“THE SIN OF SYMPATHY”

DEUTERONOMY 34:1-12

34:1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan,

2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea,

3 the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.

4 And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”

5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord,

6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.

7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated.

8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,

11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land,

12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Sympathy is a virtue. That’s why you can see a little wisdom mixed in with the humor in one of the old Peanuts cartoons.  In the cartoon Linus runs up to Charlie Brown to tell him about a football game that he just saw on television.  Linus is clearly excited as he tells Charlie Brown that the score was 6 to 0 with just three seconds to play.  The loosing team had the ball on their own one yard line.  The quarterback took the snap and threw a perfect pass to the receiver who whirled away from four players on the other team and ran all the way for the winning touchdown!  All his teammates then ran on to the field to celebrate and the fans went wild.  When Linus says it was really incredible Charlie Brown replies, “How did the other team feel?”

Sympathy is a virtue. Sometimes though the worst thing you can do is give someone a little sympathy. A lot of people down in New Bedford found that out the hard way recently.  Maybe you saw this story on the news last week.  It all started when a teacher at Dighton-Rehoboth High School told students, parents and neighbors that she had stomach cancer.  People quickly rallied around her and ended up donating more than $35,000 to help her with her medical expenses.  There was only one problem though.  The teacher, Heather Faria didn’t have any medical expenses. She didn’t have any medical expenses because she didn’t have stomach cancer.  She made it up and then used the money for expensive jewelry and a lavish trip to St. Martins. 

Sometimes the worst thing you can do is give someone a little sympathy and that includes yourself.  Just look at Moses.  It’s really easy to feel sorry for him.  Poor Moses.  First of all he risked his life by going to the Egyptian pharaoh and ordering him to let God’s people go.  Then after Moses won that battle of wills, with God’s help of course, he led the children of Israel into the wilderness and had to deal with one headache after another. 

The people complained over and over and over again.  They complained because they were hungry.  They complained because they were thirsty.  They told Moses they didn’t trust him.  The told Moses to leave them alone and let them go back to Egypt.  Moses put up with their grumbling and grousing for 40 years.  Then when they finally get to the edge of the Promised Land he doesn’t get his final moment of glory.

You see, Moses wasn’t allowed to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land because of the mistake that he made at Meribah. What happened at Meribah was simple. The children of Israel complained because they were thirsty.  So Moses did what God told him to do.  Moses struck the rock at Meribah and when he did water came gushing out of it.  The problem though is that Moses didn’t give God the credit for the miracle. Moses took the credit for himself.

So, when they reach the end of their journey Moses wasn’t allowed to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

It all seems a little harsh. It’s sounds a little like the attitude that Christian Herter, a former Massachusetts governor, encountered during one of his campaigns.  After a long day of shaking hands and making speeches he found himself at a barbeque.  Herter was starving which is why he was disappointed when the woman behind the serving table only gave him one small piece of chicken.  “Excuse me,” the governor said, “but could I please have another piece of chicken?”  The woman shook her head. “Sorry,” she said, “but I’m only supposed to give one piece to each person.”  “But I’m starving,” the governor said.  Once again the woman shook her head and said very firmly, “Only one piece per customer.”  “Madam,” the governor said indignantly, “do you know who I am?  I’m the governor of this state!”  The woman glared at him. “Is that so?” she said. “And do you know who I am?  I’m the lady in charge of the chicken and you only get one piece.  So, move along mister.”

It’s easy to feel sorry for Moses but here’s the thing.  Moses didn’t feel sorry for himself.  When Moses was told he couldn’t lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land he could have thrown in the towel. He could have told God to find someone else to finish the job. But…

You don’t see him whimpering.

You don’t see him whining.

You don’t see him wailing away.

Instead, of doing that Moses kept on going.  He kept on going and when they finally get to the edge of the Promised Land he  puts Joshua in charge and urges them to go on without him.  Moses then climbs to the top of Mount Nebo, looks over into the Promised Land and dies there on Mount Nebo.

What happened to Moses out there in the wilderness is very relevant to what’s going on today.  With everything that’s going on these days its easy to feel sorry for yourself.  Like a lot of other people you’ve probably lost money in the stock market.  Like a lot of other people you’re probably finding it a little harder to make ends meet.  Like a lot of other people you may be wondering if your job or business is still going to be there next month. 

Moses will tell you that it’s okay to feel sorry for yourself but not to get stuck in feeling sorry for yourself.  That’s because problems don’t get solved when you feel sorry for yourself.  In fact I think Moses would have liked the poem about the two frogs that fell into a vat of cream.  Maybe you’re familiar with the poem.  It goes like this:

Two frogs fell into a can of cream,

Or so I’ve heard it told;

The sides of the can were shiny & steep,

The cream was deep & cold.

"O, what’s the use?" croaked Number One,

"’Tis fate; no help’s around.

Goodbye, my friends! Goodbye, sad world!"

And weeping still, he drowned.

But Number Two, of sterner stuff,

Dog-paddled in surprise.

The while he wiped his creamy face

And dried his creamy eyes.

"I’ll swim awhile, at least," he said-

Or so I’ve heard he said;

"It really wouldn’t help the world

If one more frog were dead."

An hour or two he kicked & swam,

Not once he stopped to mutter,

But kicked & kicked & swam & kicked,

then hopped out...

via butter!

When you feel sorry for yourself problems don’t get solved.  There’s another problem when it comes to feeling sorry for yourself.  It makes it harder for you to see and appreciate all your blessings that are still there.  Just look at Moses. Moses didn’t get to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land but he still had a lot of blessings to count.  When Moses walked to the top of Mount Nebo he was still in great health.  His eyesight was undimmed and his strength was undiminished.  Moses also had a very special relationship the people and with God.  When Moses died the people wept for him for thirty days and we are told that “there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…”

So Moses climbed to the top of Mount Nebo with his head held high.  That doesn’t happen when you feel sorry for yourself and go looking for sympathy. 

When life doesn’t go the way you want it to go don’t get stuck in feeling sorry for yourself.  Instead keep on going.  Keep on climbing.  Keep counting the blessings that are still around you.  Do that and you’ll know how Moses felt that day when he climbed to the top of Mount Nebo.  Do that and you’ll know how Martin Luther King Jr. felt the night before he was assassinated.  Some people believe that he had a premonition that he was going to die.

In a speech that he gave the night before he died Martin Luther King Jr. had Moses and Mount Nebo in mind in when he said,

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man!

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!”

Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

October 26, 2008