A Moses’ Moment
Scripture: Ephesians 6:12-13; Proverbs 29:11; Mark 11:12-17; Numbers 20:2-13
Ephesians 6:12-13 says the following; “(12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. (13) Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Proverbs 29:11 says “A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”
Have you ever had someone intentionally and constantly getting on your nerves? Not just any of your nerves, but on your very last nerve? What about having a group of people constantly pushing your buttons? When it happened did you keep it together or did you finally reach your breaking point and blew a gasket? If you have had this experience or have come close to it, then pay close attention to my message this morning. The title of my message this morning is “A Moses’ Moment.” As you all know, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he was so frustrated with the people that he disobeyed God. His disobedience came with a price. I want you to keep Ephesians 6:12-13 and Proverbs 29:11 in the forefront of your mind as I go through this message because what we are going to see in Moses’ moment when his frustration came to a head is a warning to us when we deliberately disobey God.
Before we get to the story of Moses’ moment, I want to share with you a story where Jesus’ had a moment and later I will contrast His moment with that of Moses. Do you recall the story of Jesus leaving Bethany being hungry and He and the disciples came upon a fig tree? Mark 11:12-14 records the following: “(12) And on the next day, when they had come from Bethany, He was hungry. (13) And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if perhaps He might find anything thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. (14) And Jesus answered and said unto it, ‘No man eat fruit of you hereafter forever.’ And His disciples heard it.” (Mark 11:12-14) Let’s talk about this story for a moment. You know I always remind you that Jesus walked this earth as a man so that He could be the example we need for how we are to walk as children of God. Well this story and what happens next proves it. Let me explain.
Have you ever been so hungry that you became irritable? Well, Jesus was a man and on this day He was hungry. He looks up and sees a fig tree that has leaves on it. Thinking the tree also had figs, He approached the tree thinking He was about to satisfy His hunger. Fig trees were of two varieties: the early fig (Isaiah 28:4) and the late fig (Jeremiah 8:13). Figs appear before or with the leaves, so the leaves indicated that the tree should have had figs, even though the time of figs to be fully ripe was not yet come. So Jesus was correct in thinking that there would be figs on the tree since the tree had leaves. Now they may have been a little bitter or tart, but they should have been there. However, upon approaching the tree, Jesus sees that it had no figs. Now stay with me here. Jesus was hungry. Jesus wanted something to eat. Jesus saw the fig tree that had leaves on it. Leaves mean figs. Jesus starts salivating as He thinks about satisfying His hunger. When He realizes that there are no figs, He really becomes angry and speaks to the tree commanding that no one would ever eat of it again. But the story does not end there.
While still hungry, Jesus and His disciples enter Jerusalem. Listen to what happens when He walks into the temple. “(15) So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. (16) And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. (17) Then He taught, saying to them, ‘Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.” (Mark 11:15-17) Ok, stay with me now, Jesus enters the temple hungry and possibly irritated because He was hungry. Remember, He was a man who experienced the same feelings that we have but He always handled them appropriately and within the will of His Father. However, in this situation, He was already hungry and probably irritated but when He saw what was going on in the temple, it came to a head. He lit into them with a mighty force as He turned over tables and drove them out of the temple. I am telling you this story because in this moment, Jesus had a Moses’ moment where the actions of people really got under His skin and He reacted. The thing I want you to remember is that His reaction, as forceful as it was, remained within His character and His service to God. Now let’s look at Moses.
As we examine Moses’ moment, I want you to keep in mind what we saw with Jesus and reflect on our own Moses’ moments. You see, each of us and all of God’s children must walk according to God’s will. In our walk with God, when we are being obedient to His will for our lives, we will encounter people and situations that will challenge our commitment to walking according to God’s will. If we break under that pressure, even though we have walked with God and have been blessed mightily by Him, we could end up walking away from His covering and giving Satan access to our lives when we rebel against Him because of the way we dealt with people in our Moses’ moment. Moses is an excellent example of this. Before we review Moses’ breaking point, let review some of the situations that led to it.
When God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, it was His desire and plan to take them immediately into the Promised Land, which flowed with milk and honey (blessings and prosperity.) But, the children of Israel did not cooperate with God’s plans. They complained (the Bible says “murmured”) and fought against God the whole way. Imagine being Moses. Under the mighty hand of God, you have delivered the people out of Egypt and are attempting to take them into the Promised Land only to have them complain and fight against you the whole time. Wouldn’t you possibly get to the point of losing it? Let’s read a few examples of their complaints.
The first time the children of Israel complained was before they ever left Egypt. In the fifth chapter of the book of Exodus, Moses and Aaron visit Pharaoh to request that he let the people go. Instead, Pharaoh decides to make their work more difficult. And this is how the children of Israel responded: Exodus 5:19-21 says, “(19) And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, ‘You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.’ (20) Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. (21) And they said to them, ‘Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.’” How would you respond if out of nowhere your responsibilities at home, work or even in school suddenly increased and required you to meet impossible goals and deadlines? Would the turn of events cause you to complain and whine or would it cause you to take a deep breath and continue doing what you were doing for God, knowing that what was happening was temporary and would eventually be resolved?
The second time they complained was after God had brought them out of Egypt mightily and they arrived at the Red Sea. They could go no farther and yet they looked behind them and saw the army of Pharaoh approaching. In immediate fear for their lives they complained to Moses. This is what they said in Exodus 14. “(10) And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. (11) Then they said to Moses, ‘Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? (12) Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:10-12) The children of Israel were afraid and I think we have all been there. Imagine having to face impossible odds because you dared to listen to your Pastor or other godly friends. Imagine things appearing desperate versus how they could have been if you’d just done things the way the world does them. The people reacted to their fear and totally forgot how far God had already brought them. They totally forgot how bad they had it in Egypt and complained to Moses about bringing them to the wilderness to die. You know the rest of this story. God delivered them by opening the Red Sea and they walked to the other side on dry land with the army of Pharaoh drowning when they tried to follow them.
When you read the book of Exodus, you will find that the children of Israel complained four more times: about bitter water (Exodus 15:23), about being hungry (Exodus 16:1-4), about being thirsty (Exodus 17:1-4) and when they totally rebelled against God by demanding that Aaron make them a golden calf (Exodus 32:4). These were recorded in the book of Exodus but also continued in the book of Numbers. In the eleventh chapter the people complained, and God destroyed some of them. Then they did so again in the twelfth chapter. Then Aaron and Miriam complained against Moses’ leadership. In the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters, the people refused to enter the Promised Land because of the negative report from ten of the twelve spies that Moses had sent out at their request. Once the people refused to enter the Promised Land, God sends them to wander the wilderness. And then, because they were wandering in the wilderness because of their sin, some of the tribal leaders decided to rebel against Moses’ leadership. Numbers chapter sixteen records this story and God’s response to them and it wasn’t pretty. After God stopped the rebellion, the next day some of the people complained to Moses that he was the one who had killed God’s people. Well, that really made God angry. Now we get to Numbers chapter twenty where Moses loses it.
Moses goes to Egypt to bring God’s people out of bondage at His command. Immediately they complain against him. He brings them out under the mighty hand of God and still they complained. Remember, over and over God refers to the children of Israel as being “stiffed necked” and we’re seeing this play out with their interactions with Moses. They complained at the Red Sea. They complained when they were thirsty. They complained when they were hungry. Moses was on the mountain too long, so they built a golden calf and worshiped it as their god. Then Moses’ brother and sister complained about his leadership. Then when they get to the Promised Land, they refused to enter it. When God sends them to wander in the wilderness, they start all over again with the complaints. Others complained about Moses leadership and now once again they are complaining about being thirsty. In Numbers chapter twenty, Moses loses it. But before reading this, let me point you to what the New Testament says about becoming excessively angry. The passage is found in Ephesians 4:26-27 and says, “(26) Be angry, and yet so not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, (27) and do not give the devil an opportunity.” What we are about to read is, in essence, what happened to Moses. This is what is recorded in Numbers 20:2-13: “(2) Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. (3) And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: ‘If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! (4) Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? (5) And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.’ (6) So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them. (7) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, [Now pay close attention to the Lord’s instructions.] (8) ‘Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.’ (9) So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him. (10) And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?’ (11) Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; [What was the Lord’s instruction? Speak to the rock.] and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. (12) Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’ (13) This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.” (Numbers 20:2-13)
When the people complained about being thirsty, Moses and Aaron went to God to inquire on their behalf. God told Moses to speak to the rock. Moses did not “speak” to the rock but showed his deep anger and frustration with the children of Israel. He spoke to the people instead and said, “…..Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Moses was so frustrated with them that he rebelled against God. God told him to speak to the rock. Moses struck the rock. Every one of you under the sound of my voice can understand Moses’ frustration with the people. Every one of us can understand why Moses had had enough! We can understand why his anger boiled over! We can understand why he forgot himself and took matters in his own hands! And, because we are all human, we can easily justify what he did. But here is the problem. Moses had walked faithfully before God and did as God demanded him until this one moment. This one lapse in judgment, this one mistake carried serious consequences. You see, although we can understand Moses’ frustrations, there is never any justification for our rebelling against something God has told us to do. If God has told us to do something, we cannot allow people to distract us or get us off course because, in the end, God holds us accountable for what He has told us to do! Now I want you to think about this from a spiritual perspective. What would happen if we looked at people not from a personal viewpoint of them getting on our last nerve as we attempt to do what God has called us to do, but from a spiritual one?
I opened with what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Ephesians 6:12-13 says the following: “(12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. (13) Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” I am not trying to demonize every situation, but I do want us to consider how we would respond to people if we recognize that we are not dealing with flesh and blood. What if the person pushing your buttons was doing so because in the spirit world the whole goal was to get you to mess up and step outside of God’s will? And when you make this one mishap, you cause irreparable damage to the spiritual walk of someone watching you that you never knew looked up to you. There are times when we are working for God and there are people our enemy uses to push our buttons. If we are seen walking as a Christian on our jobs, what better proof to the world that Christianity is useless than to have those proclaiming to be Christians losing it publicly and cussing someone out – especially when it is justified by the world’s standards? What better proof to baby Christians that they cannot win because they are watching those “senior” Christians get mad and frustrated over something just like someone in the world.
Remember what I told you about Jesus when He was hungry? He cursed a fig tree because it did not have any figs and it died. Then, while still being hungry and possibly irritated, He enters the temple and finds a money market in a place of worship. He loses it and chases them out. There was no diplomacy in His actions, and I am sure that His actions shocked a lot of people. This was no weak, lovey-dovey, handholding, meek and mild Jesus that they were watching. No this was a hungry, angry Jesus who witnessed people disrespecting His Father’s house. Even though He appeared to act out of character, He never rebelled against God and His actions were credited to His serving His Father. This was not the case with Moses. In Moses’ moment, he rebelled against God. He did not do what God had told him to do. He made a choice to do it his way! Why? Because he was tired, frustrated, angry and fed up with a group of people who complained from day one, complained throughout their deliverance, complained, and refused to enter the Promised Land, and then complained some more when they had to go wander in the wilderness. As a man I totally understand why Moses did what he did. I get it. But my voice means nothing. The bottom line is Moses rebelled against God because he was frustrated with the people and therefore, he lost his assignment to lead the people into the Promised Land.
Now what about your Moses’ moments? Have you had them? Are you having them? How are you handling them? Are you forgetting about what God has commanded you to do and who He has commanded you to be as you deal with the people getting on your nerves? Or are you looking at people and remembering that although they might be getting on your last nerve, in reality “…we wrestle not against flesh and blood.” What is your response? I want to leave you with this thought: we look at people and we think we are dealing with people who might have an attitude against us. But what if we looked at them with spiritual lenses and understand that there could be more to the picture. And while you consider that, what if there is nothing wrong with what the person is doing, but the problem is those spiritual forces whispering in our ears telling us how to respond to the people and we are choosing to listen to those voices versus God. In those situations, are we any different from Moses? If the answer is we are not, then the next question is, what are we losing? Moses lost his assignment to take the people into the Promised Land. What are we losing when we give in to our Moses’ moments?
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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