Envious Criticism

Envy Living Vs. Humble Living

Numbers 12:1-10

last week we spoke about Spiritual Living Vs. Wilderness living. We concluded how our attitude is significant to the overall growth of the church. The question we posed was are we ready for promise land living? I pray that we all said yes, which meant we needed to sale our current attitude house and move into a house not made by man hands, but by the Almighty God.

I’m glad the children of Israel's story was documented, so that I can have a chance to get my attitude in check. Their story exposes us to how their attitudes played a vital role in their wilderness wondering. How this attitude lead to there demise and denial into the promise land. this is a parallel or example to explain how the new testament is explained and vital to the role we play today. Williams James said “ People can alter their lives by altering their attitudes”It’s time for a life altering experience that will guide us into the promise land of living.

As we have presented the gospel of Jesus Christ over the past few months, I have tried to be very honest about the fact that there are good times and hard times in the Christian life.  We must be aware of what we say and how we act. We will face conflict but when those criticism comes from surprising places; from the people we love.

a spouse tells you they don't love you anymore and they want a divorce a sibling turns against you over money a student says to a teacher "you don't care" a child says they never want to speak to you again a patient sues you a client tells everyone you cheated them a former boyfriend or girlfriend spreads false rumors or tells your secrets to others a long time friend suddenly turns on you Each of these situations has a common element: the wound is inflicted by someone we loved and care for.  And the deeper your love for the person, the greater is the hurt when they turn against you.  The more of yourself you have invested in that person, the more it will hurt if they turn against you. In fact this pain is so intense that for most of you this morning you are "stinging" just thinking about it.

Moses felt this same kind of attack. We have seen Moses criticized before. When he first confronted Pharaoh, the Hebrews accused him of doing more harm than good (that hurt); When the children of Israel were out in the dessert they accused Moses of trying to kill them (that hurt too); There, the trouble arose through the refusal of the world lings among them to rise to a true spiritual calling; here, however, the opposition came from much nearer the center, from those nearest to Moses in natural and spiritual kinship, Miriam and Aaron, his older sister and brother. but in this chapter his older brother and his sister, whom he looked up to, publicly criticize Him and challenges his leadership.  And I believe this hurt is greater than all the others because it hit a little closer to home.

It is clear that the heart of this issue lies in the challenge they made against Moses’ position of supremacy as leader of the people, and his right to speak for God. look at verse 1 and 2.

verse one. Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite has the Lord spoken only through Moses they asked? hasn’t he also spoken through us and the Lord heard this.

Moses’ marriage to the Ethiopian woman is therefore simply the pretext for the attack, an excuse to arouse opposition against him. The pretext in itself may have been a real enough issue so far as Miriam was concerned, but it was nevertheless still a pretext, and we have to look beyond it for the real reason for this altercation, namely, criticism against Moses.

Have you ever watched a game of follow the leader degenerate into envious criticism of the leader? I want to lead, why don't I get to lead? with kids it’s difficult with adults it’s dangerous. When envious criticism gets into the camp the following falls apart let’s begin

Envious criticism, they call it the green eyed monster envy is wanting with someone else has their stuff their life, their job whatever it is, it’s theirs, not yours two trade marks of envy discontentment with my lot and resentment towards the other guy . Envy is the work of the flesh, and it leads to something worse. Miriam and Aaron began talking against Moses because he married a Cushite that means Ethiopian. Moses’ first wife died and he married again, scandal it was not, a Jewish girl nope. I don’t think that biracial marriage is the real issue here what is interesting to know that one of the all-time great Bible heroes married an African woman. Keep that in mind we conclude this sermon. What we do see is the critical attitude. Here’s the definition of destructive criticism, so we will be clear as we discuss the painful subject. Criticism is dwelling upon the perceived faults of another with no view of their good.

That’s what we are doing when we criticize people that we never take the time to point out the good in them. Everything God made is good.

Now their were two envious parties in verse one Miriam and Aaron these are Moses‘s older sister and older brother now they don’t call it envy instead they hide it with a challenge. And the challenge is criticizing who he married.

We noted that complaining relates to situations, whereas envy /criticism relates to people. Our negative thinking that relates to people is called criticism. Miriam and Aaron had definitely fallen into it big time in regard to Moses.

So let’s ask some critical questions. Are you the person who walks around saying that’s not right and who thought that would look nice and why in the world did they do that?

When we get to the point where lock into a person’s fault that we cannot never see the good in them we have the wilderness attitude called envious criticism.

Miriam and Aaron had nothing to criticize Moses about so they went for his family. How often do we see people who try to hurt a person by insulting their family?

The marriage was away to pick on Moses symptom not source. The real issue was in verse two Has the Lord spoke in only through Moses we speak to Now understand that both Miriam and Aaron were great leaders in Israel Aaron the high priest, Miriam, the prophetess and worship leader,they spoke for God they lead the people only not as much Moses got more. It’s been said the envy, Satan‘s best weapon against those who lead in church spiritually strong get tripped up when someone else is spiritually stronger or if they just have a bigger ministry or more authority, so we got trouble, it starts with T that rhymes with E that stands for envy Now as I see it there’s only one antidote to envy, and that comes in verse three now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else. On the face of the Earth. Moses was humble. Humility is a job requirement to lead God’s people and humility is the antidote to envy contentment is too, but contentment only comes when you’re humble and the great thing about being humble is that you don’t have to fight your own battles. God fight them for you

verse four at once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam come out to the tent of meeting all three of you, so the three of them went out, and this is classic dad calls the kids in from the playground. He means business end in a rarity, God speaks directly to Aaron and Miriam envy is so insidious. God is determined to stop it cold

verse five then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud he stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam, when the two of them stepped forward, he said listen to my words when there is a prophet among you, I’d the Lord reveal myself to them in visions I speak to them in dreams, but this is not true with my servant Moses he is faithful in all my house with him, I speak, face-to-face, clearly not in riddles he sees the form of the Lord why then, were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. whoa if you’ve ever been talked to humbled and said properly in your place multiply that feeling by Gillion why was God burning with anger? Why were a few complaints about a leader so serious the God showed up in person one phrase Envious Criticism”. When we show this type of attitude we need to realize that Moses’s wife or his ministry is the issue or who we are mad at. It’s God. We may not want to admit but some time in our life we look at people and wonder why they got that life and I got mine. We wondered, why my tragedies seem so much more harder than others. I felt that way when my father died, when my brothers died. Even thought I never said it out loud, my heart was angry with God. God knows the danger. Envy is a roots in. it’s a little root that sprouts, all kinds of bigger and better sins and we drove Kane to kill Abel envy drove king Saul to madness we don’t take it seriously because it’s hidden under the dirt

but listen to James 3:16 for where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder, and every evil practice “ Envy is the Sin and Criticism is the Practice”

that’s all it works envy leads to evil and even more envy of a leader can destroy the whole team. Envy does not trust. and envy does not follow, and that was with the whole wilderness journey was about Gods training, ground to trust and follow. Trusting God means trusting his appointed leader. Does not mean your leader is perfect it means you trust God to lead you through an imperfect leader. Wives submit, kids obey employees work churches follow all of us following imperfect leaders. Now be careful this is not a call to submit to Tierney. David honor the Lord‘s anointed, but escaped from abuse. Buts that another conversation. Moses was no tyrant God humbled him for 80 years to make sure of that. This chapter is about envy, and God put a firm end to it.

Verse 10 when the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam skin was leprous it became as white as snow. This is serious leprosy was a death sentence, Aaron Begs, Moses for help and Moses cries out in prayer. Oh God, please heal her. God shows mercy and heels. Miriam is still confined outside the camp for seven days. don’t miss the picture Proverbs 14:30 says that Proverbs 14:30 (NKJV)

30 A sound heart is life to the body,

But envy is rottenness to the bones.

in other words envy eats away at you from the core. It sucks your life away, and just makes you rotten for Miriam. I think that God decided to give her a view from outside of what envy was doing inside. Once more envy separates you from friends. It casts you outside the camp because you don’t trust them and they don’t trust you and it holds up the entire team. The camp of Israel was stuck for seven days.

“ A continuously critical attitude toward those around me will consume all that is healthy and joy-producing in my life”

I Corinthians 13:1-8- Love Attitude

“If we display great communication skills, knowledge or faith and it is not accompanied by a loving attitude the message falls flat”

“ The only attitude big enough to replace a critical attitude is an attitude of Love”

When we look at the church in Corinth they had many powerful traits going for them. The members did have real problems, but in 1 cor. 1:7, says that they had spiritual gifts; and 11:2 points out that they had good sound doctrine. What was missing, however, was love; and Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not hesitate to tell them how much they were really missing.

Verse 4- Love is patient instead of impatient and perturbed, Love is kind instead of hateful, love is not jealous, which is what Aaron and Miriam was to Moses.

Romans 11 says all of Israel will be saved now whether you could follow all of that or are you just not at your head to pretend I know you can understand this envy kills. Job says that envy slays the simple be humble be content and love one another for love is patient love is kind and love does not envy

The proud man hath no God; the envious man hath no neighbor; the angry man hath not himself. What good then, in being a man, if one has neither himself nor a neighbor nor God?

Joseph Hall

Envious of us Christians, the demons meddle in everything in their efforts to stop us getting to heaven: they do not want us to make it to the place from which they fell.

Anthony the Great

When we criticize even when we joke, there is always some truth in that statement.

Now before we close don’t forget about typology. Jesus told us that all of the scripture was about him, so where is Jesus in the story? Church lets stop for a minute and consider the connections. This will be your Easter message, Moses was a humble and meek leader of God‘s people. Jesus is the ultimate leader of God’s people, meek and lowly Miriam and Aaron were siblings and leaders among the Jews they envied Moses.. In Jesus time, the priests and Pharisees (his Jewish brothers in a sense) and leaders among the people envied Jesus. Envy was the driving force behind their accusations and their anger. Miriam and Aaron were mad, because Moses took a gentile bride. The priest couldn’t stand how Jesus loves gentiles, and ultimately, the bride of Christ is a multi racial bride. Miriam suffered leprosy, and was isolated for seven days the Jews were cast out of the promised land and ultimately they will face the seven years of tribulation also known as the time of Jacobs trouble,