enough.
- He showed his impatience with God by striking the
The rock twice.
- He showed his unbelief by striking the rock rather than
Speaking to the rock as commanded.
- He showed his momentary disrespect for the directions
Of God by following his own emotions.
THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE
V:12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, \”Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.\”
- Your disobedience causes you to lose privileges.
- Moses, God’s general, for 40 years, followed God
In faith and humbleness.
- He endured 40 years of complaining of God’s people.
- He interceded on the people’s behalf every time they
Rebelled against God.
- His faith in God led the nation of 2 million people in
The desert for 40 years.
- He led the people of God to a land promised to
Abraham 470 years earlier.
- In the end, Moses made one major mistake.
- For just a moment, he disbelieved the power of
God to bring water out of a rock, sufficient
For two million people.
- In so doing, he dishonored the holiness of God.
- Because Moses dishonored God before His people,
He lost the privilege of leading the charge into the
Promise land.
- Disobedience can shorten your life.
- Moses did not live to see the people enter the promised land.
- Moses did not live to see the finished job he was charged with.
A TESTIMONY TO GOD’S GOODNESS
V:13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them.
- The word Meribah means to strive or quarrel.
- Why do we need a monument to remember our quarrel with
The Lord?
- God shows Himself holy when he does not strike us dead
For our unbelief.
- God shows His love for us when He tolerates our ungratefulness.
- God shows His compassion for us when He continues His
Plan of redemption despite our rebellious attitude
- We need a testimony to remember what God has brought us
From.
- We need a testimony to remember the goodness of the Lord.
- We need a testimony to show us how to love others
THANK GOD FOR HIS LOVE
Rev. M. Mitchell
Asst Pastor Of Greater Macedonia Baptist Church
5510 West Sam Houston Parkway North
Houston, Texas 77041
