There were five issues that stood out to me in today’s reading, but I think they all deal with one major theme: humility. And I think if we learn the lessons this passage has to teach us, we will be better equipped to live in a congregational setting (i.e., the church).
1. Complaining
“When the people complained, it displeased the LORD. When the LORD heard it, his anger burned, and so the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outer parts of the camp.” (Num. 11:1)
Complaining and humility may seem like two separate issues, but I think this passage shows that they are connected. The Israelites were not just complaining about food. They were complaining about God’s provision for them. God was leading Israel with his presence (chap. 9) and taking care of their physical needs (chap. 11), and the Israelites weren’t happy with it. What they were basically saying was, “God, we know you’re providing for all of our needs, but that isn’t good enough. In fact, we’d rather be back in slavery than eat this food.”
As ridiculous as that statement sounds, I think we do the same thing in our own lives and in our churches. Despite the fact that my physical needs have always been provided for, I have frequently thought something to the effect of “If I only had this…..” or “Why don’t I have enough money to buy that?” Instead of being thankful for what God has already given to me, I spend time wishing I had more. And I think we have the same type of attitude about church. Think about it. We live in a country where we aren’t persecuted for our beliefs. We have a building that is heated in the winter and cooled in the summer. We have pastors, secretaries, elders, and deacons to take care of the spiritual and everyday needs of the church. We have lights, musical instruments, sound equipment and people who know how to use them. We have the opportunity every Sunday to come together and see how all those pieces come together to produce a service where we can praise God’s name, hear God’s word, and fellowship together. Sounds great, right? So why do I keep finding things to complain about?
May we be people who are humbly thankful for what we have instead of pridefully complaining about what we don’t.
2. Teamwork
“Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for me? I wish that all of the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!’” (Num. 11:29)
Too often I think Christians and churches are competing against each other instead of cooperating with each other. This passage is a good reminder that we should be rejoicing when God begins to work through someone, some ministry, or some church — even if it means that I may get less credit or my own ministry may lose a little attention. I must be humble enough to not think that God would work only through me, my ministry, or my church.
3. Jealousy & 4. Submission
“‘Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married… Why…were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?’ The anger of the LORD burned against them…” (Num 12:1, 8-9)
This account is interesting. Miriam was supposedly upset because Moses had an Ethiopian wife. This could have been a valid point of contention since numerous Old Testament passages speak on the dangers of marrying foreign women. The problem with Miriam’s complaint, however, was the motive, which Miriam betrays in verse 2: “Has the LORD only spoken through Moses? Has he not also spoken through us?” The reason for questioning Moses’ marriage wasn’t a concern for Moses, his relationship with God, or the people of Israel. The reason for it was because Miriam wanted some of what Moses had. Instead of submitting to the leader that God had set up (a point that God makes himself in the succeeding verses), Miriam decided to attack his personal life, hoping to undermine his authority.
We must be careful not to allow the same thing to happen to us. We must guard against the chance of petty jealously allowing our rebellious spirits to stir up bones of contention against leaders in the church. And should we genuinely be concerned about an issue, we must deal with it in the proper manner and not conspire behind someone’s back. I think if we were humble enough to submit to leadership, give them the benefit of the doubt, and deal with problems in a Biblical fashion, a lot of problems in churches would disappear.
5. Forgiveness
“Then Moses cried to the LORD, ‘Heal her now, O God.” (Num. 12:13)
Imagine how painful Miriam’s rebellion must have been to Moses. His sister and fellow laborer stabbed him in the back and tried to subvert his authority and steal power for herself. Moses, however, doesn’t seek revenge. In fact, when God doles out a deserved punishment and strikes her with leprosy, Moses asks God to heal her. He didn’t hold a grudge or ask God to teach her a lesson, but rather intercedes with God on her behalf. May we be a people who are humble enough to lay aside our pride and forgive those who have wronged us.
“Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than any man on the face of the earth.” (Num. 12:3)
May our lives and churches be characterized by such humility.