Mosesitis

Have you ever had a bad case of “Mosesitis?” What is Mosesitis,?” you may ask. It’s the attitude Moses had after putting up with the rebellious and hard hearted Israelites for too long. It led Moses to act in anger and he dishonored God. Anger itself is not sinful but it does tempt us to sin. Moses was so angered by the continuous whining and grumbling of people in rebellion to God’s will, it lead him into sin and kept him from ever entering the promised land. I call this frustration “Mosesitis.”

Moses was the most humble man in all Israel (Numbers 12:3) and yet he was still accused falsely of “going too far” (Numbers 16:3) and lording it over the people of Israel. (Numbers 16:13) by a stiff necked and rebellious people. Moses was faithful in all God’s house (Hebrews 3:5), but he was still accused of abusing his power (Numbers 16:14).

How could they rebel against such a faithful leader? He risked his life for these people. He left his home and family for these people. He put up with so much. He suffered through angry Israelites complaining when the Egyptians followed them before God parted the Red Sea. He put up with complaining about the lack of water. He endured grumbling about the lack of food. He dealt with their pagan revelry around the golden calf. He dealt with a rebellion from his brother and sister, from Korah and some other leaders. He wandered through the desert trying to teach God’s Law to the people. He interceded and prayed for the people of Israel as they brought on themselves plagues, snakes and other punishments God sent. Moses worked morning till evening for them. One time he even kept God from killing all of them.

What is the thanks he gets after serving them selflessly, teaching them God’s Law, saving them again and again with miracles, and leading them by bringing organization? They just complain that they don’t have any water. Had they forgotten all the miracles God had already done to save them? No wonder Moses was frustrated and angry. He was talking, but they were not listening. He was leading, but they didn’t follow. He had a vision of blessing for them, but they would not accept it.

You can watch “Mosesitis” build in the poor guy. When the people complained, because they only had manna to eat and no meat, Moses prayed,

Numbers 10:11-15 “Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their forefathers? Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now— if I have found favor in your eyes— and do not let me face my own ruin.”

Listen to the frustration in Moses’ prayer. He felt burdened like he was caring for a bunch of whining spoiled babies. He would rather die then deal with the burden of these people.

When the people of Israel rebelled by building the golden calf, Moses anger reached the point where he acted out in anger throwing the tablets down, breaking them to pieces. Exodus 32:19 says,

“When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.”

The frustration built to anger for Moses as his “Mosesitis” became more acute. When Dathan and Abiram blamed Moses for the Israelites not getting into the promise land, and accused him of lording over them, Moses became angry. The rebellious Dathan and Abiram even went as far as to make the wild and baseless accusation that Moses wished to gouge their eyes out. At this point, Moses was done with them. Numbers 16:15 says,

“Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."

This anger grew to include the officers in his army, when they refused to totally destroy the enemies of Israel. Moses had worked hard and made many personal sacrifices to get Israel to the Promise Land, and when other leaders endangered the success of that mission, he became angry with them and rightly so. Numbers 31:14 says,

“Moses was angry with the officers of the army— the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds— who returned from the battle.”

Moses was one troubled, frustrated, angry man. Wouldn’t you be? Not many of us have had to put up with the level of frustration and pressure Moses faced. Imagine the frustration of leading people so close to the Promised Land and then they blow it. To top it off, they blame you when it was their unbelief that held them back. Then, they reject you as a leader and grumble some more about some piddley problem.

This is where we find Moses in Numbers 20:1-12:

“In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 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!" 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. The LORD said to Moses, "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. 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?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 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."

Can you hear the anger in his voice and the condescending tone when he calls them “rebels?” And then in anger, frustration, and fury, he strikes the rock twice and acts in a way that dishonors God. He did not honor God as holy in the sight of the Israelites. Because of this fit of rage, he was not allowed to enter into the Promise Land. Their sin tempted him into sinning. Their rebellion led him to become like them and sink to their level. The anger of his past that had led him to kill an Egyptian and bury him in the sand, flared up again. Often, sins of our youth, not fully dealt with, have a way of resurfacing when under pressure. Unfortunately, Moses allowed his “Mosesitis” to get away from him.

We may name the frustration that comes from trying to lead people who just won’t follow “Mosesitis” after Moses, but he was not the only one in the Bible to suffer from this temptation. Paul knew what it was to feel the pressure of leading God’s people. Paul shared all the sacrifices he had made for the cause of God and His church in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28,

“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”

Unless you are the leader in a church who feels the pressure of shepherding a flock, or a preacher setting the church in order, so that we might collectively evangelize the lost, you may not understand the pressure Paul felt. If you messed up at some jobs, it means you messed up. It might mean the product you produced was inferior. Maybe you got fired. Other jobs have more stress. As a police officer, you feel the pressure to serve and protect. Maybe, as a doctor, you felt the pressure to heal or save lives. But as a preacher, you feel the pressure to see souls saved. If I don’t do my job and lead the church (or the people) to do God’s will, then souls will be lost and condemned to eternal damnation. That is a pressure I bear every minute of every day. Paul listed all his hardships in ever increasing intensity. He ends his list of hardships and frustrations with the never ending daily pressure of concern for the church. It’s an ever present burden of the calling.

When the mission of the church is placed in your responsibility and you have to give an account to God about it, it creates some pressure to fulfill the mission. When God’s love for you inspires a deep love for the lost in your heart, it creates pressure to fulfill the mission. When people get in the way of the mission God gave you, that you are responsible for, and which determines the eternal destiny of other people’s souls, you can feel anger.

When people rebelled against the mission of the church, it led Paul to “Mosesitis.” Like Moses before him, it led Paul to make some miscalculations. When John-Mark left Paul and Barnabas on the mission field, it frustrated Paul to the point that he would not let Mark go on the next trip with him. Barnabas disagreed with Paul on this. Acts 15:39 says,

“They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus”

Later, Paul realized Barnabas was right. However, the frustration about people who faithlessly fail can cause us to have “Mosesitis” to the point we don’t offer people grace. Paul was so focused on Marks mess up, he couldn’t see Marks potential until later. Paul later writes in 2 Timothy 4:11,

“Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.”

Another time Paul had been arrested, beaten, and wrongly accused by evil men who desired to murder him. The rejection, unbelief, and hard heartedness of the religious leaders in Jerusalem angered the Apostle Paul. After the high priest had him struck on the cheek, he said in Acts 23:3

"God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!"

Now was Paul right in what he said? Yes, he was right. But his attitude toward these leaders was wrong. He had let his “Mosisitis” run wild. He was then rebuked and had to admit he was wrong in what he did. Acts 23:4-5 explains,

“Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God’s high priest?" Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’"

Like Moses, Paul at times wished he were dead rather then have to deal with the pressure of the hardships in his ministry. He explains in 2 Corinthians 1:8

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”

Many times when our anger, which is justified, gets the best of us, we are tempted to act out in anger in a sinful way that does not honor God. Ephesians 4: 26 -27 says,

"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

It’s not a sin to be angry. But there is a temptation to sin in anger and we should express it in a positive way. We shouldn’t hold anger in. If you let the sun set on your anger, you are giving the devil a foot hold. Moses did. Paul did. Jesus never let his anger lead him to sin. Jesus himself warned us of the danger of anger. He taught in Matthew 5:22,

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca, ‘is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Jesus was tempted by “Mosesitis” too. But it never led Jesus to sin. The disciple’s lack of faith was often discouraging. When they couldn’t cast the demon out of the young boy in Matthew 17:17 he said,

"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me."

Jesus taught these men for years but they were so slow to learn. Jesus became very frustrated many times with the fact that the disciples often just didn’t “get it.” Matthew 15:15-16

“Peter said, ‘Explain the parable to us.’ ‘Are you still so dull?’ Jesus asked them.”

Read again Matthew chapter 23 and notice Jesus frustration and attitude toward unbelievers. He had a righteous anger but he never let it set. He dealt with it before the sun set. He expressed it without sin. We see one such occasion in John 2: 14-17,

“In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!" His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

Jesus was frustrated and hurt as he felt the pressure of those around him who were lost. He hurt for the lost souls who would not accept him. In Luke 19:41 it describes,

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it”

And again in sorrow for the lost and dying generation he said in Luke 13:34,

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"

The things that truly angered Jesus were when people cared more about their traditions, additions to God’s Word, and misinterpretation of the law than healing and saving the hurting and lost. One time Jesus wanted to heal a handicapped man but because it was the Sabbath, the crowd thought it would be wrong. Jesus, in defiance of the traditionalism, healed the man. Mark 3:5 says,

“He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.”

Jesus was left angry and deeply distressed by people. Why? The same reason Moses had “Mosesitis” is why. The people he preached to had stubborn hearts. Have you ever struggled with this? Righteous indignation can be used as a temptation to have an unrighteous reaction. There is a good way to deal with “Mosesitis”and a sinful way to deal with it.

When speaking of the priests in the Old Testament the Bible says in Hebrews 5:2-3

“He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.”

Because the Old Testament priests sinned and needed sacrifices too, they didn’t have the right to judge others who needed them. When priests helped others sacrifice to atone for their sins, he should deal gently with them since he himself sinned too. We should forgive as we were forgiven. We should deal with others as Christ dealt with us. Moses himself wrote in Numbers 14:18,

“The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.”

Paul who struggled so with “Mosesitis,” reminded us in Philippians 4:5,

“Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”

It’s obvious to me that I have some personal growing to do to avoid the pitfalls of “Mosesitis.”

Dear God, Help me to be as slow to anger, loving, forgiving, patient, and gentle as Jesus. AMEN!