Sermon: The Cost of Complaining:
Biting Words Bite Back
(Num 11-21)
Biting Words Bite Back
(Num 11-21)
Some people complain about everything they think is wrong with life. Others reserve that response for legitimate concerns.
The book of Numbers bears that name because it opens with a census of Israel's military. It also include various events that occurred while the nation was in the wilderness of Sinai.1 As the people's wandering wears on and their patience wears thin, chapter 21 has a story about The Cost of Complaining.
As I read Numbers in preparation for this message, what struck me is how often this scene repeats itself. This one, in chapter 21, is actually the last in a series of similar events and indicates an almost programmed response to adversity on Israel's part. Indeed, as we page through earlier portions of the book, we see that...
I. Israel's grumbling establishes a pattern.
The initial 10 chapters describe Israel's preparation to leave Sinai. At the end of chapter 10, "they set out for the mountain of the Lord and travel for three days" (Num 11:33a). Then the problems begin. Please turn to chapter 11, which opens with a notice that...
From there (Meribah), the Israelites move toward Edom on their way to the plains of Moab, the staging area for their entrance to Canaan from the east. Here, they grumble one final time in the Book of Numbers
How do you respond, not just to adversity but to annoyance? Complaining is a pattern of behavior you must guard against. More frequently than you probably care to admit, your initial reaction upon encountering some difficulty is to complain. Think about your conversation this past week.... Complaining stands out to others and forms an unfavorable opinion about your character. It is also something that stands out to God, because it is contrary to His character4 and contrary to His expectations for you.5 If you are not careful, complaining will become common, as it was in Israel, and it will develop into an attitude of discontent. Before you realize, your general approach to life will be negative.
One way to avoid that is to follow Paul's advice to the Philippians.
you. So Paul says...
Some people are ready to complain at the drop of a hat. Others prefer to take things in stride.
As we noted last time, Israel's grumbling establishes a pattern, one the people display repeatedly as they travel through the wilderness on their way to Canaan. Moreover, we also noted repeatedly, and particularly during this final incident, that...
II. Israel's grumbling exacts a price.
Please turn to Num 21, where God is not at all pleased with their attitude and, in v. 6, He gives them something to complain about.
Would those who know you consider you a complainer? If something does not go the way you planned or is not to your liking, do you keep it to yourself or do you make sure others know about your discontent. Is one of your guiding principles: The squeaky wheel gets the grease?8
No one is completely satisfied with his lot in life all the time, but the way a person deals with dissatisfaction when something does not go the way he planned or to his liking often speaks volumes about his character. While few people are so content that they never complain, others seem to find any and every opportunity to gripe, usually about small matters.
If anyone had reason to complain about his lot in life, it would have been the apostle Paul.
The Israelites ask Moses to pray that God would remove the snakes and, thus, remit this immediate consequence of their sin. Presumably, that is how Moses prays, but God chooses to answer in a different way. Rather than removing the snakes, He gives Israel a cure for snakebite.
The apostle Paul reaches back to Israel's experience in the wilderness and tells the Corinthian church in chapter 10 of his first letter...
When the Israelites grumbled against God, they were expressing their lack of faith. They doubted that He was actually willing and able to care for them. This may also have been a warning against their relying on anyone but the Lord in the future, anticipating the temptation they would face in Canaan to follow other gods.
The Israelites belong to the Lord in a way their unbelieving neighbors do not, because He redeemed them from slavery. Having been redeemed, Israel is obliged to serve Him, and Him alone. Their rebellion was a challenge to God's authority over them and invited His chastening of them. Paul uses this incident to admonish the Corinthians and us.
We, too, belong to the Lord in a way our unbelieving neighbors do not, because He redeemed us from sin. Having been redeemed, we are obliged to serve Him, and Him alone. To do otherwise is to challenge God's authority over us and invites His chastening. Paul's concern is that we not become lax or complacent in our walk with God, losing a sense of His presence with us or forgetting His many blessings to us. If we allow that to happen, we will respond to adversity the way the Israelites did, by grumbling against God, a response that can precede a reaction similar (but not identical) to what Israel experienced.15 So, Paul warns...
The problem in Num 21 is not an isolated incident but the final installment, at least in this book, in a series of eight incidents. That number may not seem very great when spread over the 40 years Israel was in the wilderness, yet considering God's forceful response in almost every case, it seems the people never quite got the point. The same question pertains to us: How many times must God demonstrate His ability to provide for us before we realize that He will always provide for us? As Paul says...
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
A man who had just undergone surgery was complaining about a bump on his head and a terrible headache, as if someone had hit him on the head. Since his operation had been intestinal, there was no reason why he should be complaining of a headache. Finally, his nurse, fearing the man might be suffering from some post-operative shock, spoke to the doctor about it. He assured her, "Don't worry. He really does have a bump on his head. Halfway through the operation...we ran out of anesthetic."Certain people have legitimate reasons to complain. Our message this morning is from the fourth book of the Bible, Numbers. It chronicles a series of illegitimate reasons and deals with The Cost of Complaining.
The book of Numbers bears that name because it opens with a census of Israel's military. It also include various events that occurred while the nation was in the wilderness of Sinai.1 As the people's wandering wears on and their patience wears thin, chapter 21 has a story about The Cost of Complaining.
Num 21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"The road they are on is not a direct route to Canaan. From where they were, the best way to the Promised Land goes through Edom. The Edomites, however, refuse to grant Israel's passage, fearing that this mob with all is its livestock will deplete the land of resources, despite Israelite assurances to the contrary. Israel's 40 years in the wilderness is drawing to a close when the people reach the border of Edom, and they may be anxious not to miss this, their second opportunity to enter Canaan.2 In any case, "the people grow impatient," and they complain.
As I read Numbers in preparation for this message, what struck me is how often this scene repeats itself. This one, in chapter 21, is actually the last in a series of similar events and indicates an almost programmed response to adversity on Israel's part. Indeed, as we page through earlier portions of the book, we see that...
I. Israel's grumbling establishes a pattern.
The initial 10 chapters describe Israel's preparation to leave Sinai. At the end of chapter 10, "they set out for the mountain of the Lord and travel for three days" (Num 11:33a). Then the problems begin. Please turn to chapter 11, which opens with a notice that...
A. The people complain about their hardships (Num 11:1-3).God's provision (freedom) is not good enough. They want options.
Num 11:1 ...the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah !"burning"], because fire from the LORD had burned among them.One would think an event that left such an impression on them—"fire from the LORD"—they would name the place after it would also dissuade them from further complaints. It does not. Immediately after, in Num 11:4...
B. The people complain about their diet (11:4-6, 31-34).God's provision (manna) is not good enough. They want something else to eat. They want options.
Num 11:4 ...again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! ...6b we never see anything but this manna!" ...31a Now a wind went out from the LORD and drove quail in from the sea.... 32a All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail.... 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah ["the graves of greediness"], because there they buried the people who had craved other food.Once again, they name of the place after an incident of judgment. At the next stop, in chapter 12...
C. Miriam and Aaron complain about their leader (Num 12:1-2, 9-10).God's provision is not good enough. They want someone else to lead. They want options.
Num 12:1 Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses... 2 "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.... 9 The anger of the LORD burned against them, and... 10a .there stood Miriam—leprous, like snow.From there, they moved to the Desert of Paran to explore Canaan in preparation for their invasion. You will recall that most of the spies brought back negative reports, emphasizing the difficulties Israel would have against the well-fortified cities of the land. Chapter 14 records the general response, as...
D. The people complain about their future (Num 14:1-3,36-37).God's provision is not good enough. They want somewhere to else to go. They want options.
Num 14:1 That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"Because Israel refuses to trust God, He sentences the entire community to 40 more years in the wilderness before the people will have another opportunity to enter Canaan. As for the spies who complained, in v. 36...
Num 14:36 ...the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it-37 these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD.It is uncertain how much time passes before the next episode, but there is no indication that the people move their camp out or Haran, and in chapter 16...
E. Some people complain about their leader, again (Num 16:1-3,31-32).God's provision is not good enough. They want someone else to lead. They want options.
Num 16:1 Korah [and others] became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses.... 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"Moses says, "Let's have God decide." We pick up the narrative in v. 31.
Num 16:31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions.Even this dramatic incident does not stop the murmuring.3 In v. 41 we read that...
F. The people complain about their leaders (16: 41-49).God's provision is not good enough. They want someone else to lead. They want options.
Num 16:41 The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said. 42 But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared.... 46 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." 47a So Aaron did as Moses said... 48b and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.The next two chapters contain instructions about various matters for the priests. Again, we do not know how much time passes. The situation may stabilize for a while, but in chapter 20, as Israel begins its 40th year of wandering, the people return to Meribah and replay an act of rebellion from their first year in the wilderness.
G. The people complain about their thirst, again (Num 20:2-5; cf. Exod 17:1-7).God's provision is not good enough. It is too uncertain. They want options.
Num 20:2 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!"This repeats an earlier incident, soon after Israel left Egypt.
Exod 17:1b ...there was no water for the people to drink. 2a So they quarreled with Moses.... Moses replied... "Why do you put the LORD to the test?" 3 But the people... grumbled.... They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make its and our children and livestock die of thirst?"Both times, in Exod 17 and in Num 20, the people complain to Moses. They even ask the same question: "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt?" Both times, God provides water for them from rock.
From there (Meribah), the Israelites move toward Edom on their way to the plains of Moab, the staging area for their entrance to Canaan from the east. Here, they grumble one final time in the Book of Numbers
H. The people complain about their thirst and diet, again (Num 21:4-5).God's provision is not good enough. It is too uncertain. They want options.
Num 21:4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"By this time, Israel's grumbling is chronic. It seems to be a habitual response to adversity, much more so than any expression of confidence in God's care they might make, and He has also had enough.
Num 21:6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.That was, for Israel, The Cost of Complaining.
How do you respond, not just to adversity but to annoyance? Complaining is a pattern of behavior you must guard against. More frequently than you probably care to admit, your initial reaction upon encountering some difficulty is to complain. Think about your conversation this past week.... Complaining stands out to others and forms an unfavorable opinion about your character. It is also something that stands out to God, because it is contrary to His character4 and contrary to His expectations for you.5 If you are not careful, complaining will become common, as it was in Israel, and it will develop into an attitude of discontent. Before you realize, your general approach to life will be negative.
One way to avoid that is to follow Paul's advice to the Philippians.
Phil 2:14 Do everything without complaining...6Later in this epistle, Paul describes the opposite attitude, the one believers should foster instead of complaining. Appealing to his own experience, he writes...
Phil 4:11b ...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.The "secret" Paul has in mind may be what he mentions in the next verse.
Phil 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.When God's agenda is your agenda, then His provision will always be sufficient, because He will supply whatever you need to accomplish the goal He sets before
you. So Paul says...
Phil 4:19 ...God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.Everything beyond your needs, and we all have a lot beyond what we need, everything beyond that is gravy or, as Paul would term it, grace. So, when you are tempted to complain, recall what God has done to make you content.
* * * * * * * * * *
Some people are ready to complain at the drop of a hat. Others prefer to take things in stride.
A game warden noticed how Sam consistently caught more fish than anyone else. Whereas the other guys would catch three or four fish a day, Sam would come in from the lake with a boat full of fish. Curious, the warden asked Sam his secret. The successful fisherman invited the game warden to accompany him and observe. The next morning, the two met at the dock and took off in Sam's boat. When they got to the middle of the lake, Sam stopped the boat, and the warden sat back to see how it was done. Sam's approach was simple: He took out a stick of dynamite, lit it, and threw it into the lake. The explosion rocked the boat, and dead fish immediately began to surface. Sam took out a net and started scooping them up. You can imagine the reaction of the game warden. When he recovered from the shock, he began reprimanding Sam, "What you just did is highly illegal. Anyone who does that goes to jail and faces every fine in the book!" Meanwhile, Sam had set his net down and picked up another stick of dynamite. He lit it and tossed it into the game warden's lap with these words: "Are you going to sit there complaining...or are you going to fish?"Some people are ready to complain at the drop of a hat. Others prefer to take things in stride. Israel's trek through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land showed them to be the first type, ready to complain at the drop of a hat.
As we noted last time, Israel's grumbling establishes a pattern, one the people display repeatedly as they travel through the wilderness on their way to Canaan. Moreover, we also noted repeatedly, and particularly during this final incident, that...
II. Israel's grumbling exacts a price.
Please turn to Num 21, where God is not at all pleased with their attitude and, in v. 6, He gives them something to complain about.
Num 21:6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them they bit the people and many Israelites died.Here is the first installment they pay:
A.. Complaining draws their chastening by God (Num 21:6).God's reaction to their complaint seems unduly harsh, especially given the reason for their discontent: no food and no water (v. 5). What does He expect them to do in this situation? Surely, He could have devised a more constructive response: Put up a suggestion box or organize a grievance committee. Instead, He kills people for complaining!7
Would those who know you consider you a complainer? If something does not go the way you planned or is not to your liking, do you keep it to yourself or do you make sure others know about your discontent. Is one of your guiding principles: The squeaky wheel gets the grease?8
No one is completely satisfied with his lot in life all the time, but the way a person deals with dissatisfaction when something does not go the way he planned or to his liking often speaks volumes about his character. While few people are so content that they never complain, others seem to find any and every opportunity to gripe, usually about small matters.
- The waitress is not as attentive to you as she should be.
- The game is not going well for you or for your favorite team.
- The boss expects you to stay late and finish a project.
If anyone had reason to complain about his lot in life, it would have been the apostle Paul.
2 Cor 11:23b I have...been in prison... [I have] been flogged... [I have] been exposed to death again and again.... 25 ...I [have been] beaten...stoned...shipwrecked.... 26b I have been in danger from...bandits...from my own countrymen...from Gentiles.... 27b I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.He had reason to complain, yet he did not. On the contrary, instead he says...
2 Cor 12:9b Most gladly...will I...glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.... 10b ...for when I am weak, then am I strong.In Num 21, the people's complaint elicited a deadly response from God. If God executed everyone who complained, we would all have been gone long ago. What makes Israel's complaint a capital crime, and how can you know when you have crossed that line? ...There are several things to keep in mind:
- First, complaining, in and of itself, is not necessarily wrong.
- The book of Psalms, which contains some of the Bible's deepest expressions of devotion to God, includes many complaints (laments),9 and there is no indication that God is at all displeased when people voice their dissatisfaction in this way. David issues a lament in Ps 64:1 when he is facing hostile forces.
Hear me, O God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
Complaining is not necessarily wrong, but...
- When you face a difficult or unpleasant situation, that situation should turn you not away from God but to him in expectation of what He can and will do, because you belong to Him, and He wants the very best for you. To that end, He will hear and heed your cry. So...
- Second, complaining to God is different from complaining against God.
- The psalmists bring their problems to the One they know can solve them, yet in chapter 21, the Israelites are not addressing God, they are blaming God. As far as they are concerned, God is both wrong and responsible. It is His fault they are in this situation. He has mistreated them. He has made their lives miserable, so they grumble against Him and against His representative, Moses.
- As you encounter difficult situations, do bring them to God, but be careful not to blame God for them.
Complaining to God is different from complaining against God.
- Third, complaining can be an expression of ingratitude before God.
- The Israelites are not merely voicing doubt or concern over their situation. They are not just indicating uncertainty about the future. The people are expressing in strong terms their displeasure and dissatisfaction with the way God has treated them. They, thus, demean His redeeming them from slavery in Egypt and His providing for them 40 years in the wilderness. In a word, they are ungrateful.
- When you voice your complaints, recall God's past mercies to you, to remind yourself of His care and to help ensure that the motivation behind your petition is not the wrong thing.
Complaining can be an expression of ingratitude before God.
- Fourth, complaining can constitute rebellion against God, which displeases Him.
- When the Israelites grumble, they are not only rejecting what God has already done on their behalf, they are indicating that they have no desire either to trust God or to obey Him in the future. God has little tolerance for such an attitude, especially when it is part of a series of such acts, as we have seen it is here.
- When you complain to God do not oppose, contradict, or challenge His authority. Rather, express your firm commitment to trust His wisdom and to obey His counsel, confident that He will work for good even what troubles you.10
Complaining can constitute rebellion against God.God's response to Israel's grumbling may seem harsh, but it is necessary. If the people turn from Him, they will lose their place in His plan. Moreover, their history in the wilderness has demonstrated repeatedly that they respond only to the strongest of measures.11 The snakes are a kind of shock therapy, as Israel's biting words bite back—and it works, but it exposes another cost of complaining in v. 7, where we see the second installment they pay.
B. Complaining damages their relationship with God (Num 21:7).The people ask Moses to speak with God on their behalf. This is typical of intercession (see 11:2, above). Those in need do not pray for themselves. They realize that their rebellion against God has damaged their relationship with God and that they need the help of someone with a clearer line of communication.12
The Israelites ask Moses to pray that God would remove the snakes and, thus, remit this immediate consequence of their sin. Presumably, that is how Moses prays, but God chooses to answer in a different way. Rather than removing the snakes, He gives Israel a cure for snakebite.
Num 21:8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.At first this may seem to be an inefficient and time-consuming way to deal with the infestation. God could easily have recalled the snakes. Instead, He assigns Moses a complex project. How many additional Israelites perished while craftsmen labored to produce a bronze likeness? Upon more careful reflection, though, we see the third installment they pay and the ultimate reason for the people's rebellion.
C. Complaining demonstrates their unbelief to God (Num 21:8-9).God's solution to this problem requires them to exercise a measure of faith: They must look to live.13 Had He simply removed the snakes, the people might have attributed their relief to some natural cause. This more unusual method makes divine intervention unmistakable.14 Furthermore, for those who do look, the powerful effects of their personal experience should dispel the unbelief that caused the trouble, and it is crucial that their faith be strong as they now face the difficulties of conquering Canaan.
The apostle Paul reaches back to Israel's experience in the wilderness and tells the Corinthian church in chapter 10 of his first letter...
1 Cor 10:6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.... 11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.What "evil things" does this passage from Numbers warn about?
When the Israelites grumbled against God, they were expressing their lack of faith. They doubted that He was actually willing and able to care for them. This may also have been a warning against their relying on anyone but the Lord in the future, anticipating the temptation they would face in Canaan to follow other gods.
The Israelites belong to the Lord in a way their unbelieving neighbors do not, because He redeemed them from slavery. Having been redeemed, Israel is obliged to serve Him, and Him alone. Their rebellion was a challenge to God's authority over them and invited His chastening of them. Paul uses this incident to admonish the Corinthians and us.
1 Cor 10:9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.The apostle is not saying that if we rebel against God, we will receive the same retribution from God. The relevance of this warning consists, rather, in the similarity of our situation to Israel's.
We, too, belong to the Lord in a way our unbelieving neighbors do not, because He redeemed us from sin. Having been redeemed, we are obliged to serve Him, and Him alone. To do otherwise is to challenge God's authority over us and invites His chastening. Paul's concern is that we not become lax or complacent in our walk with God, losing a sense of His presence with us or forgetting His many blessings to us. If we allow that to happen, we will respond to adversity the way the Israelites did, by grumbling against God, a response that can precede a reaction similar (but not identical) to what Israel experienced.15 So, Paul warns...
1 Cor 10:12 ...if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!Just as the Israelites faced situations in the wilderness that tested the extent of their willingness to trust God and raised temptations to deny God, so do we. Such examinations are a necessary part of spiritual growth and are not unique to the Israelites or to us.
1 Cor 10:13a No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.Paul's assurance is that God is well aware of your limitations, and He will provide the support you need to face and overcome any challenge.
1 Cor 10:12b-c God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.In other words, God will restrict the scope of your testing to a manageable size.
The problem in Num 21 is not an isolated incident but the final installment, at least in this book, in a series of eight incidents. That number may not seem very great when spread over the 40 years Israel was in the wilderness, yet considering God's forceful response in almost every case, it seems the people never quite got the point. The same question pertains to us: How many times must God demonstrate His ability to provide for us before we realize that He will always provide for us? As Paul says...
Phil 4:19 ...God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.Furthermore, there were probably other, perhaps lesser, incidents Moses did not record, choosing these as the most significant or representative ones. Paul states, however, that it is imperative we get the point and learn from Israel's experience, especially given The Cost of Complaining. Listen again to Paul's admonition to the Philippians, because it offers relevant closure to this passage.16
Phil 2:14 Do everything without complaining... 15 so that you may become blameless... children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.Has complaining dulled the luster of your testimony, or do you shine forth as Paul exhorts?
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
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Jim Skaggs