Trust and Obedience

Numbers 20: 2-12

2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

 6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

 9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

 12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

Today's lesson is about obedience. Read the above verses carefully before you proceed. Let's start with a little perspective. If you read through the entire journey Moses took with the Israelites you will see that the people are prone to giving up. I can't say much about that, since I've never had such a large goal take 40 years of my life. However, it does seem that they will turn anywhere but to God when they are feeling sick and tired. Does that describe you? I know it describes me at various times in my life. It's easy to turn to God when things are going well. But when your community is in a drought, your spouse is out of work, and the food supply is short, where do you turn? Many times we turn to worldly answers first. God has become almost a last resort when we are not getting what we want. God should be the first place we look-not the last. 

Review our scripture again. In verses 2-5 we see the people yelling at Moses and complaining that life is hard. They quickly forget how bad it was in Egypt and think only that they had plenty of water then. This just sounds like, "Thanks for saving us from slavery, but what were you thinking?!?" Or, in the words of Princess Leia, "This is SOME RESCUE!" Moses must be getting frustrated by now if not downright angry. He's a better man than I and I know I'd have had a screaming match by this point if it were me. Unlike the people, Moses and Aaron turned directly to God first. We should all strive to do this every time we have a praise or concern. God gave them directions to help the people and restore their faith. He tells Moses to draw water from the rock and Moses did.

The first time I read this passage I was very confused by verse 12. What disobedience is he punishing here? He told Moses to draw water from the rock, right? Then I read it again under my pastor's guidance. God told Moses to speak to the rock. Maybe what he expected was more along the lines of Moses holding up the rock and speaking, "Now Rock, give forth the waters from the Lord!" or something like that. Instead, Moses struck the rock with his staff. Most likely his anger drove him to strike the rock instead of the calmer direction of speaking to it. Anger is not the right emotion to show the people when God is helping them. Moses needed to drive their anger out and bring back their faith. 

At first glance this looks like a small infraction, right? I had to ask mysef, "Does God really get that specific about how we obey Him?" After a year under the tutelage of our pastor and the local body of Christ, my answer is Yes. Don't think I'm saying that I think God is petty. The more I think about this passage, the more I consider that God wants us to obey for the right reasons. If we obey Him in anger, then how will His intentions be achieved? Consider the kind of example you set for others when you do what needs to be done in anger. When we show our anger we appear to be unwilling participants in what we do. But if we want to embody Christ and show others what it is like to be a child of God, we need to obey in love. There will certainly be times when what God wants us to do is not what we want to do. But if we truly trust God, then we need to take the time to accept his direction and obey in love. 

Charitable Giving

Today we look at the following passages:
Matthew 19:21

 21Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

Matthew 10:8

 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

With the arrival of All Saints Day, many of us begin looking toward the holiday season. Christmas is on its way and with it all the commercialism and stress that tends to accompany it.

It was not until I dedicated my life to God that I came to realize what this season of giving is really about: a miracle. Why do we give gifts at Christmas? It's not just because the wise men gave gifts to Jesus. The tradition is more than that. Gift giving at this time is about sharing our abundance with those who have less. It's about helping others to stock up for winter and be comfortable. It's about giving gifts in love. (Keep in mind, when Jesus was born there was no Wal-Mart around the corner to pick up preserved food every week.)

In light of that concept-giving in love-ask yourself: why do we give at this time? As a recipient of God's grace I want to share that all the time. For the last nine months that's about all I've been able to share due to our tight budget. Now, at this magical time of the year, I want to share more. I want to go out and share God's message through any means I can. But I don't want to stop after December. The people we give to for Christmas, whether they be homeless, abused, poor, or otherwise needy, still need that support after the holidays. Many of us forget then and move on with our comfortable lives.

Jesus told us to sell our possessions and give to the poor. What do you have that you don't need anymore? Imagine what you could do with the money from selling a few things. It might only amount to a meal or two for someone less fortunate, or maybe more. Jesus said, "freely you have received, freely give." How much clearer can it get? God gives us his grace freely. He answers our prayers because He wants to, not because we deserve it. We can't earn our way into heaven. But we CAN help someone else see that love that God shares with us.

So my challenge to you this year is to make a list of causes that are close to your heart. Research ways to give to those causes. It might be money, might be time, or might be gifts that you give them. Maybe you can volunteer at a soup kitchen. If you have no time, donate food to the food bank. If you have no money or time, take some things you don't need and sell them or give them to a shelter.

For example, I could donate some jewelry that is in perfect shape that I don't need to a women's shelter for gifts for Christmas. Or maybe some suits that don't fit me could go to Dress For Success. There are many ways to make this kind of commitment. But I encourage you to make it a year-long commitment. Don't just volunteer one day. Find a way to volunteer each month. Or join a sponsorship program where you give a monthly donation if time is your commodity.

If you're not sure how you can give or to whom-pray about it. God will help you find the charitable outlet that needs you.