Oct 24-30: From Complaints to Apostasy

Teaching Points

1. Read Numbers 11. Make an outline of the chapter.

ANSWER:

• Num. 11:1-3 the complaint and Taberah (this means burning)
• Num. 11:4-6 the complaint of the mixed multitude: “There is nothing at all, beside this manna”
• Num. 11:7-9 an explanation of manna: the shape, the color, the preparation, and the time of gathering
• Num. 11:10-15 the complaint of Moses: “I am not able to bear all this people alone.”
• Num. 11:16-17 God’s response to Moses: “Gather seventy men of the elders of Israel” to share the burden of Moses
• Num. 11:18-20 God’s response to Israel: Eat till you drop.
• Num. 11:21-22 Moses’ doubt: How can God provide for so many people
• Num. 11:23 there is no limit to God’s power
• Num. 11:24-30 the spirit came upon seventy and Eldad, and Medad
• Num. 11:31-35 death by lust, Kibrothhattaavah (this means graves of longing)

OBSERVATION:

• The Lord was provoked to wrath at Taberah and Kibrothhattaavah (Deut. 9:22).
• The mixed multitudes came out of Egypt with the Israelites (Ex. 12:38). These mixed multitudes are non-Israelites. Mixed multitudes’ complaint influenced the Israelites to complain (Num. 11:10)
• Moses was able to stand strong for the Lord before Pharaoh and the challenge at the Red Sea, but he would rather die than hear the complaints of the people (Num. 11:15).
• Maybe, and just maybe, it would have been ok if many that died just ate what they needed and not hoard it for themselves (Num. 11:32); then God’s wrath wouldn’t have kindled against them. God gave them enough. They did not have any reason to hoard them. This shows that in spite of God’s great miracle, they still doubted Him. The hoarding of the quails shows that the root of a complaining spirit is selfishness.
• The complaint about manna was not directed toward the lack of nutritional value in manna or lack of the supply. The complaint was based upon they just want some Egyptian food or something different. When you read Num. 11:5, they were not asking for “bad” food; however, for them to “cry” for meat shows that God was not in their heart as their Creator and Provider.

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• Are you losing spiritual appetite for the Bible? Are you looking for something different and more exciting? What would be your deeper problem?
• What are your complaints? Could you count the blessings in your life? Now compare between your complaints and your blessings. How do you feel now? Do you still want to complain?

2. Read the Spirit of Prophecy’s comment on Moses’ complaint. Read also Num. 11:10-15.

SOP:

• “They (70 elders) would never have been chosen had Moses manifested faith corresponding to the evidences he had witnessed of God’s power and goodness. But he had magnified his own burdens and services, almost losing sight of the fact that he was only the instrument by which God had wrought. He was not excusable in indulging, in the slightest degree, the spirit of murmuring that was the curse of Israel.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 380.

OBSERVATION:

• Moses “magnified his own burdens and services, almost losing sight of the fact that he was only the instrument by which God had wrought.”
• Moses used the word, “I” seven times in Num. 11:10-15: “have I not found favour,” “have I conceived all this people,” “have I begotten them,” “whence should I have flesh to give,” “I am not able to bear all this people alone,” “kill me, I pray thee,” “if I have found favour in thy sight”
• Observe how many times Moses used the word, “me” in those verses.

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Why do you think Moses became so discouraged here? Why was he willing to die rather than bear the burden?

APPLICATION QUESTION:

• How do you react to complaints that are directed to you?

3. Read Numbers 12 and make an outline of the chapter.

ANSWER:

• Num. 12:1-2 Miriam’s compliant
• Num. 12:3 Moses, the most meek man on earth
• Num. 12:4-9 God made it clear that Moses is more than a prophet; therefore, they should be afraid to speak against Moses.
• Num. 12:10-12 Miriam became leprous and Aaron asked for forgiveness.
• Num. 12:13-16 Miriam was shut out for seven days

OBSERVATION:

• The attitude and the spirit of complaining and murmuring is a deadly sin.
• Observe the terrible judgment against the complainers and murmurers: Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
• Maybe Miriam thought that she could just talk to Moses with a nasty attitude because he was part of the family. In the family environment is where we need to be more loving and not carry a nasty attitude.
• Miriam was jealous toward Moses. This spirit showed in her attitude towards Moses.
• Notice the meekness of Moses is mentioned in connection with the family nastiness. This just shows that meekness is so needed especially during family feuds.
• Since Miriam became leprous because of her complaints, complaints are like leprosy—very contagious.
• A complaining person should be separated from the “camp” for seven days until the attitude is changed. A period of solitude time with God is important for those with an attitude problem.

DISCUSSION QUESTION:

• Do people around you enjoy your attitude?
• Do you have a problem correcting people with a wrong attitude?
• Do people ever tell you that you have an attitude problem?
• How do you practice meekness when people are correcting you rightly or wrongly?

4. Read Numbers 13 and make an outline of the chapter.

ANSWER:

• Num. 13:1-16 sending twelve spies to the land of Canaan
• Num. 13:17-20 an instruction on what to search for
• Num. 13:21-25 forty days of searching the land of Canaan
• Num. 13:26-33 good and bad report from Canaan

OBSERVATION:

• Read Deuteronomy 1: 19-23. God said, “go up and possess it” and “fear not, neither be discouraged” BUT Moses yielded to the people’s suggestion of sending spies before going up to posses the land.
• God’s way- just trust and obey
• Man’s way- we will study it and calculate it carefully so that we can secure the success of the plan
• Moses did ask for the following: strong or weak, few or many people; good or bad, fat or lean of the land. If God said, “go up and possess it” then why would Moses ask for this? If God is with you then it does not matter if the enemies of God are strong or weak.
• Spies came back with just that: good and bad report; the land flows with milk and honey but the people are too great and strong.
• Caleb said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”
• Other spies said, “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
• Another chapter of complaints. It seems like the greatest problem with the Israelites was complaining, murmuring, and doubting.
• There was nothing wrong with careful search of the land. After all, God did support the idea of sending the spies to search the land (not so much about the people of the land). The spies loved the land but most of them became afraid of the people. If by faith they came out of Egypt, then by faith they should have entered into the land of Canaan.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

• Was sending the spies to the land of Canaan a good idea? Yes or no?
• Did God want the Israelites to go possess the land without the preview of the land?
• When is it ok not to calculate so much but just go by faith?

5. Read Numbers 14 and make an outline of the chapter.

ANSWER:

• Num. 14:1-4 murmuring of the children of Israel, “let us return into Egypt”
• Num. 14:5-9 Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb said, “the Lord is with us: fear them not.”
• Num. 14:10-12 the Lord said, “How long will this people provoke me?”
• Num. 14:13-19 Moses interceding for the rebellious children of Israel
• Num. 14:20-24 God pardoned them but none can go into the land except Caleb and Joshua (Num. 14:38)
• Num. 14:25-35 judgment against “evil congregation” – die in the wilderness
• Num. 14:36-39 judgment against the evil reporters – die by the plague
• Num. 14:40-45 a sin of presumption – killed by Amalekites

OBSERVATION:

• The bottom line sin here is unbelief (Heb. 3:16-19).
• Unbelief about what?
• Heb. 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
• It is unbelief that causes you to depart from “the Living God.”
• Who is the Living God?
• The Living God is the Creator.
• Creator is all-powerful.
• The children of Israel sinned greatly according to Num. 14 because they had ample examples of the power of the Creator from the Exodus to the Wilderness, but they still refused to believe in the all-powerful Creator when they needed to believe in Him the most. The worst part was when they said, “let us return into Egypt.”
• The true rest comes from true faith in the power of God (Heb. 4:10, 11). Therefore, the right way of believing God means to cease from our own works, which means not depending on our flesh. So in order to believe in God, we need to deny our own flesh (not only the sinfulness of our flesh but the limitation of our flesh). Rom. 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh
• God kept trying to teach the Israelites the way of salvation; the only way to heaven is to put their whole faith in God. That’s why God did not allow the Israelites to possess the land in their own strength. God made it impossible for them to possess it with their own strength. They had no choice but to trust in God or give up and doubt. This story is a clear illustration on how to be saved; believe that which is impossible.

CONCLUSION:

• In order to experience salvation we need faith. Eph. 2:8 “For by grace are you saved through faith”
• In order to experience true faith, we need to go through impossible situations ordained by God. Heb. 11
• In order to go through some impossible situations ordained by God, we need to allow God to lead us. Be willing to be willing. Mark 9:21-24

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• What or who are you complaining about these days?
• Do you welcome impossible trials? Or do you wish to not have any more trials in your life?
• What or who are your giants today?
• What is keeping you away from the Land of Canaan?