We are responding creatures. In other words, it is human nature to feel and express how we think, one way or another, in response to people’s behavior or action. Depending on what they do, we might express happiness, frustration, anger, gratitude, annoyance, or other emotions. The emotion we choose to communicate could be appreciated, resented, reciprocated, or costly.
With that said, Moses is an excellent example of a costly emotional expression. At one point, his anger and frustration cost him what he had looked forward to for years.
God charged Moses to
lead the Israelites from Egypt into the Promised Land. It was not an easy task;
the people proved to be faithless, disobedient, ungrateful, and uncooperative.
Moses found himself constantly encouraging or rebuking them about their fear or
disobedience. He found it necessary to intercede for
them on many other occasions to stop God from punishing or destroying them.
On one particular day late in
their journey to the Promised Land, Moses lost his temper; he had had enough of
the Israelites’ complaints, ingratitude, and faithlessness. On their journey,
they arrived in the wilderness of Zin, where there was no water, and instead of
asking God (prayer), they blamed their leaders—Moses and Aaron– saying, “If
only we had died in the LORD’s presence with our brothers! Why have you brought
the congregation of the LORD’s people into this wilderness to die, along with
all our livestock? Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this
terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates,
and no water to drink.” (Numbers 20:3-5) Moses and Aaron sought the Lord, and
the Lord told them what to do—they were to take their staff, assemble the
entire community, and as the people watched, Moses and Aaron should speak to
the rock, and it would pour out its water.
By this time, Moses had had
it and said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring you water from this
rock?” (Numbers 20:10). Instead of speaking to the rock, he struck it twice
with the staff. And yes, water gushed out, and the people had enough to drink.
But that was not the end; it was time for God’s feedback on their performance.
God expressed His frustration
with the way things were handled. He said to Aaron and 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).
We see that Moses’ response
to the people’s behavior cost him a great deal—he lost the opportunity to go to
the Promised Land. What a loss!
Let’s watch how we respond to people’s behavior. Let’s not allow others’ behavior to invoke costly responses in us that could cause us to miss out on God’s blessings. Because after forty years of the hardship of leading these people, Moses should have had the joy of seeing that land and enjoyed at least a glass of cold milk. But he didn’t; he was allowed to see it from a mountaintop, and that was it.
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