Trusting God With Family Conflict

A short time after the group that complained about the food died and were buried, the people came to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time.  Here a new problem arose.  Moses was over eighty and had been married to Zipporah for over forty years.   When he remarried, he had married an Ethiopian, which in their language meant a black person.  She wasn’t Jewish, and they didn’t like it much, as Numbers 12:1 tells us.  “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.” 

 

Upset about his marriage, Miriam and Aaron became jealous of Moses’ popularity and began to try to discredit him, in Numbers 12:2.  “And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us?...”  Why shouldn’t they share in his power?  After all, they were his siblings and were both older than he was, and God had used them at different times as well.  They were just as qualified as Moses to speak for God.  Such an attack by those you have trusted and been close too is devastating, but they are not uncommon, and sometimes there is not much you can do about them except trust God to work it out.    

 

God knows about such attacks, and will do what is needed to keep these attacks from destroying his plans.  He knew that Moses was not the problem and he addressed it directly, in Numbers 12:2b-4.  “And the LORD heard it.”  (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)  And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.” 

 

Moses was meek, i.e. not self-centered, and would not retaliate, but God took it seriously.  God made it very clear that he was the one who decided would speak for him to the people, in Numbers 12:5-8.  “And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.  With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 

 

It was very disrespectful for them to decide God had no choice in the matter.  Numbers 12:9-10 tells us God was quite angry.  “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.  And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.”  God completely withdrew from the Tabernacle to make his disapproval obvious, and Miriam came down with an advanced case of leprosy. 

 

Aaron was shocked by God’s response, and admitted they had done wrong, asking Moses to do something to heal her, in Numbers 12:11-12.  “And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.  Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.”

 

When Moses prayed for God to heal her and forgive them, God reminded them that even making her father mad would have resulted in a period of discipline to drive home the seriousness of her sin.  God would do no less.  It would be a week before she recovered, as a warning not to repeat her sin as Numbers 12:13-16 describes.  “And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

 

And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.  And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.  And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.”  As Dr. Lee Baucum says, forgiveness is not a blank check.  We frequently still have to deal with some of the consequences of our sin. 

 

When we are wrongfully attacked, we can trust god to deal with the attackers, even when they are members of our own family or church.  Romans 12:19-21 instructs us, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.  Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.  Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”    By doing good, you are emphasizing the contrast between them and yourself, forcing them to consider their attitude.

Getting What They Demanded

 Even to Moses, feeding more than two million people at one time in the middle of a desert area seemed like an impossible feat, and he had questioned where God could get all that food, in Numbers 11:21-22.  “And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.  Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?”   Moses had six hundred thousand men between the ages o twenty and fifty.  That does not include their wives and children or older people.  If they averaged just a wife and two children each there would be two million four hundred thousand people.  It would take about fifteen hundred cows a day just give each one a quarter pounder every day.   

 

It seemed impossible even for God to come up with that much food, but God was not concerned.   He had created the world, and everything in it, and he still had that same power, as he pointed out in Numbers 11:23.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.”  Six hundred thousand pounds of meat was nothing to the God who created the universe.

 

After selecting the seventy elders to help him, Moses returned to the camp, where God delivered the meat he had promised, in Numbers 11:30-31.  “And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.  And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.” 

 

This must have been something like the accounts of the huge flocks of passenger pigeons in early America.  The huge flocks would block out the sun for hours, wiping out entire crops of grain when they stopped to eat, and breaking limbs off trees when they tried to perch.  Hundreds would be crushed by the weight of those landing on top of them.  People would take clubs and kill as many as they could in an effort to save their crops and fruit trees. 

 

The Israelites responded much like the early settlers, killing vast numbers of the quail, according to Numbers 11:32.  “And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.”  A homer was about six bushels or forty eight gallons, so everyone killed eight or ten barrels of quail during the two days the swarm lasted.  They spread the meat out to dry all around the camp. 

 

They had more quail than they could possibly eat in a month, fore it was gone, thousands of people died, probably from eating improperly dried meat that God caused to spoil, as Numbers 11:33-34 describes.  “And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.  And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.”    They had gotten what they demanded, and God had warned them they would be sick of the meat before they got it eaten, and that they would be puking it up.    They named that place the graves of the longing or lusting, and left as soon as the dead were buried and the survivors had recovered.  For the rest of the time in the wilderness they would receive quail every night and manna every morning, as described in Exodus 16:8.  “And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.” 

 

Real faith trusts God to do what is best for us without demanding our own way.  Sometimes when we demand our own way, he lets us have what we demanded to learn that some things are not good for us.  If things are not exactly the way we want them we need to trust God instead of demanding our way because he knows what is best for us.  When we demand our own way, we are not trusting him, and as Romans 14:23 tells us, “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Trust God To Guide Other People.

 The constant complaining by the Israelites had eventually overwhelmed Moses, leading him to ask God to just let him die.  Many Christians come to that same point of frustration.  Even before promising to deal with the people’s complaints, God dealt with Moses discouragement, telling him to pick seventy elders to take part of the responsibility, and God would empower them with his Spirit.  Moses chose the seventy, in Numbers 11:24-25.  “And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.  And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.”

 

A common misconception is that if there are more Christians involve there will be more of God’s power.   God does not get his power from the people who follow him.  He has his full power whether there are millions standing with him or none.  God took some of the spirit that was upon Moses and shared it with the others, but God’s power was not changed.  The only thing that changed was how many were exercising that power.  When they received the Spirit, they proclaimed God’s words just as Moses did. 

 

 Two of the men Moses had chosen did not go out to the Tabernacle with the others, but stayed in the camp.  When the spirit came on them they prophesied just like the others, but some of the people felt they should not be allowed to prophesy since they were not with the others, in Numbers 11:26-28.  “But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.  And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.”

 

Numbers 12:3 tells us, “Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.”  He was not worried about maintaining or increasing his prestige, and he realized they were not competing with him.  Instead of getting upset, Moses wished there were more like them, in Numbers 11:29.  “And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!”    

 

Paul faced a similar situation in Philippians 1:15-18.  “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.  What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”  Some of the pastors and teachers were deliberately going contrary to what Paul was teaching in an effort to discredit him.  In spite of that fact, Paul chose not to get angry about it, but instead to rejoice because they were still preaching about Christ. 

 

In II Thessalonians 3:14-15 Paul advised that if someone is teaching false doctrine we are to withdraw from them, in hopes of getting them to consider their errors, but we are not to consider them enemies.  “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.  Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.”  We are to concentrate on the Job God has given us and recognize that both we and they will have to answer to God for we have done, as Romans 14:10 reminds us.  “But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” 

 

We can take a lot of pressure off ourselves by not trying to make everybody do things the way we do.  Instead, let God work through other people and trust him to accomplish his purpose.  God’s plan differed from that recommended by Jethro in that it depended on spirit led men, rather than mere Human wisdom.     

Whining And Complaining Discourages People

Moses wife was the daughter of a Midianite priest, who had brought her to Moses shortly before they reached Mount Sinai.  When Israel left Mount Sinai, one of her brothers was visiting them and Moses asked him to accompany them, in Numbers 10:29-32.  “And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.

 

And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

 

And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.  And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.” 

 

Hobab wanted to go back to his hometown where his relatives lived, but Moses asked him to stay promising that he wouldn’t be in the way.  He had grown up in the area and was familiar with the land and its inhabitants.   He could save them a lot of hassles because of his knowledge.  If he would accompany them, he would experience the same blessings the Israelites did. 

 

Whether he went or not, God would be the one guiding them, as described in Numbers 10:33-36.  “And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days' journey: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days' journey, to search out a resting place for them.  And the cloud of the LORD was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp.  And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.  And when it rested, he said, Return, O LORD, unto the many thousands of Israel.”

 

Unfortunately, the people had developed a habit of complaining while they were in slavery, and while they were now free, the habit persisted, even a year later.   For almost a year they had camped at Mount Sinai, without having to move their camp.  When they started moving away from Mount Sinai, some of them griped about having to leave and move every few days.  Numbers 11:1-3 tells us, “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.  And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.  And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. “   

 

If they just stayed at Mount Sinai, they would never get to the land God had prepared for them. I wonder how often God has to send fire into the camp to get the people to follow him?  Even when they followed him, many were looking back at the past and longing to go back.  Numbers 11:4-6 describes such a group.  “And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?  We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” 

 

The mixed multitude was a group of former Egyptian slaves of various races who tagged along when Israel left Egypt.  They were experiencing all the same blessings, but they had no commitment to God or interest in the Promised Land.   As so often happens, they began to gripe about missing things they used to have while overlooking what they have now.  They were griping about the lack of cucumbers and onions and melons and fish.  When they had those things they had been slaves, beaten and killed for the least infraction.  Now they had freedom, and an ample supply of good food. 

 

Numbers 11:7-9 describes the Manna and how it was gathered and used.  “And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.  And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.  And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.”  While it wasn’t cucumbers and onions or melons and fish, manna tasted pretty good and could be fixed a lot of different ways.  Best of all it could be gathered with just a few minutes work everyday and there was no need to store it for the winter. 

 

The complaints didn’t make much sense, but they rapidly spread throughout the camp, with people who hadn’t even thought about it joining in.  Both Moses and God were upset by the complaining.  Moses himself began griping about having to put up with the people’s attitudes, in Numbers 11:10-15.  “Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.  And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?  Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?  Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.  I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.  And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.”

 

Constant griping and complaints can wear down even the strongest and most spiritual people.  Moses asked God to just kill him so he didn’t have to put up with it any more.  Instead, God told him to pick out a group of men who could take part of the responsibilities, and God would give them the spiritual power they needed, in Numbers 11:16-17.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.  And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.”

 

God also warned that the people would have to bear the consequences of their choices, in Numbers 11:18-20.  “And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.  Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?”  Sometimes, when we demand our own way, God lets us have it so we can learn how foolish our demands were. 

 

Moses was dumbfounded By God’s promise to give them all the meat they could eat for an entire month, as Numbers 11:21-22 tells us.  “1 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.  Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?  He couldn’t imagine where God could get so much food so quickly.  It seemed impossible, but God reminded him that he was still God, in Numbers 11:23.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.”   When we get discouraged, it is easy to forget how much power God has.  

Remembering What God Had Done

 A year before, the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt.  They had celebrated the Passover early the same night they left Egypt, on the fourteenth day of the first month.  Exactly one year later, God commanded them to celebrate the Passover again, in Numbers 9:1-5.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season.  In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it.  And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover.  And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.”

 

The first time they kept the Passover, they were just doing what God had commanded, hoping they would eventually be freed.  One year later, they were celebrating a year of being free.  God had commanded that every Israelite was supposed to keep the Passover, but there were a few men who could not meet the requirements due to circumstances beyond their control, as Numbers 9:6-7 describes.  “And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: And those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the LORD in his appointed season among the children of Israel?”

 

Sometimes things happen at inconvenient times, making it impossible for us to do things just the way we believe God wants us to.  God understands this, and makes allowances for it.  He commanded these men to keep the Passover one month later on the fourteenth day, according to Numbers 9:9-12.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD. The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  They shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break any bone of it: according to all the ordinances of the passover they shall keep it.”

 

They were to celebrate the Passover exactly as everyone else celebrated it, just one month later. They were only to use this second date if they were unable to keep it on the proper date.  Numbers 9:13 warned, “But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the LORD in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin.” 

 

Sometimes in modern life, it is impossible to attend regular church services as commanded in Hebrews 10:25.  “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  Many churches have other services during the week, or one may be able to spend time praying and studying by themselves, but if possible, they need to be in church, both for their own spiritual growth, and to encourage those around them.  Celebrating the Passover was a way of reminding them of what God had done for them and helping keep them following God.   The church worship services should accomplish the same purpose for Christians.  Without it they will tend to drift into sin, and Hebrews 10:26-27 warns, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” 

 

God understands our situation, and makes allowances for such things.  He also knows our commitment to obey is an indicator of our faith.  If a person doesn’t care enough to make the effort, how much do they really care? 

Trusting God To Guide Others

 When Moses first led the Israelites out of Egypt, he had tried to personally take care of everything.  His father-in-law advised him to teach others and let them take care of the minor day to day affairs so that he could focus on things that actually needed his attention.  Moses had to learn to trust God to guide other people to do their jobs.  When they were attacked by the Amalekites, Moses had sent Joshua to lead the army while he, Aaron and Hur went up to pray.  Had he been leading the army, Moses could not have focused on pryer, and it was his prayer that made the difference in the battle. 

 

When they got ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave the plans to Moses, but he gave orders that Bezaleel and Aholiab were to oversee the construction while Moses was to focus on leading the people, according to Exodus 31:1-6.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.  And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee.”

 

God had called Bezaleel and Aholiab to oversee building the Tabernacle just as clearly as he had called Moses to lead Israel.  He had given them special skills and training just as he had given Moses special training for his job.  In Christian circles, it is very common to think only pastors missionaries or evangelists are called of God, when in fact, that carpenter, mechanic, teacher, or janitor may have a specific a calling as well because their particular skills are needed.  I Corinthians 12:28 tells us, “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.”

 

Believing that they would be guided by God, Moses turned the construction over to them, explaining his decision to the people in Exodus 35:30-35.  “And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.  And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.  Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.”

 

A vital part of faith is learning to focus on what god has commanded us to do and trusting him to guide others he has chosen in doing their jobs.  When we begin to try to control or micromanage people we exhibit a lack of faith in god’s ability to guide other people.  Moses left the construction of the Tabernacle up to the men God had chosen, in Exodus 36:1-4.  “Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.  And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning.”

 

God can cause even people who are not really devoted to him to do what is needed.  Even the people who had grumbled over the lack of water and gone along with worshipping the golden calf began to donate the necessary materials.  It wasn’t long before they had to ask the people to stop giving as they had too much, as we see in Exodus 36:4-7.  “And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.

 

And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing.  For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”  When Moses just trusted god, they had more than enough.  How many times have we heard a modern pastor or leader say we have too much? 

 

When He trusted God to direct them they did things exactly as God directed, according to Exodus 39:42-43.  “According to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work.  And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the LORD had commanded, even so had they done it: and Moses blessed them.”  Had Moses tried to control everything, it is nearly certain things would not have turned out as well, because God had not given him the special skills and understandings that were needed. 

 

Living by faith demands that we trust God to guide other people instead of trying to control everything around us.  A sense that we have to be in control demonstrates a lack of faith.

Drawing Close To God

 Moses had a much closer relationship with the Lord than the other Israelites.  Unlike most of them, who didn’t want to get close to God, he sought an even closer relationship, in Exodus 33:12-36.    “And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight.  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

 

God promised to go with them and protect them, but Moses told him he didn’t want to go unless God went along, because they were separating from other peoples to follow God, in Exodus 33:14-15.  “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.  And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.  For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. “

 

Moses asked for a personal relationship.  God said the relationship would be limited by the fact that God is divine and Moses was only human.  Even between two humans there are things that interfere from time to time.  God agreed to go as far as he could, in Exodus 33:17-23.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

 

And he said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory.

 

And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.  And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.”

 

God fulfilled his promise, to reveal himself to Moses in Exodus 34:5-8.  “And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.  And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” 

 

As a result of his closeness to God, Moses had a much greater appreciation for who God was as the last sentence above points out.  What he didn’t realize was the effect it had on him personally, according to Exodus 34:29.  “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.”

 

Like Moses, getting to know the Lord personally changes us, as II Corinthians 3:18 tells us.  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”    We become like the people we hang around with, and when it is the Lord we hang out with, we become more like him.  II Corinthians 5:17-18 describes some of the changes.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”

 

Like Moses, we usually don’t recognize all the differences that relationship with the Lord makes, but the changes in our attitude are clearly visible to those we come in contact with, as Exodus 34:30-35 describes.  “And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.  And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai.

 

And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.  But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded.  And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.” 

 

The Jewish rulers observed similar changes in attitude with the disciples in Acts 4:13.  “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”  They were no longer afraid to speak. 

 

The people had been afraid to get too close to God.  Now they were afraid to get too close to Moses.  They wanted him to wear a face mask to keep them from seeing what God had done in him.  Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t want to get close enough to really see what God wants to do for them.    Like most of the Israelites, they never learn to fully trust God.