July 31, 2013
DON'T BE A WHINER!
Numbers 17
Mike Frizzell
Central Truth
What marks the children of God? Living without grumbling.
Key Verse | Numbers 17:5
"It will come about that the rod of the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you." (Numbers 17:5)
Numbers 17
Aaron's Staff Buds
1 1 17:1 Ch 17:16 in Hebrew The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. 4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.
8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the LORD to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 10 And the LORD said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the LORD commanded him, so he did.
12 And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. 13 Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the LORD, shall die. Are we all to perish?”
Dive Deeper | Numbers 17
We are in the section of the Old Testament that sometimes requires faith to believe what we're reading. Yesterday, in Numbers 16 God had the earth swallow the leaders of an organized rebellion against Moses. Today, God uses the miracle of a budding staff to choose Aaron as the sole leader of the priesthood.
Why are such miraculous efforts required? Because the people grumble. We are in a tragic portion of God's story. An entire generation is prevented from entering into God's promised land because of a lack of faith. We read that story just a few chapters back.
That same lack of faith permeates Israel's complaining about Moses and Aaron's leadership. Exasperated, Moses cries out, "What do I do with these whiners?" God devises a miracle to choose one leader from among them and reduce the grumbling He has to put up with. As the chapter title suggests, the sign falls to Aaron as head of the priesthood.
When I read the word "grumbling," words from my childhood come flooding back, "Do everything without grumbling and arguing" (HCSB). Paul penned those words, and followed them up with, "Prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:14-15).
Make no mistake. God marks His children. At times in Numbers He does so violently. As God's children, we are marked by His grace. We are not marked by murmurings, complaints, arguments, or disputes. We are marked by love (John 13:35), faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13), encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and gentle answers (Proverbs 15:1).
It is tempting for me to grumble about a hard day at work, a fussy child, or a patch of weeds that never goes away. But let us be known for God's transforming work of grace and love, and not as grumblers. May we be a budding staff to a watching world.
Discussion Questions
1. What causes you to grumble? How can you thank God for that?
2. What situation in your life is difficult and requires faith?
3. Who do you know who actively discourages grumbling? Do you need to ask him or her to hold you accountable?
4. What has God given you that is better than you deserve? Praise God for that!
5. Are you ready for the promised land? Or are you sitting on the bench of lost opportunities waiting for the next chance?