What To Do With People Who Make You Furious And Disrespect You
Deuteronomy 9:7-20 (GW)
“Never forget how you made the LORD your God angry in the desert. You've rebelled against the LORD from the day you left Egypt until you came here . . "
“ I went up on the mountain to get the stone tablets, . . . .. At the end of the 40 days and 40 nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets with his promise on them. He told me, “Leave right away. Your people whom you brought out of Egypt have ruined {everything}. . . . .. They've made an idol for themselves.”
The LORD also said to me . . . I'll destroy them and wipe their name off the earth. Then I'll make you into a nation larger and stronger than they are.”
So I turned and went down the mountain . . . . You had made a statue of a calf for yourselves. You had quickly turned from the way the LORD commanded you to live. I took the two tablets, threw them down, and smashed them in front of you.
Once again I threw myself down in front of the LORD. I went without food and water for 40 days and 40 nights because of the sin you committed. You did what the LORD considered evil and made him furious. I was terrified of the LORD'S anger and fury. He was so angry he wanted to destroy you. But once more the LORD listened to me. The LORD also became very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him. But at that time I prayed for Aaron, too. Deuteronomy 9:7-20 (GW)
Pastor’s Blog
Moses was mad, really mad. Over a month with no food, many prayers for his people, finally receiving from God words to live by and what happens? As a “thank you” his people completely blow him off. What do you do when people treat you like that?
This is a fascinating passage. God plans to destroy most of Israel and then to start over with Moses and a few others. But Moses sticks with his people “against” God.
We learn again that God interacts with people and that our repentance and prayers matter. Moses’ heart for his people, interceding for them, was evident. God collaborated with Moses, heard his prayer and “changed His mind” (a necessarily limited and probably misleading wording for an act of grace by God).
This is beautiful picture of leadership. Instead of joining God in “firing” all the idolators, Moses stuck with them and prayed for their forgiveness.
How quickly do you tend to give up on people who not only let you down, but let you down in a big time way, even disrespecting your leadership?
Such accounts as this is why I am so amazed with the Old Testament. It's not just about knowing God but experiencing God in such a way that one, such as Moses, knows when intercession can move God's heart or knows when to get out of the way and let God take care of matters just as He says.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think would have happened if Moses took God's option to destroy them and wipe their name off the earth, then make Moses into a nation larger and stronger than they were?