Tag Archives: Israel

Lessons from the LIfe of Moses

Don’t Miss Out on Your Reward for Serving the Lord!

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1- Moses had to lead a multitude of doubting, disbelieving rebels, who often complained, yearned to return to slavery in Egypt, and even threatened to stone him and Aaron.

10 Times Israel Grumbled Against God & Moses

(Acc. to NASB text note)

Exodus 5:21, 14:11, 15:24, 16:2, 17:2, 3, 32:1, 

Numbers 11:1, 4, 12:1, 14:2

2- When they got to the edge of the Promised Land, they disbelieved and refused to enter and fight.

“So why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”” (Numbers 14:3–4, NASB 2020)

3- Moses would rightly feel great frustration at this point. Did he feel like a failure as a leader?

4- The Lord threatened to destroy all of the people and start again with Moses. 

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people be disrespectful to Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst? I will strike them with plague and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.’” (Numbers 14:11–12, NASB 2020)

5- Moses interceded for the people (once again), appealing to the reputation of YHWH.

“Please forgive the guilt of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your mercy, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.’” (Numbers 14:19, NASB 2020)

6- The Lord relented, but pronounced judgment: the children of Israel would remain in the desert for 40 more years, until all the fighting men who rejected the Lord died.

“So the Lord said, “I have forgiven them in accordance with your word; however, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. Certainly all the people who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who were disrespectful to Me see it.” (Numbers 14:20–23, NASB 2020)

“In accordance with the number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your guilt a year, that is, forty years, and you will know My opposition. I, the Lord, have spoken, I certainly will do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. They shall be worn out in this wilderness, and there they shall die.” (Numbers 14:34–35, NASB 2020)

7- Moses would now have to continue leading this people in the desert for 40 years!

8- Eventually, Moses got to a breaking point. In frustration and with a sense of entitlement, he took credit for miraculously providing water for the people.

“‘Take the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.’ So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank.” (Numbers 20:8–11, NASB 2020)

9- The Lord performed the miracle through Moses, but was not pleased with His servant and pronounced judgment: Moses and Aaron would not enter the Promised Land.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” (Numbers 20:12)

10- When the 40 years ended, Moses pleaded with the Lord to let him enter and experience the land. The Lord refused, but allowed Moses go to the top of a mountain and see it.

“I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, ‘Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? Please let me cross over and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country, and Lebanon.’ But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me; instead, the Lord said to me, ‘Enough! Do not speak to Me any more about this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah and raise your eyes to the west, the north, the south, and the east, and see it with your eyes; for you shall not cross over this Jordan.’” (Deuteronomy 3:23–27, NASB 2020)

11- Lessons for us:

A) God has promises and a plan for your life. 

If you pursue your own plans and desires you will miss out on the much greater life God offers. 

B) If you give up and turn your back on God, you will miss out on the eternal Promised Land, which is heaven.

C) Sometimes leading people can be frustrating. 

What do you do when you are disrespected, unappreciated or under-appreciated?

Seek the Lord and His reward!

1- Don’t demand respect; be respectful and respectable.

2- Don’t give them what they’re giving you, but what you want them to give you.

3- Be merciful and gracious, not judgmental.

4- Don’t walk away, but pray for them.

D) Entitlement is dangerous. That is when we say, “I deserve _________.”

E) Don’t take credit for what God has given, or done in and through you.

1- Even all of your hard work results from the gifts and talents God has created in you.

“What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7, NASB 2020)

2- Your reward comes from the Lord, not people!

a) Don’t seek human recognition.

b) Don’t seek sympathy for your hardship.

c) Don’t seek financial renumeration.

d) Don’t seek promotion.

e) Don’t seek ease.

f) Don’t give up!

3- If you seek earthly rewards, you may put yourself under discipline from the Lord, and miss out on experiencing what He offers!

4- “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these things will be aded to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33).

5- Turn your back on the world and follow Jesus for His promised rewards!

“Peter began to say to Him, ‘Behold, we have left everything and have followed You.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.’” (Mark 10:28–30, NASB 2020)

6- Let humble service to the Lord be its own reward.

“So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’” (Luke 17:10, NASB 2020)

America Will Get What She Deserves

America, you are on the path to electing a President who will lead you farther away from your founding ideals of life, librerty and the pursuit of happiness. You are enamoured with leaders who show open contempt for their opponents and, thus, for you the people who would freely chose to support their opponent. These are women and men whose values include deception, cheating, character assassination, turning a blind eye to injustice in favor of political policy, making promises they have no ability–and in some cases no intent–of keeping. Rather than policy oriented debate your favorite leaders revel in ad-hominem attacks, and you love it this way America. You will get what you deserve. God may well let you suffer the consequences of your foolish choice for President. Therefore, I would be hesitant to presume the next “leader of the free world” is God’s choice, as though this were the person God elected. You will get what you choose and, thus, what you deserve, America. God remains in ultimate control and his purpose is not thwarted by the evil choices of human free will. That doesn’t mean you may blame God for your foolishness.

America, the Lord wants to bless you, but He will not bless your rebellious, sinful choices. You will be disciplined by the consequences of your sin. The prosperity you now enjoy will end. The freedoms you have will disappear. The leadership and power you exercise over the world will end. God will raise up a people who will do his will. Don’t presume that your Christian heritage will save you. Americans who claim to be Christians support hatred, injustice and violence, and reject compassion for the weak and oppressed. They are “Christian” in name but do not follow the teachings of Christ.

Where are the followers of Jesus? We are a called out remnant, a people among the people, our primary citizenship is in Christ’s kingdom. We must be examples of good citizenship in our respective nations and states, and good stewardship of the earth that we share. But we are not of this world. We look forward to a new world where righteousness reigns, where everyone freely loves and serves the God of love, truth and justice.

There was a period in Israel’s ancient history when God judged and gave His people what they deserved. They wanted to be “as other nations” who had human kings ruling over them. Israel belonged to God; he was their king. But they rejected the Lord in favor of a weak human ruler. They got Saul, a handsome man who was a head taller than anyone else. Saul had qualities we see in many men: the appearance of physical prowess, and a significant amount of insecurity, “the appearance of godliness but denying the power of God.” Saul turned away from God. He tried to make a sacrifice that only a priest was authorized to offer; he disobeyed the Lord’s orders to honor himself, even set up a monument to himself and his victory. Saul’s ability to protect Israel from her primary enemy, the Philistines, met with limited success and eventual failure. In the end, it was the Philistines who killed Saul and his son in battle.

The alternative to getting what we deserve by our foolish choice, is receiving the gift of a leader whom God chooses in spite of our sin. Israel’s next king was David. Although imperfect, he is called “a man after God’s own heart.” He led Israel to follow the Lord, and Israel was more powerful and prosperous under David, and his son Solomon, than at any other time in her long history. David made mistakes; in fact, he had a significant moral failure. However, he repented, confessed his evil and sought the Lord’s forgiveness. God blessed David most significantly by granting him the privilege of being the one who would be the ancestor of Messiah, and so David’s kingly line will never end. Jesus Christ was the descendent of David, and the Son of God. Christ is the king who will one day return to earth to reign forever.

Until then, America, you must chose a leader who honors the coming King with more than lip-service. The American President must genuinely fear God. America, you must change your thinking and change your ways. Put away your violence, immoral sexual conduct, injustice and oppression of the weak. Elect a leader who will be a wise peacemaker, who values human life and upholds the rights of your people to freely believe in and worship God.