Class Lesson November 20, 2011

Hey Gang,

This week’s lesson says that if you want to “Make Your Life Count” there are going to be times in which you must “Respond to Difficult Situations.” Our discussion today centers around this very question, "How should I respond to difficulties that come along?"

“Temper is the one thing you can’t get rid of by losing it.”

 Anger Management Movie Trailer

Continue acting thoughtfully even when circumstances are difficult.

What’s your “Anger Management” style of dealing with difficult situations?

1. Just leave me alone! The one that would rather not deal at all with people that frustrate you.
2. Back in my day! Ever feel like the answer lie in the way we were.
3. Why you sorry #!&?@!!! Sometimes you just react.
4. Thus saith the Lord! You agree that God can handle difficult people, but sometimes want to help Him out.

In our study of Moses’ life, we have seen him go from trying to hide while making excuses to standing tall and leading in godliness. For 40 years Moses led an entire nation of mostly disgruntled people, interceding on their behalf and exercising patience while they challenged him at every turn. In today’s lesson we find Israel in the first month of their 40th year of wandering in the desert. Most of the people whom Moses had led out of Egypt had since died, and now their children had to learn to own their faith and put their trust in the Lord.

I. DON’T IDOLIZE THE PAST – NUMBERS 20:1-5

Water from the Rock

1 The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. 2 There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD. 4 Why have you brought the LORD's assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5 Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It's not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!"



Near the end of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites complained that they had no water. As they had often done in the past, they blamed Moses and Aaron. With a weird kind of nostalgia, they said would be better off in Egypt. They recalled the food they had in Egypt.



In what way were the Israelites making an idol out of the past? Why is this dangerous for the present? When do “back in the day” thoughts and conversations cross over from healthy memories to idolizing the past? 

• We cannot change the past or relive it.
• Many adults reconnect with old friends via Facebook and other social networking sites. How could this be a catalyst for idolizing the past? What dangers lie in this kind of activity? When does “catching up” go from good to bad? How do we keep it good?
• They remembered there was food and water there.
• Many of those that complained were children in Egypt or had been born in the wilderness.
• Their memories were somewhat distorted.
• To them, Moses became the person who forced them to leave the comforts of Egypt – or so they thought.
• Grumbling is sinful.

How did the Israelites respond to their difficult situation? Was anything wrong about this? 

• They complained and assembled against Moses and Aaron. Everyone faces some difficulties in life. There are legitimate ways of making grievances known, but grumbling and whining is sinful. Don’t blame others for your difficult situations.
• How can we deal with the temptation to whine or complain when we face a difficult situation in life?
• Deliberately stop any whining before it comes out of your mouth. Name three things to appreciate.

This was the first month in the 40th year of their wandering in the wilderness. Aaron’s death is recorded in 20:22-29, and 33:38-39 places his death in the 40th year. There is a long time between chapters 15 and 20. These were the years of the wilderness wandering. The reason for their wandering was their refusal to enter the promise land in chapter 14-15. They were condemned to wander until the adult generation perished. The tragedy of chapter 20 is that the younger generation had not learned from the sins of their parents.



The wilderness in which they wandered was a relatively small area. It was southwest of Canaan. Verse 1 mentions two place names – the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh. Kadesh was were the 12 spies were sent out from to check out the promise land – remember? The people rebelled, and the judgment of the wilderness wandering began. So for almost 40 years the people of Israel had been going around in circles getting nowhere. This illustrates something that is true of all those who reject God’s will for their life. They find life to be like riding a merry-go-round: you get on, go round and round, and get off where you got on.

How had the Israelites faced earlier times of drought or thirst? What made this different?
 

• This was not the first time the Israelites had no water or food.
• At times, they had been hungry and the Lord gave them manna. He also sent quail.
• Shortly after leaving Egypt, the people found themselves in a place with no water. Exodus 17:3 tells what happen: “The people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?”
• This was a new generation.
• The irony of the complainers is that they had been below the age 20 when their fathers had refused to enter Canaan. After growing up during almost 40 years of wandering, they seem not to have learned some key lessons.
• This part of their history they should have remembered and thanked God for His past provision and expressed prayers of faith to Him for meeting their needs.
• They were quick to complain about their difficult situations, and they were equally quick to blame Moses.
• They should have learned the folly of acting with the same doubt and disobedience as their fathers. Three things they should have learned: 1) that God would supply the things they needed, 2) that attacking Moses’ leadership was hazardous, and 3) that idolizing the good ole days was wrong.

What role did Miriam fulfill in Moses’ life?

• Miriam was Moses’ sister and Aaron was his brother. They both had important parts in God’s use of Moses.
• Miriam was the one who watched over the ark carrying the baby Moses. Aaron sometimes spoke for Moses. Neither was perfect. Moses was plagued not only by the rebellious people, but he sometimes also had to contend with trouble in his own family.
• At one point Miriam and Aaron became jealous of Moses. God punished Miriam with leprosy. She was healed after Moses prayed for her (Num. 12). Aaron showed weakness in yielding to the people’s demand to build a golden calf. Most of the time, however, Aaron continued to stand with Moses.

Let’s see how Moses handles the difficult situation he faced with the complaining Israelites?

II. HARNESS YOUR ANGER – NUMBERS 20:6-11; PSALM 106:32-33


6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces [to the ground], and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD spoke to Moses, 8 "Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock." 9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence just as He had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

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32 They angered [the LORD] at the waters of Meribah, and Moses suffered because of them; 33 for they embittered his spirit, and he spoke rashly with his lips.






Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting to ask the Lord what to do. God told Moses and Aaron to take the staff and speak to the rock and water would come out. Unfortunately, Moses had become weary from dealing with the grumbling of the people. Because of his anger, he struck the rock rather than speaking to it. The Lord mercifully gave the people water, but He rebuked Moses.

 

How did Moses and Aaron respond to this difficult situation with the Israelites’ complaint?

• He responded in anger and frustration.
• He disobeyed God’s command.

What did God tell Moses to do? 

• The Lord told them what to do to provide the needed water.
• The staff was the one God gave to Moses and Aaron. They were to use it to show God’s power to Pharaoh. They used it to defeat the god’s of Egypt. When they threw it down it became a snake. The magicians of Egypt threw down rods too and they also became snakes, but Moses’ snake devoured all the others. This staff had been stretched over the Red Sea when the miracle took place. This staff had been used to bring water out of a rock shortly after leaving Egypt. On that occasion God told Moses to hit the rock and the water would come (17:5-6).
• The staff was kept in the tent of meetings. Now God told them to take it to the rock. Although they were to take the staff, they were not told to strike the rock. Instead, the Lord told Moses to speak to the rock. The miracle would show the power of words from God.

 
How did Moses disobey the Lord? 

• He disobeyed God’s command, and he acted in unbelief. He took the issue into his own hands. He was angry with the people, but he had been angry before. The difference this time was that it led him to disobey God. No sin is small if it leads to unbelief and disobedience.
• Moses obeyed God’s about taking the staff, but when the people assembled; Moses did not speak what God had told him to say. His words were angry words that twisted what God had said.
• Moses said: "Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" 11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
• God was not pleased with how disobeyed His command to speak to the rock, but God gave the water for the thirsty people and their livestock.
• Why did Moses disobey God in this situation? The psalmist blamed frustration and anger. Put yourself in Moses’ place. You have heard the people grumble about their situation and accuse you of being the source of all their troubles. This began in Egypt and continued until near the end of their time of wandering and their entry into the land of Canaan. They were consistent complainers who always blamed Moses for whatever they were going through. Would you be untouched by their attacks on you and God? This was like the straw that broke the camel’s back – Moses in frustration, hit the rock instead of speaking to the rock in God’s name.
• Moses was not wrong to be provoked by the grumbling of the Israelites, for God Himself was provoked.
• His problem was that he did not obey the Lord’s command about dealing with the situation.

Don’t be surprised if whining gets under your skin. Let God calm you down and show you what to do. Do exactly what God says to do.



Our lesson today says that we should “Harness Our Anger” – what does this mean? Are we in need of “Anger Management”? Do we ever feel we are justified to lose our tempers in certain situations? What does the Bible say about ANGER?

There are two kinds of anger, the righteous kind and the sinful kind. The Bible assures us anger itself is not the problem:

• Psalm 7:11
• John 2:13-18
• Mark 3:5
• Ephesians 4:26

Is frustration with other people ever an excuse for disobeying God?


So when does anger become sin?

• Motivated by selfishness – Jas. 1:20
• Ignores God’s goals – 1 Cor. 10:31
• Not dealt with in a timely manner – Eph. 4:26-27
• When used to hurt people – Eph. 4:14-15

Which of the above was Moses’ problem? Which one tends to be a struggle for you? What should we do, then, with all that frustration?



How do we harness anger so it becomes the force God wants it to be?

1. Recognize the things that frustrate you, and let God provide the way of escape that keeps you from exploding. (1 Cor. 10:13)
2. Find someone with whom to safely talk through the anger – an anger ally.
3. Refuse to act in anger; calm down first.
4. Pray through difficult situations, not just before or after them.
5. Communicate honestly but with respect.
6. Deal with frustrations in a timely manner: slowly so you don’t hurt someone but fast enough so the anger doesn’t eat at you.
7. Choose wise action over unwise reaction.
8. Let the anger drive you to solve the problem compassionately.

Consider James chapter 3

• Making your life count is a worthy goal for everyone, but it is not easy for anyone.
• James wrote that the tongue is such a small thing but can do great damage and that godly wisdom is void of selfish ambition.
• Moses certainly found that out; so should we.

How does anger hinder our ability to obey God?

• We are more focused on our feeling of frustration and so we don’t really hear God.
• Not hearing God can cause us to revert back to something we’ve done before rather than obeying God specifically for each situation.

III. KEEP TRUSTING THE LORD – NUMBERS 20:12-13

12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them." 13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness to them.



He told Moses and Aaron that they did not trust God to reveal His holiness. They would not be allowed to enter the land of Canaan when the people went in. the place was called “the waters of Meribah,” a place where the Israelites quarreled and God revealed His holiness. Both the people and Moses were faced with difficult situations. The people had no water and blamed God and Moses. Moses was faced with a rebellious group of people who were always complaining and blaming him. On this one time Moses struck the rock in anger instead of speaking to it. 

 

“At the root of every sin is a lack of trust in God”

Would you agree or disagree with this statement?


In what sense were Moses’ actions a lack of faith? What was his punishment? What lessons can we draw from this?

• God addressed Moses and Aaron in verse 12. God said their lack of trust failed to show God’s holiness in the sight of the people. The Old Testament emphasizes the power of God’s words. The people couldn’t see God, but this invisible God could speak through people like Moses. God wanted them to hear His word and know that God Himself gave them the water.
• The substitution of one symbolic act for another was of serious consequence in Israel’s world; it changed the very character of the action. Instead of pronouncing the word of the Lord over the rock, Moses struck it, placing his own power upon it, as magicians of the time would do.

What was his punishment?

• Moses was not allowed to go with the people into the Promised Land and this was a bitter disappointment to Moses.

What effect did this punishment have on Moses and his place in the Bible?

• Moses was very bitter that he didn’t get to go with the people into the Promised Land, but it didn’t mean he lost his place in heaven.
• Moses had a true relation with God.
• Israel’s entry into their Promised Land foreshadowed our entry into heaven – our Promised Land. When Jesus was transfigured, Moses and Elijah appeared with Him (Mk. 9:4).

What lessons can we draw from this?

• Moses’ experience reminds us that the salvation of believers is secure, but that God still can punish us on earth for our sins.
• One of the lessons we learn from Moses’ sin is that the Bible tells the sins, faults, and failures of one of its heroes.

Points:

1. Frustration and anger at God’s people can lead us to worse sins.
2. All sin in a Christian’s life is serious.
3. The basic sins are distrust and disobedience.
4. Believers can be assured of eternal life, but they may still experience earthly punishments for their sins.

This lesson reminded me of the one line from a prayer of John Wesley’s: “I grow weary in Thy Work, Lord, but not of it.” Anyone who serves the Lord in any serious way knows a certain weariness in it, but they try not to allow that weariness in it to become weariness of it. Moses often was weary in it, and on one occasion he might have been weary of it. At least we know he let the people’s grumbling and accusations get to him.



This lesson is about making your life count by responding appropriately to life’s difficulties. The Israelites, toward the end of 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, complained to Moses that they had no water. This was a difficult situation, but instead of praying, they accused Moses and God of not saving them from such troubles. Moses had heard nothing but such grumbling from the people. Often he had prayed and God fed them or gave them water. Moses usually had prayed for them, seeking and finding God’s mercy. But in this situation, Moses disobeyed God’s command to speak to the rock and he struck the rock instead. God rebuked Moses and told him that he would not be allowed to enter Canaan, the Promised Land.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, help me respond to difficult situations in Your wisdom and strength. Amen.

So, how about you? How are you going to respond in the future to difficult situations? What has Moses taught you about Anger Management from this week's lesson? 

Hope that everyone has had a blessed week and that you are preparing for what God has in store for each of us this Sunday.


Next time you feel stressed, try singing this song:

I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
I feel pretty and witty and gay
And I pity
Any girl who isn't me today

I feel charming
Oh so charming
It's alarming how charming I feel
And so pretty
That I hardly can believe I'm real

See the pretty girl in that mirror there?
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running
And dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy

I feel pretty
Oh so pretty
That the city should give me its key
A committee
Should be organized to honor me

I feel dizzy
I feel sunny
I feel fizzy and funny and fine
And so pretty
Miss America can just resign See the pretty girl in that mirror there
Who can that attractive girl be?
Such a pretty face
Such a pretty dress
Such a pretty smile
Such a pretty me!

I feel stunning
And entrancing
Feel like running and dancing for joy
For I'm loved
By a pretty wonderful boy

See you on Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan