“What About Me?”
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
There are unique challenges to the role of leadership. There are also guidelines about how we are to respond to those in positions of leadership.
Scripture Passages
OVERVIEW
Have you ever been around a bunch of people who are constantly complaining? Who do you think complains the most: old people or young people? Complaining isn’t a new trend. It’s been around as long as there have been people living outside of the Garden of Eden. Our story today is about people who complained about the lack of food, quality of the food, consistency of the food, and variety of food. These same people complained about their leadership team, and almost every aspect of their lives. Sound familiar? Let’s jump into the story and see how God feels about their complaining.
OPENING ACTIVITY: GUESS WHO?
Without sharing the information with anyone, have each person write, on a slip of paper, the name of their favorite:
After they have completed this, have them give those papers anonymously to the Sabbath School leader who will read them aloud asking the group to guess who the author of the note was.
TRANSITION
Being hungry and thirsty is a difficult position to be in, especially if you don’t see a readily available source of food or drink. But, what’s up with complaining about leadership especially leaders who God has proclaimed to be in charge? Could it be that complaining, for some people, is just part of their DNA? How does one change this habit? How does God feel about it? Well—that’s what our lesson is about today.
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
Read Numbers 11:1-15.
1Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, b because fire from the Lord had burned among them.
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
7 The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin. 8 The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
DISCUSSION
Read Numbers 11:31-35.
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers. Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, b because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.
DISCUSSION
Read Numbers 12:1-16.
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 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. 5 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, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them 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?”
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth and encamped in the Desert of Paran.
DISCUSSION
APPLICATION
It seems kind of extreme for Miriam to have been given leprosy just because she complained about Moses being chosen by God, right? No. In the story of King Saul and David over and over David has the opportunity to kill or embarrass King Saul, but he doesn’t because King Saul is God’s anointed. What about the time Elisha called on bears to kill the people who mocked him? Respect for God’s chosen people is very important to Him. It’s opposite of the way that our society treats people. How would our lives be different if we treated everyone, our leaders included, with kindness and respect? Think about it—politics is about making the other person look bad some so someone else gets elected. Comedy is often about putting someone down instead of building them up. God calls His people to be different. He calls them to treat others like they want to be treated. So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to be a Miriam or Aaron, or are you going to be like Moses?
FOLLOW UP
SCRIPTURE PASSAGE
INTRODUCTION
When you hear the word “jelly”, what comes to mind? Is it grape and strawberry? How about raspberry or blueberry? Perhaps, if you’re a bit adventurous, you might even think of boysenberry or hot pepper jelly.
All of those are really good flavors, but there’s a jelly that isn’t so good. In fact, it’s downright terrible and it spoils everything it comes in contact with, especially when it’s served in the shade.
Which jelly could that possibly be, you ask? It’s jealousy. The absolute worst jelly of all. Because you don’t eat this jelly. This jelly eats you. And every time you find yourself throwing shade*, that’s a pretty good indication that it’s probably already taken its first bite.
Jealousy has a tendency to not only harm the person who is being controlled by it, but it often impacts everyone around that person as well. Don’t believe it? Then check out Numbers 12:1-15 to see just how badly this terrible jelly affected Miriam, Aaron, Moses, and the children of Israel.
Jelly with a Side of Shade!
Name three jelly flavors you most enjoy on toast or as a PB&J sandwich.
Read Numbers 12:1-15.
1Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 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. 5 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, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them 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?”
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them.
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous—it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
1. Why do you think Moses’ siblings were upset with Him?
2. In what ways can jealousy impact you negatively?
3. Why did Moses seek mercy for Miriam?
4. How can you be like Moses when others are jealous of you?
5. What kinds of things make you jealous?
6. What kinds of things can you do to combat feelings of jealousy?
7. Think of a time when you were jealous of someone. How did you react?
8. Consider the comments made to Moses by Aaron and Miriam about his wife’s ethnicity. Do you think there is any correlation between their comments about her and God’s allowing Miriam’s skin to be affected? Explain your answer.
SUMMARY
Jealousy is often accompanied by negative criticism, aka, shade.
As we read in Numbers 12:1-15, we saw how the shade thrown at Moses “because of the Ethiopian woman he had married” become the very thing which God highlighted to reveal his displeasure against Miriam and Aaron’s words. The combined elements of criticism and jealousy brought about severe consequences for both Miriam, her brothers, and the entire camp of Israel.
Miriam’s critical words against another person positioned her to be driven to a place of isolation. Her feelings of jealousy impacted the children of Israel and kept them from moving forward. When left unchecked, those same emotions have the power and potential to keep us from being able to move forward in our lives as well.
Just as Moses interceded before God that Miriam would not be left alone to rot and die in the wilderness, Jesus is doing the same thing for us. He is interceding before the Father and seeking mercy on our behalf.
Therefore, let us keep Miriam’s experience before us, and never forget that shade is meant to cool and jelly is only to be spread on bread.
APPLICATION
This week when you find yourself feeling resentful and jealous of others, don’t feed the negative thoughts.
It’s easy to get caught up in negativity, especially when other people are involved.
When you find yourself being jealous of someone else, recount at least five things God has blessed you with.
* The expressions "throw shade", "throwing shade", or simply "shade", are slang terms for a certain type of insult, often nonverbal. Journalist Anna Holmes called shade "the art of the sidelong insult". Wikipedia
