The Turning Point – Numbers 13-14 Commentary

Posted on January 26, 2026 by dkoop

Our passage is today is the climax or turning point to the history of the first generation of Israelites after the Exodus. This rebellious  doubt was the final blow, the tenth rebellion of unbelief and grumbling within two years. In this unbelieving doubt expressed by the people, God knew their hearts would never change, never trust Him and His Word—not fully, not completely, not like they should. God had no choice. God had to judge His people and judge them permanently. Negativism, defeatism, unbelief, fear, and rebellion were all embedded too deeply within their hearts.  They simply refused to enter the promised land as God lead them: through sheer faith in His Word, believing the promises of God—in particular the promises of the promised land and the promised seed (a symbol of the coming Savior of the world, Christ Jesus Himself).

The twelve spies chosen were different men from the leaders named in Numbers 1-2; 7; and 10. These spies had to be younger men who could endure the rigors and dangers involved in reconnoitering the land. We meet Caleb for the first time in 13:6, but he’ll be mentioned thirty-one more times in the Old Testament. He and Joshua were the only members of the older generation to enter the Promised Land. The rest of them died in the wilderness.

We first meet Joshua in Scripture as Israel’s general (Ex. 17:8-16), defeating the Amalekites, and then as the servant of Moses (24:13; Num. 11:28). He eventually became Moses’ successor (27:15-20) and led Israel in their conquest of the Promised Land. His original name was Hoshea, which means “salvation,” but Moses changed it to “Joshua” which means “Jehovah is salvation.” It was the kind of name that would encourage the faith of a soldier and remind him that the Lord was fighting for him.

The twelve spies traveled about 500 miles during the forty days of their survey of Canaan, but they discovered nothing that God hadn’t already told them! They already knew the names of the pagan nations that lived in the land (Gen. 15:18-21), that it was a good land (Ex. 3:8) and a rich land flowing with milk and honey (vv. 8, 17). They saw the incredible fruit of the land and brought back a huge bunch of grapes for the people to see. They even visited Hebron, where the patriarchs of Israel were buried with their wives (Num. 13:22; Gen. 23:2, 19; 49:29-31; 50:13). Did the reminder of the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph encourage their own trust in God? For ten of the spies, the answer is no.

God had already given them the land and had commanded them to go in and take it. He had promised them victory, so all they had to do was “trust and obey.” The Lord would go before them and scatter His enemies (Num. 10:33-36), but His people had to follow by faith. That was where they failed. They doubted that God was able to keep His promises and give them the land.

Discouraging God’s people (Num. 13:26-33; Deut. 1:26-28)

Someone has defined a committee as “a group of people who individually can do nothing and collectively decide nothing can be done.” Because they lacked faith, all the spies except Caleb and Joshua were discouraged at the prospect of entering the land and fighting the enemy, and their discouragement quickly spread throughout the camp. Doubt had turned into unbelief, and unbelief is rebellion against God

God told the Israelites that the Promised Land was rich and fertile. Not only that, he promised that this bountiful land would be theirs. When the scouts reported back to Moses, they gave plenty of good reasons for entering the land, but some couldn’t stop focusing on their fear. Talk of giants (descendants of Anak) and fortified cities made it easy to forget about God’s promise to help. When facing a tough decision, don’t let the negatives cause you to lose sight of the positives. Lets not let potential difficulties blind us to God’s power to help and his promise to guide.

13:28 The “descendants of Anak” were a race of abnormally large people. The family of Goliath may have been descended from these people (see 2 Samuel 21:16-22).

13:28, 29 The fortified cities the scouts talked about were surrounded by high walls as much as 20 feet thick and 25 feet tall. Guards were often stationed on top, where there was a commanding view of the countryside. Some of the inhabitants, said the scouts, were formidable men—from seven to nine feet tall—so that the Israelites felt like grasshoppers next to them (13:33). The fortified cities and the giants struck fear into the hearts of most of the scouts.

13:30-32 Imagine standing before a crowd and loudly voicing an unpopular opinion! Caleb was willing to take the unpopular stand to do as God had commanded. To be effective when you go against the crowd, you must (1) have the facts (Caleb had seen the land himself); (2) have the right attitude (Caleb trusted God’s promise to give Israel the land); (3) state clearly what you believe (Caleb said, “We can certainly conquer it!”).

13:33-14:4 The negative opinion of 10 men caused a great rebellion among the people. Because it is human nature to accept opinion as fact, we must be especially careful when voicing our negative opinions. What we say may heavily influence the actions of those who trust us to give sound advice.

What John Gardner said about the political arena can be applied to the spiritual arena and the Christian’s walk of faith: “We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.” A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted, and God tests our faith to help us make sure it’s genuine (1 Peter 1:1-9) and to help make it grow. “Faith comes first to the hearing ear,” said A.W. Tozer, “not to the cogitating mind.” “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17, nkjv).

To the unbelieving world, it’s unreasonable for anybody to trust a God they’ve never seen or heard, but we have all the evidence we need to convince us that God is dependable and has the power to accomplish what He says He will do. What He promises, He is able to perform (Rom. 4:21). Israel had seen what the Lord did to the Egyptians and the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8-16), and they had every assurance that He would never fail His people.

Unbelief is serious because it challenges the character of God and rebels against the will of God. “But without faith it is impossible to please [God]” (Heb. 11:6). “For whatever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). Moses reminded the people of what God had already done for them but they wouldn’t stop complaining. They were sure that the best thing to do was return to Egypt and go back into bondage.

Defying God’s will (Num. 14:1-10)

In the camp of Israel, unbelief and discouragement spread rapidly from heart to heart, and before long “all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night” (v. 1, and note vv. 2 and 10). The next day, the whole congregation criticized Moses and Aaron and lamented the fact that the nation hadn’t perished in Egypt or in the wilderness. When our eyes are on ourselves and our circumstances, we lose our perspective and say and do ridiculous things.

14:1-4 When the chorus of despair went up, everyone joined in.

Their greatest fears were being realized. Losing their perspective, the people were caught up in the emotion of the moment, forgetting what they knew about God’s character. What if the people had spent as much energy moving forward as they did moving back? They could have enjoyed their land—instead they never even entered it. When a cry of despair goes up around you, consider the larger perspective before you join in. You have better ways to use your energy than to complain.

14:5-9 With great miracles, God had led the Israelites out of slavery, through the desolate wilderness, and up to the very edge of the Promised Land. He had protected them, fed them, and fulfilled every promise. Yet when encouraged to take that last step of faith and enter the land, the people refused. After witnessing so many miracles, why did they stop trusting God? Why did they refuse to enter the Promised Land when that had been their goal since leaving Egypt? They were afraid. Often we do the same thing. We trust God to handle the smaller issues but doubt his ability to take care of the big problems, the tough decisions, the frightening situations. Don’t stop trusting God just as you are ready to reach your goal. He brought you this far and won’t let you down now. We can continue trusting God by remembering all he has done for us.

14:6 Tearing clothing was a customary way of showing deep sorrow, mourning, or despair. Joshua and Caleb were greatly distressed by the people’s refusal to enter the land.

14:6-10 Two wise men, Joshua and Caleb, encouraged the people to act on God’s promise and move ahead into the land. The people rejected their advice and even talked of stoning them. Don’t be too quick to reject advice you don’t like. Evaluate it carefully, comparing it to the teaching in God’s Word. The advice may be God’s message.

Defeated by Doubt – Numbers 14:17-23

14:17-20 Moses pleaded with God, asking him to forgive his people. His plea reveals several characteristics of God: (1) God is immensely patient; (2) God’s love is one promise we can always count on; (3) God forgives again and again; (4) God is merciful, listening to and answering our requests. God has not changed since Moses’ day. Like Moses, we can rely on God’s love, patience, forgiveness, and mercy.

14:20-23 The people of Israel had a clearer view of God than any people before them, for they had both his laws and his physical presence. Their refusal to follow God after witnessing his miraculous deeds and listening to his words made the judgment against them more severe. Increased opportunity brings increased responsibility. As Jesus said: “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return” (Luke 12:48). How much greater is our responsibility to obey and serve God—we have the whole Bible, and we know God’s Son, Jesus Christ.

www.Upwards.Church

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Sources:

Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – Pentateuch.

Life Application Study Bible.

Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary – The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible – Numbers.

 

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Avoid Criticism – Numbers 12: 1-16

Posted on January 20, 2026 by dkoop

Have you noticed that critics are all around us?
The restaurant critic
The movie critic
Monday morning quarterbacks
Political critics
It seems everyone has an opinion on everything.

I struggle with being critical and I’m sure you do as well.

Did you grow up in a home that was constantly picking on the imperfections of others and finding fault with everyone and everything? You may see criticism as a normal part of life.
Were you were criticized by friends or teachers and now that critical spirit is part of your life?
Do you find yourself caught up in criticism; not because you want to be critical, but because those you work with or socialize with those who are critical and you find yourself dragged into this attitude?
If you can relate to the above as I can, I hope you will join me and with God’s help seek to replace a critical attitude.

Let’s Define Criticism

Not all criticism is bad.
There is destructive and constructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is designed to help another person.
Hebrews 10:24 “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”
The word spur carries with it the idea of stimulating a person on to greater growth, like good coaching.  Constructive Criticism is designed to make us better.

New members of our Teaching Team will practice their message before a group of people who give constructive feedback.  Each member must always be ready to receive evaluation or constructive criticism to improve.  On Wednesday’s and Sunday’s our Worship Team rehearses and there is always constructive criticism or evaluation to help each person improve.  Every ministry event or outreach event gets evaluated; not to tear it down, but to improve it.

If you are on the receiving end of some constructive criticism, from a team member or leader, be gracious with the person’s advice and be honored that they care enough to seek out your best interest.
The criticism we must avoid is the destructive type that is not intended to help but to harm.

Let’s look at a definition of negative criticism
Destructive Criticism: “dwelling upon the perceived faults of others with no view to their good.” 

  • Dwelling upon – Becoming preoccupied with the fault to the point that we internalize it. “I would not do this or that or if I were in charge things would be different!” This can be fueled by our pride.  Or by pointing out the failures of others we hope to take the pain out of our own sense of failure or self condemnation.   
  • Perceived faults – We can become very critical of others and be totally wrong in our opinion, simply because we do not have all the facts.
  • No view to their good– Not wanting to help the person but desiring to tear them down in front of someone else.

Let’s look at an example of How God deals with Negative Criticism

Numbers 12:1-2, While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” 

Note the Critics
Verse 1 says the Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses. Miriam and Aaron are the brother and sister of Moses.  Receiving criticism from others is hard, but it is more difficult when it comes from someone who is close to you.  There is a second item to note, the text lists Miriam’s name first implying she was the primary critic in this affair and Aaron was dragged in. That happens sometimes, one person starts to criticize and soon others are dragged into the feeding frenzy. One person’s mistake can affect others.

Significant issues hide under the cover of criticism: envy, jealousy, resentment or un-forgiveness.   Which of these cause you to be critical?

Note the response to the Critics
“But the Lord heard them. (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth) So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle, all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?” The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed. Numbers 12:3-9

Main ideas:

  • God hears our criticism.
  • It’s wrong to tear down someone else made in God’s image.
  • It’s wrong to attack the person God has called to do something for Him.
  • Criticism ruins our fellowship with God and with others.

I find it interesting that Moses did not answer his critics – verse 3 describes his humility, and part of his humility was placing his trust in the One who knew he was faithful. Moses typifies the life of Christ when he was facing the cross. Peter describe our Lord’s behavior at the cross this way – When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 1 Peter 2:23
The lesson for us when we are unjustly criticized is not to seek retribution but to trust in God who is faithful.  We are accountable to Him.
While Moses was silent, God was not. He challenged Miriam and Aaron stating that Moses was His chosen instrument at this time.

As we serve God our call is to be faithful to God and what he has called us to do and allow God to deal with the critics who do not understand what is going on in our life.

Criticism is handled
Note the remaining verses of our chapter
“As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened to her, he cried out to Moses, “Oh, Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed. So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!” Numbers 12:10-13

Miriam is struck with leprosy. In that culture, that was a death sentence. She would be forced to leave the camp; she would be considered a outcast with no hope of a cure. In short her life was over.  It is obvious that God takes destructive criticism very seriously.
Seeing her condition Aaron repents, and pleads for mercy. Moses does not hesitate to be merciful.  “So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!” Moses was following the advice that Paul would later tell the Romans Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21
God was faithful he heard the Prayer of Moses and healed Miriam, yet there were consequences to her actions, she was ostracized from the camp for a period of 7 days.

How do we avoid a critical attitude? There is only one attitude big enough to replace a critical attitude and that is the attitude of love.
Notice what Moses did that showed love:

  • He did not attack back.
  • He prayed for his attacker
  • He waited for her. “I know you are not where you need to be, but I’ll be patient and wait while God works in you.”

Love overcomes our critical attitude. Paul write’s “The Love Chapter” to a church that was facing all kinds of problems such as incestuous relationships, lawsuits among the members and drunkenness during communion to name a few.

Paul had started this church on one of his missionary journeys, so he felt responsible for these wayward converts. So the question is how would he handle this group?
Deliver a fire and brimstone sermon, “turn or burn you rotten scoundrels!”
He could have left them to their sinful ways and started a new church.
He could have simply told others about them and say this is an example of a bad church don’t be like them.
He could have sent his assistant Timothy or Titus to straighten them out, but he did none of these things. Instead he focused on a new attitude: Love.
He explains this new attitude in 1 Corinthians 13, (the love chapter.)  Most the time we read it at weddings and that is fitting because the context of the chapter is about how love changes us and our relationships.
Paul shows us that this attitude of love will transform us if we take it to heart and if we genuinely put it into practice.  With Christ’s help, we replace criticism with love.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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Darrell

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Avoid Coveting – Numbers 11: 4-34

Posted on January 13, 2026 by dkoop

Once upon time there were two store owners who were bitter rivals. Their stores were directly across the street from each other, and they would spend each day keeping track of each other’s business. If one got a customer, he would smile in triumph at his rival while the other was jealous. One night an angel appeared to one of the store owners in a dream and said, “I will give you anything you ask, but whatever you receive, your competitor will receive twice as much. Would you be rich? You can be very rich, but he will be twice as wealthy. Do you wish to live a long and healthy life? You can, but his life will be longer and healthier. What is your desire?” The man frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, “Here is my request: Beat me half to death!

Jealousy and coveting can lead to an ugly end.

A true story: At the end of the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth, the man who killed Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theater was the brother of one of America’s most famous actors, Edwin Booth. John Wilkes Booth bitterly coveted the popularity of his brother. He knew there was a growing dislike for Abraham Lincoln in certain areas of the United States. So he killed the President, thinking to become a national hero. The assassination of this beloved man started with one covetous thought.

Maybe you don’t have a raging jealousy going on, but coveting can also be thought of as “Destination Disease.”  We think, “I can’t be happy right now. I will only be happy when…
“I get a new job, I get a new car, I get a new spouse, I get a raise, I move out on my own, I get married, I get divorced, I move to a different city, I get a better church, I go on vacation, I win the lottery, I pay off all my bills, My business takes off, My business slows down, I lose weight, I gain weight, I finally finish school, etc.”
Do you ever struggle with destination disease?  I do.

What does it mean to covet something? After all is it wrong to want nice things? The psalmist said God will give us the desires of our heart. When do the desires of our heart cross the line and become the craving of coveting?

According to author James McDonald, coveting can be defined in four ways…

  1. Coveting is; wanting the wrong things:
    Power over others, an illicit relationship or something that belongs to someone else.
  2. Coveting is; wanting the right things but for the wrong reason
    Wanting to be a leader, manager or boss but not to help people but to have control or my way and my agenda over others.
  3. Coveting is wanting the right things at the wrong time.
    A young couple comes into my office for premarital counseling, they love god and one another, they are committed to one another and plan to get married in 3 months – but they want to move in together now – they want the right things commitment to God and to one another but the timing is wrong, they need to wait until they are married to live together.
  4. Coveting is wanting the right things but the wrong amount
    Take money for example, money is not a wrong thing it is part of life – money causes us a problem when we love money to the point that we become obsessed with getting more and more money to the exclusion of building relationships with God and others. Coveting has a strong hold on people today, yet God’s word teaches us there is a way to escape the trap of coveting and live a life of contentment.

People have always struggled with coveting.  Nowhere is that more obvious than the children of Israel and their desert experience in Numbers chapter 11.

In the last post, we saw how their attitude of complaining caused God to discipline His people, now want us to look at another attitude of the Children of God were displaying; the attitude of coveting. I want us to consider asking God to change our covetous attitude to an attitude of contentment.
We need to look at the story and then discover the application.
This account reads like a three act drama, as the drama unfolds we can see the need to focus on an attitude of contentment.

Act 1 – Giving in to Wanting More

Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin. The people would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil. The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night. Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.
Numbers 11:4-10

Moses introduces us to a new group of people – the foreign rabble.  These were the people who left Egypt along with the Children of Israel. Having seen the complete devastation of Egypt this group wanted nothing to do with their homeland, so they joined Israel hoping for a better future.
Scripture says, “They began to crave the good things of Egypt”.

The inference is that not only was the rabble complaining but the children of Israel were drawn into their complaining as well. They had a selective memory; they remembered the good life of Egypt. Verse 5, “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.”  Really?  As slaves they did not eat at the buffet line each night!

It seems they longed for the good old days – Mark Twain said, what makes the good old days the good old days is a bad memory.

Egypt was not a good place, Egypt was a place of bondage; it was a place of bricks and mortar – yet all they could see was the good things of Egypt – the things that would fill their physical appetites.
While Egypt provided bondage, God was providing deliverance, direction, a new life, water, food and purpose.
Each evening as the dew fell God was giving his people a bread-like substance which would sustain them thru their wilderness journey. Remember the trip was to only take a couple of months and soon they would be in a land flowing with milk and honey. The only thing God’s people would have to do is gather the manna each day and cook it – it would be enough to get them through the desert.
But the manna was not enough.
Verse 6, our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” God’s provision only brought about complaints. Everyday they had enough food, but they wanted something more. That is the bottom line of a covetous attitude – I want something more than I need!

The reason God is angry for us to have a covetous attitude is that we are saying to God, “you do not give me enough – I have needs and you are not taking care of me, so I want to look someplace else to have my needs met!”  For the children of Israel they wanted their needs met back in Egypt, for us we look to have our needs met by gathering things and possessions rather than seeking God.  The Root of Covetousness is a Rejection of God’s Sufficiency.

Act 1 closes out with a sober truth – verse 10, Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.
Because the people were unappreciative of God’s provision – scripture tells us, “The Lord became angry”, “extremely angry” If you have every tried to do something for someone and they show little or no gratitude you can understand God’s anger at this moment.

Act 2 – Getting what you do not want
Then the Lord said to Moses…”Say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” Numbers 11:16-20

Their request brought a dangerous reply.
Basically God said, “you want meat – I will give you meat, not just one day or two but you will have meat for 30 days. You will become sick of meat.”

He gave them what they wanted but it did not meet their need
Psalm 106 is a companion passage for this event listen to what verse 15 says, He gave them exactly what they asked for, but along with it they got an empty heart. or “He sent leanness into their soul”   Psalm 106:15 NKJV
With God we can be satisfied with what he provides for us but if we walk away from God’s provision we soon find ourselves empty.   We may end up loathing what we had to have. 

Nothing is essential, but God.
Things were never designed to take God’s place. When we covet something and make it essential – “I have got to have it”, we are saying to God there is something more than what you can provide.

Maybe today there is something you are putting ahead of God…

  • A Relationship
  • A Financial Goal
  • A Specific Dream for your future
    I have and continue to struggle with thinking that my goals must be God’s.  I want to challenge us to seek first His Kingdom, before we seek out our own desires.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 34:7  Israel’s problem was they wanted their desires but they did not want to delight in the Lord, may that not be said of us.

Act 3 – The Consequences to Getting What We Want

Now for the rest of the story:
The Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt. Numbers 11:31-34

The Lord was true to His Word.
He sent the quail – man, did he send the quail. For 36 hours the people gathered the quail – no one gathered less than 50 bushels.  A bushel of tomatoes or corn weighs about 50 pounds, so 50 bushels is a lot of meat!  Its estimated to be about 475 pounds of quail!

Then came the ugly result of their covetousness:
Their punishment came in two forms…
1. Loss of Discernment – One the problems that comes with a covetous attitude is that we lose our capacity for discerning. The Children of Israel had so much quail, scripture says they gorged themselves. They actually lost the ability to know when they had had enough. Instead of controlling their wants their wants were controlling them. When you live a life of coveting you too can lose your discernment, you begin to want a possession or a goal more than life itself and soon you too are controlled by something rather than you having the self-control which is a fruit of the spirit.

2. Loss of their life – God intervened and caused a severe plague to come upon the people and many people died. Interesting Israel wanted to go back to Egypt for the best of everything. But God sent a plague reminded them that all that was in Egypt was destruction and plagues. If we are guilty of coveting we probably will not loose our life in such a dramatic fashion as the children of Israel did in the wilderness, but Jesus asked his followers a pertinent question that applies to us today when wit comes to handling a covetous attitude. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? Luke 9:25

The example of Israel rejecting God and choosing something else is a tragic story of coveting.  The question we need to ask ourselves today is, “what steps can we take to transform our life from an attitude of coveting to an attitude of contentment?   To read more about contentment,  see this post. Or this one about the 10th Commandment.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Message Audio/Video and Outline: https://upwards.church/leander-campus/watch-now-message-videos

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Avoid Complaining – Numbers 11:1-3

Posted on January 7, 2026 by dkoop

An Aggie family that didn’t get out much went into town to do some shopping. They went into a large store and noticed some elevator doors that got their attention.  The boy asked, “Dad what is that?” The father responded, “Son I have never seen anything like this in my life, I don’t know what it is!”
While the boy and his father were watching in wide-eyed astonishment, an old lady in a wheel chair rolled up to the moving walls and pressed a button. The walls opened and the lady rolled between them into a small room. The walls closed and the boy and his father watched small circles of lights above the walls light up. They continued to watch the circles light up in the reverse direction. The walls opened again, and a beautiful 24-year-old blond woman stepped out.
The father turned to his son and said, “Boy, go get your Ma!”

If only change was that easy! Just walk through a door and you are transformed.  The change that we are focusing on in this series is our attitudes, and today it’s complaining.

Do you find it very easy to complain? I do!  We have plenty to complain about with taxes, traffic, rude people, and the list goes on. But should we complain?

I used to think that complaining was no big deal.  “Everyone does it,” I thought. Now I know God takes complaining seriously.

Look with me at Numbers 11:1:

1  Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the LORD, and when he heard them his anger was aroused.  Numbers 11:1(NIV)

Did you see that?  God heard their complaining. What were they complaining about?  Their hardships; lets agree that being a slave in Egypt was hard, walking through a desert with a lack of water and food at times was hard, but God had delivered them and was leading them.  I find it convicting that hardships are not a good reason to complain.

As you know hardships are the normal experience of human life. They confront us all, and they perplex and puzzle us. We often ask, “Why has God let this happen to me?” Trials are common to all people (1 Cor. 10:13). When they strike us, the question is: How are we going to react? Are we going to trust God to help and strengthen us, or grumble and complain?

What are the dangers of complaining?

Complaining is bad for me because it causes anger and bitterness to grow.

Complaining is bad for others.  Do you like to be around people who complain?  If not, then why would people want to be around you when you’re complaining?  I have found that complaining is more contagious than any virus!  Once it starts at work or church it continues and before you know it everyone is complaining.  Then morale and productivity go down.

Complaining is bad because it’s missing the mark of God’s best for us.  In other words, complaining is a sin. Why? Complaining and grumbling show distrust in God:

  • Complaining is like saying, “God you could have met my needs and given me what I wanted but you blew it!”
  • Complaining shows that we do not trust the goodness and power of God that He will work things out.

As a parent if you overheard your kid’s saying, “I wish Dad had a better job.  He is not giving us the things that the neighbors have. He is NOT a good provider!”  or “Mom is too strict. Who does she think she is asking us to do this or that?”  “What losers!”    If I heard my kids say this I would be mad! Then I would be sad.   This is how God must feel at our complaining.

Let’s define complaining:
Author James MacDonald uses the following definition: “Complaining is expressing dissatisfaction with a circumstance that is not wrong and about which I’m doing nothing to correct.”

Complaining is about things that are “not wrong.”
If a situation is wrong and you express your dissatisfaction, it is not complaining.
It is not complaining to express your dissatisfaction with meal served at a restaurant and asked the server if it can be changed.
It is not complaining if you are treated rudely at a store and ask for the manager or fill out a customer service form expressing a legitimate concern.

Complaining involves things that “I’m doing nothing to correct.”  If we choose to whine about an issue but refuse to get involved in correcting the situation then we are complaining.

If we agree that complaining solves nothing but causes more problems for me, for others and with God, how do we stop complaining?

I must replace a complaining attitude with a thankful attitude.

Instead of complaining about traffic, at least I have a car!

Instead of complaining about work, at least I have a job!

It’s all about perspective.

As Christ followers we have much to be thankful for:
Our past is forgiven and our future is secure
We have God’s word to guide us
We have fellow Christians who walk with us
We have a home being prepared for us
We have a purpose for living
We have a hope for tomorrow and a strength for today.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

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