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.
A. 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.
1. God promised that all the nation 20
years and above would die
out and not enter the promised land.
2. The nation arrived back in the same
place that it started in
The desert.
B. The text starts with the death of
Miriam, the older sister of
Moses.
1. It was a time of grief for Moses and
Aaron.
2. Throughout the years, Moses had seen
many deaths.
3. The death of a family member affects people in different
Ways.
4. 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!"
A. 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.
1. It was the normal operating mode of
the people to complain
When they experienced a
lack of something.
2. They had no faith in the God that never
allowed them to lack
Any basic needs.
B. They complained about what they didn’t
have, but fail to
Praise God for all they had.
1. 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.
2. In the nature of complaining is also
somebody other than
“ME” is responsible for
my desires.
a. Someone intentionally put me in a
situation of need.
b. Someone’s bad decision is the cause
of my problems.
3. Complaining never assumes me as the
root cause of my needs.
4. Complaining never assumes I can make
do with what I have.
5. Complaining never goes in prayer with
thanksgiving requesting
Assistance.
C. Complaining never considers the
goodness of God in what He
Has done as the basis for hope in what He will do.
1. Complaining is an attitude of
ungratefulness.
2. Complaining is an attitude of impatience.
3. Complaining is an attitude of unfaithfulness.
D. Leaders must expect and be prepared
to handle complaints.
1. The strength of leaders before
complaining people is
Their faith in God.
2. The basic tool to handle complaints
is to love the
Complainer.
3. Leaders must listen to the
complainers without becoming
Hostile or upset at the
complainers.
4. 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.
1. Listen to the complaints
2. Make no decision before the
complainers
3. Leave the assembly of the complainers
4. Go to the house of prayer and humble
yourself before the Lord
5. Take the complaints to The Lord in
prayer.
6. Wait on a Word from the Lord.
B, The Lord’s
reactions to your prayer
1. Observe the Glory of the Lord before
you
2. Listen attentively to the Word of the
Lord.
a. Take the staff from the Arch Of The
Covenant
b. God with a witness (In this case Aaron
the High Priest)
Before the people
c. Call a meeting of the complainers
C, Let God
work through you under His guidance.
1. Speak to the rock before the people
The rock is Jesus Christ
2. Expect the Glory of the Rock before
the eyes of the people
3. 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.
A. Moses Attitude
1. Before the people, Moses was
impatient and hostile
2. He berated the people before the Lord.
3. God showed no anger or hostility
toward His
Complaining people when
He gave Moses and Aaron
Directions.
4. We have not been called to voice our
hostility
Toward God’s people.
5. Moses showed a lack of tolerance and
compassion
For God’s people.
B. Moses claimed credit for bringing
water out of the rock.
1. We can never claim the power of God
for ourselves.
2. We should never appear to be the
authority over
Nature.
C. Moses disobeyed God’s command.
1. He was instructed to speak to the
rock.
2. The Rock is Jesus Christ, the living
water.
3. Moses struck the rock in hostility.
4. Who would strike Jesus but His enemy?
5. Moses acted under the influence of
Satan.
6. We have to be careful not to let our
emotions
Get in front of the
mission of God.
a. The mission is to show God’s love.
b. We are never too high to lose our
humbleness.
D. Moses took it upon himself to exhibit
his power before
The people.
1. By raising his arm with the rod of
Aaron he assumed God’s
Position.
2. He forgot in anger that Rod represented
the power of God.
3. He forgot in anger that rock represented
the sacrifice of Jesus.
4. He forgot in anger that the gushing unlimited
water
Represented the glory of
God.
5. He forgot in anger that this display
was the love of God for
His people.
E. Moses expressed his unbelief in the
power of God.
1. He struck the rock twice. Once was
enough.
2. He showed his impatience with God by
striking the
The rock twice.
3. He showed his unbelief by striking
the rock rather than
Speaking to the rock as commanded.
4. 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."
A. Your disobedience causes you to lose privileges.
1. Moses, God’s general, for 40 years, followed
God
In faith and humbleness.
2. He endured 40 years of complaining of
God’s people.
3. He interceded on the people’s behalf every
time they
Rebelled against God.
4. His faith in God led the nation of 2
million people in
The desert for 40 years.
5. He led the people of God to a land promised to
Abraham 470 years
earlier.
6. In the end, Moses made one major
mistake.
a. For just a moment, he disbelieved the
power of
God to bring water out of
a rock, sufficient
For two million people.
b. In so doing, he dishonored the
holiness of God.
7. Because Moses dishonored God before His
people,
He lost the privilege of leading
the charge into the
Promise land.
B. Disobedience can shorten your life.
1. Moses did not live to see the people
enter the promised land.
2. 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.
A. The word Meribah means to strive or
quarrel.
1. Why do we need a monument to remember
our quarrel with
The Lord?
2. God shows Himself holy when he does
not strike us dead
For our unbelief.
3. God shows His love for us when He tolerates
our ungratefulness.
4. God shows His compassion for us when
He continues His
Plan of redemption despite
our rebellious attitude
B. We need a testimony to remember what
God has brought us
From.
1. We need a testimony to remember the
goodness of the Lord.
2. 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
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