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| BRANDED COWBOY CHURCH MINISTRIES Preachin Pages |
Title: Cutting Back On Criticism
Text: Numbers 12:1-12:16
Text: Numbers 12:1-12:16
Cutting Back on Criticism Numbers 12:1-12:16
How many of you have ever said things about a person you shouldn’t have said? Maybe it was a teacher. You said, “Mr. So and So is so mean!
There are drill sergeants in the army who are nicer than he is! I think if he ever cracked a smile, his face would break!”
Or maybe it was your spouse. You say “My wife is an angel. She’s always up in the air harping about something!”
At the time, it feels good to say these things. It’s like a sneeze. You have this big buildup: Heh heh heh heh heh, and then the big release:
“HATCHUUUUU!!!!” It feels good to get it out of your system. It feels good to finally let out all these pent-up feelings! It feels good to let this person
have it!”
But how do you think the other person feels? How do you think God feels? Do you think He likes it when we make cutting comments about other
people?
Today, we’re going to look at Numbers chapter 12. We’re going to see how God feels when we make petty remarks about someone made in His
image. And then we’re going to talk about what we can do to cut back on petty criticism.
The main theme of Numbers is the importance of keeping God’s commands. In chapters one through ten, the leaders obey God’s command to
number the Israelites and set them apart for His service. In chapter 11, we see what happens when the people of faith rebel and complain about
God.
And here in chapter 12, we see what happens when the people of faith criticize God’s chosen leader.
But before we get into chapter 12, we need to understand that there are two kinds of criticism. The first one is good. The second one is bad. The
first one is called constructive criticism. The person who gives constructive criticism is speaking the truth in love. They want what’s best for you.
They love you so much that they’re willing to say tough things to help you to be all you can be for Christ.
We see this in the book of Revelation. Beginning in chapter 2:2, (Read)….. Repent and do the deeds you did at first!” This is constructive criticism.
Jesus is saying “I love you guys very much! You’ve done a lot of good things. But you have forgotten the most important thing of all! You’re so
busy trying to keep all the rules that you’ve forgotten the most important rule! Loving me with all your heart! Christianity is not just a regimen of
rules. It’s a relationship with Me! Come back to me before it’s too late!”
Sometimes I’m visiting with someone. And in the middle of the conversation, I start thinking about the Sunday sermon or the light bill, or any
number of other things.
“And in the middle of my moment, I hear the voice of God saying “Charlie, you’re not going to make it if you don’t listen.”
So constructive criticism given in a spirit of love is not a bad thing at all.
But what we have here in Numbers chapter 12 is the second kind of criticism. It’s called destructive criticism. The person who gives destructive
criticism is speaking out of anger, or frustration, or envy. They’re not interested in what’s best for you. They just want you to hurt just as much as
they hurt.
Numbers 12:1 says that “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.” That’s petty.
They could have said “Moses, we’re concerned about the direction the nation is heading. We want to pray with you that God will give you wisdom
and determination to do what is best.” That would have been constructive.
But instead they say “We don’t like that woman Moses married. She’s a Cushite. She’s not one of us. Na na na na na na!”
So before you criticize someone, you should ask yourself some questions: Number one: Is this sour grapes? Or is this important? Am I mad at
this girl because she’s more popular than me? Do I envy her because she has more friends? Am I frustrated because she has the kind of life I
wish I had?
“Or is this someone I really care about and I want to build her up with words of encouragement?” Asking yourself these questions will help you to
see whether you should speak up, or whether you should not speak up. Proverbs 15:28 says that “The heart of the righteous weighs his
answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.”
That’s what petty criticizers do. They start gushing off at the mouth and they make a huge mess when they should have kept quiet.
Now when we read Numbers 12:2, we find out THE REAL REASON why Miriam and Aaron were speaking against Moses. Verse two says “"Has
the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?" In other words, THEY’RE JEALOUS! Moses has this awesome
relationship with God. He speaks with God face to face! He’s widely recognized as the leader of the community. And they can’t handle the truth!
A lot of the criticism we heap on other people is because we’re jealous: “That girl in class thinks she’s so cool because she has an ipod and a
cellphone and she’s dating a senior. But she’s not cool. She’s stuck up.” I’m sorry. But that’s not constructive criticism. That’s being mean! That’s
being jealous!
That’s what Miriam and Aaron are doing. They’re being mean. But verse three says that “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than
anyone else on the face of the earth.) I’m guessing that Joshua added this comment. Because the funny thing about being humble is that as soon
as you start telling people how humble you are, you’re not being humble anymore.
One of the things I love about Moses is his humility. He could have said “Come on, Aaron! Put up your dukes! Let’s fight! Let’s see who the best
man is right now!” Or he could have said “Hey guys! Why are you talking trash about my wife? That’s my sugar momma! That’s my girl!”
But before Moses could get any funny ideas, God shows up! Verse four says “At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "COME OUT TO
THE TENT OF MEETING, ALL THREE OF YOU.”
Reminds me of when I was a kid. Momma would find out I did something wrong. Then she would say “Come over here.” And I’d start crying
because I knew I was in for a spanking.” she’d say “Come over here.” Like a sheep to the slaughter, I’d go over there and WHAM! I got a whipping.
Well here in verse four, Miriam and Aaron are about to get their punishment. God says “When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself
to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
Then God punishes Miriam. Then Aaron says to Moses, “Forgive me, my lord. I apologize! Please pray for our sister Miriam!” And Moses is a really
cool guy. So he prays for his sister and she gets healed.
The lesson for us is that the petty criticism of God’s chosen leader results in God’s Judgment. But it applies to the petty criticism of anyone. How
do I know that? Because Paul says in Romans 14:4 “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he
will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
I want to leave you with some ideas on how to cut back on the criticism. Number one: If what you want to say is not motivated by love, then don’t
say it at all. Bite your tongue. That’ll probably eliminate 90% of all criticism right there.
The second thing you need to do is to cheer people on instead of tearing them down. When I see somebody struggling, I cheer them on to victory.
We cheer for people to do their best on the field of play. So why can’t we cheer for people to do their best on the field of life? Why can’t we say “I
know you got a lot of trials. I believe in you. You’re smart. Do the best you can!”
That’s what Paul did for the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 3, the church is going through a tough time for persecution. So in verse two, Paul
says “We sent Timothy to strengthen you and encourage you in your faith.” In other words, we sent Timothy to cheer you on!
Who are you going to cheer for tomorrow? Start with your kids. Start with your spouse. Then, look at the people you work with every single day.
Begin cheering them on, especially people who are going through tough times. A third thing you can do is to put yourself in the shoes of the other
person. How would you feel if you had to eat someone else’s bitter criticism when you know that they don’t know all the facts?
Some want to criticize the Pastor. People need to put themselves in the shoes of this minister, then they will able to see the whole picture.
A fourth thing we can do is thank God that He doesn’t do to us what we do to others. Psalm 103:10 says that “he does not treat us as our sins
deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” I love that. We serve a gracious and loving God who does not treat us as our sins deserve.
Jesus came down here and died for all the bad things that people do. Let’s go to Jesus and apologize for all the nasty, negative critical things we’
ve ever said. And here at the foot of the cross, you will find forgiveness. Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Let’s pray.
How many of you have ever said things about a person you shouldn’t have said? Maybe it was a teacher. You said, “Mr. So and So is so mean!
There are drill sergeants in the army who are nicer than he is! I think if he ever cracked a smile, his face would break!”
Or maybe it was your spouse. You say “My wife is an angel. She’s always up in the air harping about something!”
At the time, it feels good to say these things. It’s like a sneeze. You have this big buildup: Heh heh heh heh heh, and then the big release:
“HATCHUUUUU!!!!” It feels good to get it out of your system. It feels good to finally let out all these pent-up feelings! It feels good to let this person
have it!”
But how do you think the other person feels? How do you think God feels? Do you think He likes it when we make cutting comments about other
people?
Today, we’re going to look at Numbers chapter 12. We’re going to see how God feels when we make petty remarks about someone made in His
image. And then we’re going to talk about what we can do to cut back on petty criticism.
The main theme of Numbers is the importance of keeping God’s commands. In chapters one through ten, the leaders obey God’s command to
number the Israelites and set them apart for His service. In chapter 11, we see what happens when the people of faith rebel and complain about
God.
And here in chapter 12, we see what happens when the people of faith criticize God’s chosen leader.
But before we get into chapter 12, we need to understand that there are two kinds of criticism. The first one is good. The second one is bad. The
first one is called constructive criticism. The person who gives constructive criticism is speaking the truth in love. They want what’s best for you.
They love you so much that they’re willing to say tough things to help you to be all you can be for Christ.
We see this in the book of Revelation. Beginning in chapter 2:2, (Read)….. Repent and do the deeds you did at first!” This is constructive criticism.
Jesus is saying “I love you guys very much! You’ve done a lot of good things. But you have forgotten the most important thing of all! You’re so
busy trying to keep all the rules that you’ve forgotten the most important rule! Loving me with all your heart! Christianity is not just a regimen of
rules. It’s a relationship with Me! Come back to me before it’s too late!”
Sometimes I’m visiting with someone. And in the middle of the conversation, I start thinking about the Sunday sermon or the light bill, or any
number of other things.
“And in the middle of my moment, I hear the voice of God saying “Charlie, you’re not going to make it if you don’t listen.”
So constructive criticism given in a spirit of love is not a bad thing at all.
But what we have here in Numbers chapter 12 is the second kind of criticism. It’s called destructive criticism. The person who gives destructive
criticism is speaking out of anger, or frustration, or envy. They’re not interested in what’s best for you. They just want you to hurt just as much as
they hurt.
Numbers 12:1 says that “Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.” That’s petty.
They could have said “Moses, we’re concerned about the direction the nation is heading. We want to pray with you that God will give you wisdom
and determination to do what is best.” That would have been constructive.
But instead they say “We don’t like that woman Moses married. She’s a Cushite. She’s not one of us. Na na na na na na!”
So before you criticize someone, you should ask yourself some questions: Number one: Is this sour grapes? Or is this important? Am I mad at
this girl because she’s more popular than me? Do I envy her because she has more friends? Am I frustrated because she has the kind of life I
wish I had?
“Or is this someone I really care about and I want to build her up with words of encouragement?” Asking yourself these questions will help you to
see whether you should speak up, or whether you should not speak up. Proverbs 15:28 says that “The heart of the righteous weighs his
answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.”
That’s what petty criticizers do. They start gushing off at the mouth and they make a huge mess when they should have kept quiet.
Now when we read Numbers 12:2, we find out THE REAL REASON why Miriam and Aaron were speaking against Moses. Verse two says “"Has
the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?" In other words, THEY’RE JEALOUS! Moses has this awesome
relationship with God. He speaks with God face to face! He’s widely recognized as the leader of the community. And they can’t handle the truth!
A lot of the criticism we heap on other people is because we’re jealous: “That girl in class thinks she’s so cool because she has an ipod and a
cellphone and she’s dating a senior. But she’s not cool. She’s stuck up.” I’m sorry. But that’s not constructive criticism. That’s being mean! That’s
being jealous!
That’s what Miriam and Aaron are doing. They’re being mean. But verse three says that “Moses was a very humble man, more humble than
anyone else on the face of the earth.) I’m guessing that Joshua added this comment. Because the funny thing about being humble is that as soon
as you start telling people how humble you are, you’re not being humble anymore.
One of the things I love about Moses is his humility. He could have said “Come on, Aaron! Put up your dukes! Let’s fight! Let’s see who the best
man is right now!” Or he could have said “Hey guys! Why are you talking trash about my wife? That’s my sugar momma! That’s my girl!”
But before Moses could get any funny ideas, God shows up! Verse four says “At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "COME OUT TO
THE TENT OF MEETING, ALL THREE OF YOU.”
Reminds me of when I was a kid. Momma would find out I did something wrong. Then she would say “Come over here.” And I’d start crying
because I knew I was in for a spanking.” she’d say “Come over here.” Like a sheep to the slaughter, I’d go over there and WHAM! I got a whipping.
Well here in verse four, Miriam and Aaron are about to get their punishment. God says “When a prophet of the LORD is among you, I reveal myself
to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
Then God punishes Miriam. Then Aaron says to Moses, “Forgive me, my lord. I apologize! Please pray for our sister Miriam!” And Moses is a really
cool guy. So he prays for his sister and she gets healed.
The lesson for us is that the petty criticism of God’s chosen leader results in God’s Judgment. But it applies to the petty criticism of anyone. How
do I know that? Because Paul says in Romans 14:4 “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he
will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
I want to leave you with some ideas on how to cut back on the criticism. Number one: If what you want to say is not motivated by love, then don’t
say it at all. Bite your tongue. That’ll probably eliminate 90% of all criticism right there.
The second thing you need to do is to cheer people on instead of tearing them down. When I see somebody struggling, I cheer them on to victory.
We cheer for people to do their best on the field of play. So why can’t we cheer for people to do their best on the field of life? Why can’t we say “I
know you got a lot of trials. I believe in you. You’re smart. Do the best you can!”
That’s what Paul did for the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 3, the church is going through a tough time for persecution. So in verse two, Paul
says “We sent Timothy to strengthen you and encourage you in your faith.” In other words, we sent Timothy to cheer you on!
Who are you going to cheer for tomorrow? Start with your kids. Start with your spouse. Then, look at the people you work with every single day.
Begin cheering them on, especially people who are going through tough times. A third thing you can do is to put yourself in the shoes of the other
person. How would you feel if you had to eat someone else’s bitter criticism when you know that they don’t know all the facts?
Some want to criticize the Pastor. People need to put themselves in the shoes of this minister, then they will able to see the whole picture.
A fourth thing we can do is thank God that He doesn’t do to us what we do to others. Psalm 103:10 says that “he does not treat us as our sins
deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” I love that. We serve a gracious and loving God who does not treat us as our sins deserve.
Jesus came down here and died for all the bad things that people do. Let’s go to Jesus and apologize for all the nasty, negative critical things we’
ve ever said. And here at the foot of the cross, you will find forgiveness. Jesus loves you this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Let’s pray.