Two Leaders In Peril

Two Leaders In Peril

4/20/17

Have you ever received confirmation that humanity has not changed one bit, and then wondered why we have got gotten the memo concerning such ridiculous behavior?  Or do you believe that nothing is wrong with our societies and that only a small percentage of people make things extraordinarily bad?  Leaders in all cases have shown up and proven themselves according to humanitarian settings, but in some circumstances, we see that leaders can fall just as hard as the “common” folk do.  God is good all the time and all He asks for in return is the heart of obedience which follows His Ways, not as a measure of control but one of true redemption and protection.  Obedience is the best way to conquer our enemy and is the only way that we can ensure our hearts stay focused on the true eternal prize.

When God dropped this article topic into my heart I found it very strange with the combination of people that He wishes to talk about.  In all my studies I have not thought about one of these people as being a leader yet the other one almost everyone that would be asked would consider this person to be a great leader and one that stands out in history on many levels.  Being in the military I have been under some very good leaders but also have encountered some people in leadership that could not fight their way out of a wet paper bag with a knife, but whatever the case may be leaders are there to be representatives of the overall command and thus make accurate decisions according to such command.  The examples in this article of good quality and ones that should be remembered quite easily in our minds but it this through their obedience or lack thereof that points to an important concept that no matter what our setting may be we must always keep the commands of God first and foremost in our hearts.  In this way, we shall not make the same mistakes that may cost us our eternal prize and promised gift from God.

For the past few days, God has directed me to the book of Numbers and more specifically to the story of Moses when he was commanded by God to speak to the rock for water.  If you have been reading the messages that God has been giving us over the past few months you will also recognize that I cannot get out of the book of Genesis and even more specifically the first three chapters of that book.  As I was studying the book of Numbers God dropped a person’s name into my heart and gave me the comparison between the two people in this article, like I stated above one is easy to think about and the other has been left as a scapegoat.  We will be talking about Eve and Moses as the two leaders that found it in their hearts to walk into certain trouble that caused them to lose their eternal promises while on earth, a similar setting is about to play out today if we do not figure things out real quick and once again obey God’s Ways.

We will begin in Genesis and how Eve takes focus as a leader and one that ties Moses with her.  Now, we all know that Adam and Eve were created in a perfect manner and had no issues with sin at all until they chose to allow disobedience to infiltrate their hearts.  There have been many sermons, letters, articles, and even book chapters written concerning this living condition of Adam and Eve but every time we hear such a message it is hard for us to imagine why they would not just say “no” to the serpent and have  everything stay the same as it was from the beginning.  Scripture does not specifically state why Eve chose to believe the serpent instead of God but there is a key word here that one must take into consideration and it has to do with a human trait that we all carry, and that is called belief in something.  In truth, Eve had everything that she ever could have imagined which also brings into question the pattern of selfishness when all needs are supplied and furthermore how important it is to remember who has given those supplies in our hearts first.

It becomes clear in Chapter 3 of Genesis that Eve has serious doubts about God’s command of not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when questioned by the serpent she decides to speak only a half truth about the Law of God and then adds another portion to it.  Genesis 3:2-6 details this record of events as Eve gives her interpretation of God’s Law by stating that God said that they could not eat of the tree and that they could not touch it either.  As we have learned previously, it was this portion of what Eve stated that was so grotesque that it set up the process of true disobedience to God in just a matter of a few words from the heart.  It was at this moment that we fully understand that Eve’s belief in the serpent’s words were more valuable to her than what God’s Word to her and her husband and it was through this disbelief in God’s Word that cost her and the rest of humanity their perfect setting and unconditional physical life standard.

We see that it was through disobedience that guided Adam and Eve into their moment of change and through this moment their lives instantly began to be altered in such a way that must have been mind-boggling to them.  How could one seemingly small error close the book on perfection and open another book of pain and humility?  That one error of disobedience must not have been so trivial as they thought but one that was gigantic and on a monumental scale of unimaginable proportions for it to throw every known detail of their lives out of place and into a new position of separation.  Their lives had become so comfortable and relaxed that their ideas of and authority of God’s one law must have dimmed enough that doubts of that Law and what it meant entered and then grew.  It was not until their settings both physical and spiritual changed that they understood exactly how important God’s Law was and how important it is to keep their belief in God and shun all other opinions and statements.

There is a huge and ugly pattern here that we see being defined through Eve’s response and it is one that has continued throughout human history when it comes to obedience and how we view its part in our lives.  All of us have disobeyed rules and regulations at some point in time and it is easy for us to determine these faults of ours, but when mistakes become deliberate it is at this point where our self takes over and we begin to make excuses for such behavior.  In other words, we doubt the authority over our lives and thus commit to our own will, which means in this case Eve elevated herself up and lowered God’s standards at the same time.  It is this deception pattern that is so dangerous to our lives and one that we should avoid and keep watch out for on a continual basis.

How is Eve a leader?  It was Adam and Eve that were living as one in the Garden of Eden when Satan began to prowl for their separation from God.  It was Eve who was present in the state of perfection when the serpent came calling for her to disobey what God had set into motion.  God had explained to them what would occur when and if they disobeyed His command and how important it was to stick to that command on all levels, this includes adding or subtracting to what God said to them.  Trying to impress an enemy or a friend with words that are not true only hurts and complicates the entire setting, and once those words are spoken and believed everyone involved are then subject to the matters at hand and can eligible for the consequences of those words.  Adam and Eve were immediately questioned by God concerning this matter and as soon as their explanation of things was complete, God laid out His judgment on their lives for their disobedience; and you really want to say “don’t judge me, because you are not perfect and you are not God”?  We must keep a truth in mind here, remember when God shared with us about the definition of “we”?

This brings us to the second example that God wishes for us to understand and this one deals with Moses.  Moses is readily recognized as a great biblical leader and is still highly regarded in many religious circles today.  We can learn a lot from this man and there can be no greater lesson than obedience and how not to argue against God about what He has called one to do because God shall always win; remember God has no rivals.  I cannot help but shake my head at Moses in this passage but as I am shaking my head at his actions I must also shake my head at my own life as well for I have to admit I still do some pretty ridiculous things even though I know they are wrong.  We pick up Moses and the children of Israel in the wilderness of Zin and specifically at Kadesh and the entire congregation is upset and thirsty and are demanding water along with other complaints about plants and other food issues as well.

Being in the wilderness for a day or so one might not seem so picky when it comes to a shortage of a few essential items but when an entire nation has been wandering around for almost 40 years, it can become a tad testy when the same situation continues to reoccur.  Moses and Aaron understand this problem and they do exactly what they need to do and which is to pray and to seek God’s counsel on such a matter.  In Numbers 20: 8 God gives Moses specific instructions of how to handle the situation “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”  A pretty straight forward and simple command, don’t you think?

So, what does Moses do?  Messes the entire setting up by not obeying the simple command that God tells him to do, for in Numbers 20: 9-11 states that Moses took the rod as God commanded him, which was the only thing that Moses got right about this scene.  Then, Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together and spoke to the congregation, not the rock.  Moses squawks at the people and calls them names then strikes the rock twice completing the disobedient act, yet God provides for the people by allowing the rock to produce water for them and their animals; God proves His faithfulness in the needs of His people. 

But what God needed to occur was for the leaders of His children to obey Him and to show them that they (Moses and Aaron) trust God enough that no matter what the circumstances may be, that through their willingness to obey His Word will somehow filter down into the Israelites hearts as well.  Even during this time period and even though the children of Israel had been in the wilderness for almost 40 years now and they still doubt God’s protection over their lives.  How do we know this?  Numbers 20:5 gives us the facts, remember this is the people asking and talking: “And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”

To seal the deal as it were, God immediately addresses the situation to Moses and Aaron and makes His position very clear to them concerning their disobedience of His Word in front of the people.  God understood that the people needed to see Moses conduct himself in a leadership manner, God also understood that the people STILL did not fully trust God, and finally Moses understood what the people were thinking and when you put all of these items together we see that Moses decided to reveal the past and do things his own way instead of listening to what God told him at that time.  When people struggle it is vital for all involved for us to listen to what God says for us to do, for sometimes only through our obedience can those who doubt believe. God reiterates this truth to Moses and Aaron in verse twenty when He says that it was His desire for them to obey so that His name can be glorified at hat time, not by physical acts by another.

Through the actions of Moses and Aaron, God makes it clear to them that because they completely disobeyed His command that they would never physically witness the Promised Land.  By simply disobeying what God has commanded Moses and Aaron to do, cost them their chance to see God fulfill His promise to His people.  It might have seemed a small item of disobedience to some, but in the long run, our minds and hearts do not see what God does and through this vision alone His ways are not ours and we should do our best to accomplish this fact at all times.  While it is true that God was faithful to the people by supplying their needs for water, Moses and Aaron were the recipients of the consequences of those actions; just as we are alive today through Adam and Eve it was her that suffered the consequences at that time.

It is this point where our enemy does his best to convince us that even though God tells us to do a simple command, it will still be alright if we do it our way and not according to what He wishes.  This is nothing but elevating our own lives to try and become an equal with God.  We may not even understand why such a simple command from God may be so important to someone else, it is still the process of obeying His Word completely that should matter.  It is for this reason alone that is highly dangerous to take what God’s Word says and to conform it to our likeness and not His.  Whether Eve or Moses understood what God’s simple command meant or not, it was not the circumstance that presented itself but the act of disobedience that cost them their futures. In both settings, God gives His rule to His leaders and then expects His rules to be followed by all means necessary on our parts. There was absolutely no reason for human improvising needed in either setting; therefore, there was no reason for Eve or Moses to disobey God’s commands.

Deception has many ways and means of showing its ugly head to and in our lives.  It is for this reason that we need to ensure that we understand that God is almighty and ever present in ALL ways and we are not.  It is us who need to rise up to His level and in order for us to accomplish this task, we have no choice but to study His Word on every level to make sure we understand exactly what He needs for us to do.  Obedience as an offering equals to none and it is the only way that we can honestly state that we are willing to lose this life so that we may live with Him for eternity.  Peer pressure stinks and it is a guarantee that it shall come into our lives at some point, but it is a must that we are grounded in God’s Word so much that we have no problem in resisting when doubts or hesitations come our way.

Church, you are the leaders to the dying world and it is your (our) responsibility to make sure God’s Light shines brightly for others to see at all times and not just a few hours a week.  The basic definition of sin is disobedience, plain and simple.  Disobedience equals nonbelief, which means non-belief is equal to sin; therefore, disobedience equals sin.  This truth also means that there is no “level” of disobedience only disobedience alone.  Now is not the time for the Church to begin to interpret God’s Word for their own glory, she needs to understand the commands of God and be the focus of His Ways so that He may be glorified in the manner in which He needs to show the world that He loves them.  It is God who has all authority to give us commands and it is our responsibility to fulfill them when He says to do such deeds.

DLB