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Bible Question: Are there any scriptures that could help me to not be upset by
little things that my wife and child do sometimes? It seems as
though they do things that just tax my nerves.
Bible Answer: I have recently been studying the life of Moses and the effect that the people of Israel had on Moses. The relationship was not a positive one. Even before Israel left Egypt, they started complaining. The books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are filled with their complaining. Always their leader Moses went to the Lord to plead for them, but they complained so much and so often that God eventually said this about them,
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How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling
against Me? (NASB) Numbers 14:27 |
Moses Upset. God called them an "evil congregation" because of their constant
grumbling. Eventually, in the wilderness of Zin Israel, Moses
committed a serious sin - he became angry. Scripture tells us
that there was no water for the people nor for their animals and
so they complained against Moses. The historical account is recorded
in Numbers 20:1-13. So Moses and Aaron went to God and asked for
water and God told Moses to speak to a rock. Once before he was
told to strike the rock but not this time. Psalm 106:33 tells
us that Moses acted rashly. He was upset and so he struck the
rock two times in a heat of emotion.
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Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out
of this rock? (NASB) Numbers 20:10 |
Notice that Moses called them a name - "rebels." He did not give
God the credit, but he took the credit to himself - "we." Here
is how God reacted.
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Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight
of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly
into the land which I have given them. (NASB) Numbers 20:12 |
God told Moses that he was guilty of not obeying Him and because of that he would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. Deuteronomy 3:25-26 implies that Moses was begging God to let him enter, and apparently he begged so much that God became angry with him. The book of Deuteronomy ends by telling us that Moses died but "his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated" (Deut. 34:7). That means Moses died prematurely. This leader died a premature death because he disobeyed God. |
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