2023_05_31 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Numbers 20, 1 Corinthians 10, Numbers 21, Hebrews 3, Psalm 95
If you haven’t yet read Kim Feld’s post this week, please do. In it, she looks at the life of Moses’ sister Miriam and how she was used by God, but also the consequences of her disobedience. I recently read a text conversation with someone who said, “Why are humans so dumb!” and they then went into a rant about us being an invasive species causing harm.
The truth is that we are beautiful, created in God’s image, and capable of amazing things. At the same time, we are broken and able to think and act in atrocious ways. The Bible doesn’t ignore this, and in fact, shows us many examples of bad behavior, even from well-known “Bible heroes” like Moses. There is no question that Moses was a man of faith, courage, and integrity. The Bible says, “Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.” Numbers 12:3 (NLT) But even he was tempted and gave into sin. In Numbers 20, God told him to speak to the rock to provide water for the complaining Israelites, but instead, Moses struck the rock twice. This may seem like a small thing, but God had given Moses specific instructions, and rather than obey, he took matters into his own hands, drawing attention to himself rather than to God. His Heavenly Father then told Moses, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” Numbers 20:12 (NLT)
Two things stand out to me in this:
- It is easy to see why Moses was frustrated. He had been leading the Israelites for 40+ years, and their whining and complaining was constant. Moses was frustrated, of course! …But God had given him a very clear and specific assignment. When Moses allowed his personal feelings to dictate his actions. he set God’s agenda aside. This is never right, and God doesn’t take it lightly.
- Moses’ disobedience was in the spotlight as his nation’s leader. His example was watched by all. Anyone in leadership must recognize this. There is an adage worth memorizing that says, “When leaders take liberties, followers take license.” If a leader sets a bad example, even a one-off, it gets magnified and used as an excuse for followers to do the same. Leadership carries influence that can either be good and honorable or misguided and self-centered. Moses was a remarkable man and a great leader, but he was not perfect. The scope of his influence was huge, and the discipline he received was commensurate with his position. God forgave his sin for sure but didn’t let the act slide for the sake of others.
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor