What did we complain about this week? Maybe we griped about the weather — about the heat or haze. Or, we complained about our commute — about the traffic or the crowds. Maybe, we complained about how expensive things are. Or, we moaned about our job — about our boss and colleagues, the workload, the stress, the long hours. Did we grumble about our children, our parents, or our spouse? Maybe we complained about the church, or even murmured about God. We complain a lot. We complain about a lot of things. It has been said that complaining is Singapore’s national pastime. Complaining may be common, but does that mean it is alright?
God’s faithful servant serves a faithless people.
Numbers 11-12 addresses the issue of complaining. Israel’s grumbling shows its faithlessness. Our complaining says more about ourselves than we realise. It exposes our faithless hearts, and reveals our need for a faithful servant. This is the big idea: God’s faithful servant serves a faithless people.
A faithful servant amid faithless complaining (Num 11:1-35)
As we come to Numbers 11-12, we may get a sense of déjà vu. Do these chapters sound familiar? It feels like Israel has been here before. It sounds like a repeat of what took place earlier in the Book of Exodus, soon after Israel left Egypt. There, the Israelites had grumbled about food, drink and Moses’ leadership. In Numbers 11-12, the Israelites are at it again. These chapters contain three incidents of complaining.
The first is in Numbers 11:1-3. The words of Numbers 11:1 are shocking, given what we have heard from Numbers 9-10. The Lord is Israel’s faithful Shepherd. He gathers, guides, and goes with His people. In Numbers 10:29, Moses says, “The LORD has promised good to Israel.” But after that, we hear these jarring words in Numbers 11:1: “And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes.”
What complaints could Israel possibly have? Has not the Lord blessed them, promising to make his face shine upon them and to be gracious to them? Truth be told, Israel has no grounds for grumbling. Their complaining flows from an ungrateful and unbelieving heart. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matt 12:34)” Consider how two people might respond differently to the same situation: One becomes angry and bitter, while the other grows in humility and dependence on God. Different hearts, different responses.
Why do we complain? We often blame our circumstances — whether it is other people, a bad day, or some other trouble. To be clear, I am not making light of the difficulties some of us may be facing. Hard things certainly affect us. That said, I do want us to reflect on why we respond the way we do to tough times. What does our complaining reveal about the state of our hearts before God?
God has saved Israel from slavery. Yet, the people still do not trust Him. God has been so good to us in Christ. Once, we were dead in our sins and deserving of God’s judgement. But God, who abounds in grace and mercy, sent His beloved Son, Jesus, to save sinners like us. He lived the perfect life we should have lived. Yet, Jesus died the death we deserved, so that we can be freely forgiven and made right with God if we trust in Him. Jesus rose from the dead to give us new life. If Israel had reason to trust in God, how much more for us? If God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, surely we can trust Him completely, especially in our trials?
Israel’s complaining exposed their unbelief. They are not simply complaining about circumstances. They are not just venting or letting off some steam. No, they are ultimately grumbling against God. Since He is the one who guides them, they are, in effect, telling God they no longer trust Him. Therefore, the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel. Just as fire came out from the Lord and consumed Nadab and Abihu after they offered strange fire, so the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. The people cry out to Moses to intercede for them. Thanks to Moses, the fire died down. The name of the place, which means “burning”, is a reminder of God’s holy judgement. This is not the first time Moses has had to mediate between the people and God. He also interceded for them after their sin with the golden calf. This is a recurring pattern: Israel sins and Moses mediates. He is a faithful servant amid faithless people.
The second incident of complaining is found in Numbers 11:4-35. Here, the complaining begins with the rabble. They are a “mixed multitude (Exo 12:38)”. of different peoples who came out of Egypt with Israel. But, as this incident shows, they did not adopt the ways of Israel’s God. The rabble had a strong craving. They wanted meat more than God. When they do not get what they want, when they want it, they moan and groan like spoiled brats.
Complaining is contagious. It soon spreads from the rabble to the rest. The people of Israel also wept again. This is not the first time Israel complains, and it will not be the last. Crying comes with craving. The people weep because they do not get what they want. They think life was better in Egypt. Sinful desires distort how we view life and blind us to God’s goodness. We become selfish and self-absorbed, wallowing in self-pity. Instead of being thankful for the Lord’s salvation, the people yearn for the “good old days” of Egypt. How quickly the Israelites have gone from remembering redemption to regretting it! How quickly they have forgotten the evils of Egypt! Do not let sinful desires deceive us into thinking life without Jesus is better. Do not love the world or envy those who are living for this world. The world is passing away along with its desires. What we have in Christ is far better and more glorious than anything the world can offer.
Complaining is discontented with God’s goodness. It despises God’s gifts. It takes God’s grace for granted.
What do we crave for? Is it wealth, success, or significance? Do we desire companionship? Do we dream of having a perfect family with a perfect spouse and perfect children? Do we yearn for a comfortable life without any trouble or trials? Do we pursue pleasure above all else? Do we crave control, always wanting our way and our will to be done? How do we respond when we do not get what we want? Do we complain about what we do not have, rather than being thankful for what we have by the grace of God? In Exodus 16, Israel grumbled about the lack of food. God gave them bread from heaven, feeding them with manna. But now, Israel moans about the manna. They are sick of it. But Numbers 11:7-9 remind us of how good manna is. It looks and tastes good. It can be prepared in different ways. What is more, it does not even require any effort to cultivate. It falls like dew. But complaining is discontented with God’s goodness. It despises God’s gifts. It takes God’s grace for granted.
Complaining is contagious. Even Moses gets caught up in it. He is frustrated when He hears the people weeping. In Numbers 11:11, Moses blames God for His predicament: “Why have you dealt ill with your servant?” He forgets that it is God who helps and strengthens him. Instead, Moses thinks he must bear the burden himself. See how complaining makes us turn in on ourselves? We lose sight of God. Moses asks, Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth… Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? Notice all the “I”s in what Moses says? Complaining is self-focused, not God-focused. Moses says in Numbers 11:14, “I am not able to carry out this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.” We become so preoccupied with our problems that we ignore God’s promises, power and provision.
As a result of the complaining, Moses fails to intercede for the people. Instead of praying, Moses is driven to despair. He would rather die than continue caring for the people. Complaining can do great harm to the wellbeing of the church. A little grumbling can fill the whole church with a discouraged and defeated spirit. Complaining tears down. It disheartens the shepherds whom God has placed over us. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Our complaining makes us hard to shepherd with joy. Grumbling begets groaning. For the sake of our own souls. may God help us to be better sheep, not bitter sheep.
Despite Moses’ failure, God remains faithful to His servant. God appoints elders to assist Moses, so that He will not have to bear the burden alone. In Numbers 11:17, God says He will take some of His Spirit from Moses and put His Spirit on the seventy elders as well. When the Spirit rests on the elders, they prophesy and speak God’s truth. But unlike Moses, who holds the office of a prophet, they do not continue prophesying.
God raises up leaders to speak His truth to His people.
God raises up leaders to speak His truth to His people. This pattern of plural leadership continues in the churches of the New Testament. Each church is to have a plurality of elders. The elders pastor together, sharing the work of shepherding God’s people. I am grateful to serve alongside my fellow elders. They encourage me, and more than make up for my weaknesses. Ultimately, it is God who raises up elders for his people. I am thankful for our three elder-candidates. Pray for these brothers. Pray also for God to raise up more faithful elders to shepherd his people.
Authority should be stewarded and shared for the good of God’s people, not selfishly hoarded to boost one’s ego. Moses understands this. When Joshua wants to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying, Moses says, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit on them!” Here, Moses shows His faithfulness as God’s servant. He is serving God’s people, not Himself. In fact, Moses longs for the day when all of God’s people are regenerated by the Spirit to speak God’s truth to one another. Beloved, that day has come, because Jesus has been glorified and the Spirit has been given. If we belong to Christ, we share in the Spirit. Therefore, we also share in the work of growing God’s people. The elders teach God’s word to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the church. The Spirit enables us to speak God’s truth in love to one another, so that we grow together. The church’s wellbeing depends on all of us, not just the elders.
God is good to give us what we need. The gift of elders blesses God’s people. But sometimes, God chastises us by giving us what we want. The people do not trust God. So, the Lord shows His power by feeding Israel with the meat they craved. His hand is not shortened. His word will come true. God gives meat as a judgement, because the people have turned away from him. Getting what we crave for will not satisfy us. Serving sin is like having a banquet in a grave. Listen to what God says in Numbers 11:19-20: “You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”” God causes a wind to bring quail to the camp. The people spend almost two full days gathering the quail. Their craving for meat is so strong that even those who gathered least still gathered 220 litres! The people just want to satisfy themselves. They do not repent. They are not grateful to God. Therefore, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people. He strikes them down with a very great plague. The name of the place, which means “graves of craving”, is a sober reminder that the wages of sin is death.
Israel’s journey began well. But how quickly the people have turned away from God. Their faithless complaining exposes their ungrateful and unbelieving hearts. Israel’s path to the promised land is becoming a trail to the tomb. Even a faithful servant like Moses is insufficient for this faithless people. A better prophet is needed.
A faithful servant amid faithless criticism (Num 12:1-16)
Having faced the people’s faithless complaining, the longsuffering Moses now has to contend with criticism from his own family. Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sister and brother, speak against Moses. Miriam is mentioned first probably because she is the instigator. The siblings disapprove of Moses’ wife, a Cushite woman. To be clear, there is nothing in the Old Testament law that prohibits such a marriage. This is not a matter of righteousness but a personal attack on Moses.
Miriam and Aaron’s words in Numbers 12:2 reveal the real reason for their complaint. Their criticism of Moses’ wife is just a pretext. It is a cover for an underlying grievance fuelled by pride and envy. Often, our complaints about seemingly trivial things point to deeper heart issues. Miriam and Aaron are jealous of Moses. They are envious of his position and do not want to play second fiddle to their sibling. Why should Moses have the prominence? Has not God also spoken to us? Do not we deserve at least as much recognition as Moses?
Like Israel’s complaint about meat, Miriam and Aaron’s complaint exposes a heart of ungratefulness towards God. Instead of being content with God’s good gifts, they are dissatisfied with His ways. Miriam is a prophetess. Aaron is the high priest. Both have important, God-given roles in Israel. Yet, they are still discontented. A complaining heart refuses to rejoice in God’s grace. It is a restless heart that keeps craving for more. It believes the lie that God is not enough, that we are entitled to more, that we deserve better. A complaining heart will never be happy.
What would we do in Moses’ shoes? How do we respond to criticism? We may be tempted to justify ourselves and to protect our position. We may get defensive, digging in our heels and arguing our case. How does Moses respond? Listen to Numbers 12:3: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.” Moses is humble and gentle. (He probably did not write this verse.) Although Moses is wrongly criticised, he does not respond defensively. In fact, he says nothing at all. The only words we hear from Moses are his plea for Miriam. It is as theologian and author D. A. Carson says, “All of us would be wiser if we would resolve never to put people down, except on our prayer lists.” Moses’ silence shows his meekness. He exemplifies the godliness spoken of in James 3:17- 18: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
Moses is a faithful servant amid faithless criticism. Rather than justify himself, he entrusts himself to God. As Numbers 12:2 says, the Lord hears the baseless slander and false accusations directed against His servants. To malign or speak unkindly about the Lord’s servants is to speak against the Lord Himself. He will hold us accountable for every foolish word we utter. The gossip we whisper in the dark will be brought into the light. Because the Lord loves his people, he will vindicate his servants. If we belong to the Lord, we do not have to take matters into our own hands. We can trust God to put right all the wrongs. This sets us free from bitterness and resentment. We can turn away from anger and revenge. We can, instead, seek the good of those who oppose us. Our hearts are free to do what Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matt 5:43)”
God speaks for Moses, who remains silent. He foreshadows a future Servant who opened not his mouth, even though he was oppressed and afflicted. The Lord summons Moses, Aaron and Miriam to the tent of meeting. God reveals his glorious presence, coming down in a pillar of cloud. Calling Aaron and Miriam forward, God defends Moses. He is not like other prophets. To them, the Lord makes himself known in visions and dreams. But God says in Numbers 12:7-8, “Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD.” Moses’ ministry as a mediator between God and the people is unique. He is a faithful servant in God’s house—representing God to the people, and the people to God. Moses intercedes for a faithless people. Since Moses is chief among prophets, Aaron and Miriam should not have spoken against Him.
Therefore, the Lord’s holy anger burns against Aaron and Miriam. When sinned against, we do not have to sin in return. We can look to the Lord for justice. He will do what is right. Aaron and Miriam’s sin makes them unclean and drives the Lord away. Numbers 12:9 says He departed. The cloud removed from over the tent. Sin separates us from the holy God. After the Lord leaves, Miriam is struck with a leprous disease. Why is Miriam struck but not Aaron? It is possibly because Miriam is the instigator. But on seeing what the Lord has done to his sister, Aaron is convicted of sin. He confesses his sin iand pleads with Moses for help (Num 12:11-12). In Numbers 12:13, we hear Moses’ only words in this entire incident. They are a prayer for mercy for Miriam: “O God, please heal her — please.” Once again, we see the pattern of Moses’ intercession after the people’s sin. Moses is a faithful servant amid the faithless. He prays for the very person who treated him unjustly. How is God calling us to love and serve those who have disappointed or hurt us? Will we forgive them, pray for them, and seek their spiritual good in the Lord?
The Lord hears Moses’ intercession and heals Miriam. However, she must still bear the consequences of her sin. If a lesser offence would have made Miriam unclean for seven days, how much more the serious sin of speaking against the Lord’s servant? So, Miriam has to bear her uncleanness outside the camp for seven days, before she can be brought back in. Israel’s journey is halted, while the whole nation waits for Miriam. Faithlessness will hinder the journey to the promised land. Israel will painfully find this out for themselves in the next few chapters. Unbelief will prevent the people from receiving God’s promises.
We are the faithless ones who have not loved, trusted or obeyed the Lord as we ought.
We are like the complaining Israelites. We are the faithless ones who have not loved, trusted or obeyed the Lord as we ought. God made for his glory, but we have turned away from him. A faithless people needs a faithful servant to intercede for them. But even Moses is not the final answer, for he fails as well. We need a prophet greater than Moses.
Indeed, God has promised to raise up a prophet like Moses. Moses was faithful in God’s house as a servant, but Jesus Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son (Heb 3:5-6). Although He is God’s eternal Son, Jesus humbled Himself and suffered for faithless sinners like us. When Jesus was reviled, He did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly. Jesus is meek, gentle and lowly. He will not turn us away. If we come to Him, we will find rest for our souls. Jesus bore our sins, although we were His enemies. We complained and grumbled against Him. We accused and denied Him. Yet He died for us, the faithful for the faithless, that our sins might be forgiven if we repent and believe in Him to save us. Jesus rose from the dead to give us new life, setting us free from slavery to sin and death.
Jesus is the faithful servant who intercedes for us. He is our perfect prophet, priest and king. By His life, death and resurrection, Jesus has brought us back to God. If we have trusted in Jesus, then we are to walk in His footsteps. He has given us a faithful example to follow. Since we have received grace and mercy from Christ, may we forsake grumbling for gratefulness. As God’s redeemed people, let us no longer complain. Let us turn from bitterness to prayer and praise.