That's IT, I Quit

Introduction

Good Morning. You don’t have to raise your hand. But, who’s tired this morning? Who feels like there are just too many irons in the fire? Yeah there are many of us who feel that way. Yes, we live very busy lives. With everything going on from day-to-day, I can understand how someone might feel like, “if could just have another hour, two or three per day — I could get done what I need. But! Would we really get more done with an extra, say 1 to 3 hours per day. Perhaps in the beginning the time would be spent on the things we need to catch up on. I wonder how soon it would be where this extra time would be filled with more things, more tasks, and more errands to run. There’s a good chance our schedules would be overfull again. And, all the stuff we’re trying to get done is just making us crazy.

Did you know in a recent study the average American has just 32 minutes per day that’s spent with family and or friends. Leisure sports and social media ranked almost 5-time higher. I’ve even heard people who were looking forward to retiring say that they were looking forward to a time that was not as congested, only later to say they were busier than ever.

Has there every been a time when you felt like everything you were juggling was getting a bit too much? You could have feel like, everything is up in the air and coming down at once. You’re juggling life, kids, activities, time with friends, doctors appointments, grocery shopping, a head ache because you didn’t sleep much last night. Then when you come home, it’s supper time. You need to cook, and nothing is ready — everything is frozen. So what do we do, Dominions, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Sonic McDonald’s here we come. The order goes in with everything wrong. This one forgot the cheese. This one still has the pickles, the coke is flat, this one over hear starts eating the ice cream first. All this stuff is building up — then BOOM, meltdown. That’s it, I quit! Have you ever felt this way where everything just keeps building with one more thing on top?

Moses felt the same way. He came to a time in his life where he was frustrated with all that was going on. What we might call it — is being pulled in a 1000 different directions. Our passage this morning takes us into the book of Numbers. I’d like to invite you to turn with me to the 11th chapter of Numbers. We’ll be reading verses 10 through 15.

Numbers 11:10 ESV

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

Numbers 11:11 ESV

11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?

Numbers 11:12 ESV

12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?

Numbers 11:13 ESV

13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’

Numbers 11:14 ESV

14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.

Numbers 11:15 ESV

15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Pastoral Prayer

Background: The Israelites are voicing their opinion about the manna. They were remembering the days of meat, fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onion and garlic. But! “There is nothing at all but this manna to look at” (Numbers 11:8). All this commotion and weeping was beginning to wear real thin on Moses. Perhaps you’ve been in a situation that was just wearing you out, and you were doing all you could from having a melt down. You could think of this situation as wearing Moses out. In just a few verses earlier in the previous chapter, we can find Moses just as happy as a peach. Moses was seen singing about the Lord (Numbers 10:35-36). Now, his tune has changed. Moses is no longer singing about the Lord, but now lamenting. Moses was facing a person problem.

Because of the weight of the load he was bearing, Moses allowed himself to become discouraged over the circumstances. The Bible tells us that Moses was displeased. The word “displeased” means to be “broken to pieces, to be utterly destroyed”. Moses was having a breakdown! If we are not careful, the problems we face in life can produce this kind attitude in our hearts! It happened to Moses! It happened to Elijah, 1 Kings 19. It happened to Jonah, Jonah 4. It can happen to us too! What was the problem here? Moses had allowed the problems he faced to become larger than the God he served! Anytime that we allow that to happen in our lives, we are in danger of a major breakdown! We need to come to the place where we remember that every problem we face has the potential to be greater than our ability to handle that problem! We are to keep our eyes on the Lord as we face our challenges. We must remember that He, not us, is the One Who fights the battles of life. He fights and we just get to enjoy the victory!

Think back to David and Goliath. David shows up to fight this man that’s considered to a revered Philistine warrior. David shows up to the fight with only “five smooth stones” (1 Sam. 17:40). What everyone else missed was David didn’t just show up with five smooth stones, he showed up with the Lord in his corner. David said:

1 Samuel 17:37 ESV

37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

That’s the difference between David and Moses. David came to the challenge having no idea how this would be accomplished. He know he had to depend on God to see him through this. David knew his challenge was great. But! We serve a BIG GOD! Our God is bigger than us, bigger than the world, and that means he is bigger than our challenges. When our challenges come up we are to take them right to the One who can help us — and folks that’s GOD! That’s exactly what Moses did.

Numbers 11:11–12 ESV

11 Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?

We’re seeing text here on the page or the screen, but what we’re reading is a prayer. Moses prayed a prayer of confusion. Moses looks to be asking God — WHY? He’s essentially saying to the Lord, “these are you people! I didn’t give birth to them! They are your problem, not mine! Why am I here having to bear them and their burdens! Moses couldn’t grasp the “why” of the situation. Moses was having a hard time remembering that the details were God’s responsibility and not his! God had called Moses to lead the people, not to feed them! Moses was standing in the middle of a beautiful forest crafted by God. The thing is, Moses could not see the trees. All he could see were the towering mountains.

Do you fell like this sometimes, where you are in the middle of the forest and can’t see the trees? All that’s there are mountain peaks. You might be there right now asking God — Why me!?! Why is this happening to me? I would like to give you the perfect answer. That can only come from God through prayer and Scripture. I’d like to propose something that’s helped. How about we adopt a different mind set concerning the troubles and challenges we face. I’d suggest instead of asking “Why?”, we can ask 2 questions.

Number one: we can ask why not me? Jesus said we could expect trouble in this life. The Bible say in:

John 16:33 ESV

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Job said understood this. We have a strong parallel in:

Job 14:1 ESV

1 “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.

We’ve got two guys, one of them being Jesus, saying the same thing: this road of life we’re on will not be an easy. When trouble comes don’t ask “why?”, instead we can learn to give thanks in the midst of the storm. We can see this encouragement when Paul write to the Church in Thessalonica. He said:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV

18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Number two: we can ask “what?” When you’re going through a trial in life (you know I haven’t met a single person yet who shows up to work or home saying — YES! On the way here I had a blow out, I spilled by beverage, I don’t have enough gas for the week, rents due tomorrow and payday isn’t for another three days, my child - grandchild - or family member is not doing well, I’ve got homework to complete) that’s when we ask the question — “what?” We can ask, “Lord, what’s the lesson here, what am I to learn?” No one likes going though trials, Jesus included! We can find Jesus praying to the Father in Luke 22:42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Jesus was in extreme discomfort and just two verses down Luke said (Luke 22:43), “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” When we’re in this situation, asking the question “what” will give us more favorable answers.

Numbers 11:14–15 ESV

14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Moses came to a place we all need to come to. He came to the place where he saw, felt and confessed his weakness. He knew that he was insufficient. He says right here in verse 14 that, “I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.” You might be there right now, trying to carry a burden that is too heavy. Why don’t you surrender that to God?

Conclusion

It’s difficult to come to the place of total weakness and dependence before the Lord. But until we do, we will never know Him and His power in our problems! Friends, the sooner we come to the place where we know for sure that we can’t, that is the sooner will arrive at the place where we will know that He can!

What do you do when you’ve reached the end of your rope, or that situation that is just wearing you out? You know, there’s that ol’ saying when you come the end of your rope and trying to hold on. It’s says to tie another knot and hang on. I enjoy the optimism here. But! There’s a better way! That way is through Jesus Christ.

When Jesus walked the face of the earth, one great aspect among many, was that He could associate with our humanity. Jesus knows what it’s like to walk in the flesh. He has experienced what we feel. This gives us a whole new appreciation that He will never leave or forsake us. From this experience Moses went through, he did one thing right — he turned to the Lord in a moment of crises. Are you trying really hard right now to tie a knot at the end of the rope? Or are you ready to let go allowing God to catch you, where you can find rest in the arm of God as He solves all your challenges, trusting in Him to meet your needs?

Closing Prayer