7 ways you can blow it

No one's immune from blowing it, no matter how mature or faithful you are.  Or how high and blessed your calling and role.  It doesn't get much higher than Moses, does it?  If it can happen to him, how much more...

And just because something is understandable doesn't mean it's excusable -- that's an easy one to mess up. 

This is a slightly edited version of a devotional from my friend Harold who puts these little gems at the end of his monthly financial newsletter:

-----------------------------------

UNDERSTANDABLE BUT NOT EXCUSABLE

Numbers 20:8-13 recounts the story of Moses, the children of Israel, and the water of Meribah. As you recall, this is the account of God instructing Moses to speak to the rock in order to obtain water for the Israelites who were again complaining about circumstances in their lives. Moses lost his temper, took the rod, and struck the rock instead. As a consequence, the Lord told him that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land, the primary purpose for which he was leading the people. 

For years, I “secretly” thought that the Lord’s judgment against Moses seemed a little harsh. After all, he had to put up with a lot in guiding the Israelites out of bondage and through the wilderness and to prepare them for the Promised Land. It seemed understandable that he would lose his temper sooner or later having to deal with all of those problems. And after all, it was the Lord who told him to take the rod with him in the first place when he spoke to the people. 

However, a deeper study of the Word indicates that Moses’ attitude and behavior demonstrated several evidences of a lack of faith, disbelief, and disobedience and not just frustration from the stress of leadership.

1.  Pride seemed to begin to creep into Moses’ thinking; “shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”

2.  He disobeyed God’s instructions by striking the rock instead of speaking to it

3.  He not only struck it but he struck it twice, an evidence of anger and/or frustration in dealing with the people in carrying out a command of the Lord.

4.  He spoke harshly with the people, calling them “rebels.” Another possible evidence of pride. They weren’t “his” people, they were the Lord’s people. Moses was only the instrument of God’s will for, and with the people.

5.  He was provoked about their need and resented it, “must we,” an evidence that the responsibility of solving the needs of the people was his rather than the Lord’s. He seemed to be forgetting his role.

6.  He was guilty of disbelief, as God told him, “Because you have not believed Me..”

7.  He failed to glorify God before the people, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel..”

While the actions and reactions of Moses under these circumstances is certainly understandable, especially for those who have attempted to lead God’s people, they are not excusable. God had a specific purpose in instructing Moses to carry his rod with him and it wasn’t to strike the rock. As you recall, when God was validating His call upon Moses to carry out the mission He was giving him, He used Moses’ rod as a confirming evidence of that call. It so impressed Moses at the time, that he never from that day forward ever referred to the rod as “his” rod, but rather as “the Lord’s rod” or as “the rod.”

   

Therefore the rod was a reminder and an evidence to Moses of the power of God and His enablement upon his life to be able to carry out all God called upon him to do in leading the people. So Moses in essence misused the very instrument God had provided to him to assure  him of His presence and power and instead used it as an instrument of personal pride and disobedience.

   

In spite of these violations, God did allow Moses to see the Promised Land, another evidence of grace and mercy in the midst of chastenment. We serve an incredible God.