FAMILY DYNAMICS
Numbers 12:1-14
BE THANKFUL FOR GOD’S HELPERS
V:1. Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite (Ethiopian) wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the Lord heard this.
A. The Lord prepared Moses for the mission of bringing Israel out of slavery.
He had been prepared through education and life experiences.
The first 40 years of his life was spent in Egypt being educated in the
Egyptian schools under the direction of an adopted mother, the Pharoah’s daughter,
The second 40 years of his life was spent as a shepherd in Midian under the
direction of a Midianite priest. He married the priest daughter and learn family
life and leadership skills. He was introduced to the living God and developed a
relationship with Him.
The third 40 years of His life began with the mission from God to bring Israel
Out of slavery from Egypt. Because of Israel’s unbelief and disobedience,
he spent 40 years wondering in the desert with Israel under the directions of God.
B. At the start of the mission, Moses had a deep faith in God, a humble spirit and
family members as his helpers. His brother Aaron and sister Miriam would be
his helpers.
Exodus 4:14-16
14 Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you. 15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
WHY DIDN’T GOD ACCEPT MOSES EXCUSE?
Exodus 15:20-21
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea.
WHAT DOSE PRAISE AND WORSHIP DO FOR YOU?
C. Family can be a help or a hindrance to your mission for God.
It takes training, patience, and tolerance to work with family members.
God places people in your life for a purpose. You have to see their
purpose and work with them.
There will be times when family members will get caught up in their own
agenda's and their egos will my cause you problems. They may become jealous
and envious of your position and relationship with God. These are times when
you have to let God handle the people He put in your life.
D. This texts starts with an issue Miriam and Aaron had with Moses and his wife.
God does not tell us what the issue was. He does tell us that issue was instigated
by Miriam. Aaron when alone to get along.
I see two issues that troubled Miriam. Moses relationship with God and his none
Hebrew wife. Miriam and Aaron became jealous and or envious of God’s
direct conversation with Moses. God gave directions to Miriam and Aaron through
Moses.
For some reason unknown to us, Miriam and Aaron judged Moses selection
of a wife. Moses wife was Cushite (Ethiopian).
Was the issue because of her race?
Was the issue because of her influence with Moses?
Was it because they didn’t consider a Cushite worthy of Moses.
Was it because Moses was the younger brother?
We don’t know because God didn’t tell us.
What we do know is their egos elevated pride in their position that
they talked against Moses.
Be careful what you say about you leaders. God is listening.
If you don’t have anything good to say, shut up
Psalms 38:13-16
13 I am like a deaf man, who cannot hear,
like a mute, who cannot open his mouth;
14 I have become like a man who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 I wait for you, O Lord;
you will answer, O Lord my God.
Don’t pride yourself in your position
Never undervalue your importance to God
V:3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
A. You never know how God values a person.
When you talk against a person you talk against God’s plan for that person.
You cannot value someone by your standards.
B. For example, it you only knew the Apostle Paul’s history before his conversion, you
would judge him as an enemy of God.
Paul was chosen by God before his birth to be an Apostle.
Miriam and Aaron prided themselves as equal to Moses.
God considered Moses more humble than all of Israel.
Miriam and Aaron didn’t have the Word of God. It had not been written.
God hates the proud.
Learn from Moses
Don’t worry about what people say about you.
God will take care of those against you.
Moses was not trouble by what Miriam and Aaron thought
about his wife.
V:4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, 6 he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the Lord is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
A. Notice how God dealt with Aaron and Miriam.
He spoke to them privately with Moses.
He separated them from the crowd.
B. If you got something to say to someone say it face to face
Galatians 2:11-14
When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12 Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
What you do affects the attitude of others
A christian should welcome corrections from other believers in love.
V:10 When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam — leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; 11 and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."
V:13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, "O God, please heal her!"
A. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
We should show tolerance and compassion toward each other.
When a brother or sister is in trouble we should intercede in prayer.
Their situation may have been caused by them, but the prayer of
intercession is heard by the Lord.
It does not matter what people has done to you.
It how you respond in love that matters
The test of character is what you are willing to sacrifice for another person.
V:14 The Lord replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
A punish from the Lord is better than a punish from man.
God’s punishments bestows his mercy upon us.
God’s punishments are designed to restore us to fellowship with Him.
God is patient while we are renewed in the right spirit.
SUMMARY
STRIVE TO BE HUMBLE IN ALL THAT YOU DO
SPEAK WELL OF OTHERS
LET GOD HANDLE THOSE AGAINST YOU
THANK GOD FOR PUTTING SUPPORT PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES
Micah 6:4-5
I brought you up out of Egypt
redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
also Aaron and Miriam.
VALUE THE WORK OF OTHERS IN THE LORD
NEVER PRIDE YOURSELF IN YOUR POSITION
NEVER UNDERVALUE THE GIFTS AND TALENTS GOD HAS BLESSED YOU WITH
NEVER BE ENVIOUS OF WHAT GOD DOES FOR OTHERS
NEVER WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF YOU
VALUE CORRECTIVE CRITICISM
PRAY FOR YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST
PRAY FOR THE MISSION OF CHRIST
CLASS QUESTIONS
SHOULD YOU WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOUR BOSS THINKS OF YOU?
IF SOMEONE LESS QUALIFIED THAN YOU GET PROMOTED, SHOULD
SAY SOMETHING TO YOUR BOSS?
SHOULD YOU CRITICIZE YOUR PASTOR IF YOU THINK HE/SHE IS WRONG?
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH SOMEONE WHO HATES YOU?
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