July 30, 2013
THE BLAME GAME
Numbers 16:41-50
Addie Tamlyn
Central Truth
Grumbling, dissatisfaction, complaining, and blaming others lead you away from God rather than toward Him. Instead, seek forgiveness and repent.
Key Verse | Numbers 16:41
But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, "You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord's people." (Numbers 16:41)
Numbers 16:41-50
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the LORD.” 42 And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. 46 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone out from the LORD; the plague has begun.” 47 So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stopped. 49 Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, besides those who died in the affair of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.
Dive Deeper | Numbers 16:41-50
Okay, so I said the Lord had taught me to be satisfied in every situation, right? Well, I am only human, and, to be honest, when I found out I had a passage in Numbers, my immediate response was not one of excitement. Before even reading the passage, I was discouraged and thought nothing good would come of it. Instead of remembering that "all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching" (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV), I got frustrated and annoyed based on what I thought about Numbers before studying the Scripture passage. The irony of this situation is that the passage is all about grumbling, complaining, and being dissatisfied with God.
The Israelites griped at God for killing their friends. They blamed Aaron and Moses for the deaths of their fellow Israelites. Think back to being a kid. Let's say you broke your mom's favorite vase. When she asks what happened, you blame your little brother, Johnny. The next day, your mom asks Johnny about it, and he tells her that he doesn't know what happened. She then realizes that you blamed Johnny for what you had done. Instead of forgiving you and extending grace, she gives you an even greater punishment for blaming him. In this story, you are the Israelites. They not only grumbled and complained, but they also blamed Aaron and Moses. Instead of showing the Israelites grace and mercy, God killed 14,700 of them. Had they just repented and confessed, God may have shown His favor and forgiveness.
The blame game doesn't work today, and it certainly did not work for the Israelites. Repenting and seeking forgiveness help lead us toward God.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever found yourself grumbling and complaining about something insignificant? Did you blame God? Did you blame someone else?
2. When you blame someone else, are you doing it to try to make yourself not look as bad (pride)?
3. Why are we quick to blame others? Why are we quick to blame God?