“You are to follow no man further than he follows Christ.”
John Collins
Encountering God, watching the Holy Spirit move, and seeing His anointing can tempt us to place our trust in how God worked in the past, instead of trusting how God is directing us today. Moses is a prime example of this.
In Exodus 17:1-7, the Israelites were complaining about their lack of water and their thirst. Moses cried out to God for help. God instructed him to take his staff with which he had struck the Nile and to strike the rock at Horeb. Moses trusted God, obeyed Him, and struck the rock in front of the people. God showed Himself to be faithful to His word and water came gushing out of the rock for the people to drink.
Some months later in a different part of the wilderness, the same scenario happened again. No water led to the Israelites quarreling with Moses and their testing the Lord. But this time, the Lord directed Moses to take his staff and to speak to the rock. In anger, though, instead of obeying God, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff. (Numbers 20:1-13) Unfortunately, the price of Moses’ disobedience was steep, he would not bring the community into the Promised Land.
I’m not sure why Moses didn’t obey God this time. Was it because his anger got in the way, or was it because Moses remembered and placed his trust in the previous time when he struck the rock and God miraculously released water? The why behind Moses’ actions isn’t as important as the reason behind God’s punishment. This is what we need to pay attention to. “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites...” (Exodus 20:12).
God desires His children, not just His leaders because of their sphere of influence, to honor Him by showing that they trust God’s word to the point of obedience. Trust is of paramount importance to God. He’s constantly placing us in situations and asking us, “Do you trust Me?” If we follow Him and obey Him, then He knows we trust Him. Relationships and their depth of intimacy hinge on our level of trust.
God needed Moses to be the Israelites’ leader who trusted Him implicitly; with no ifs, ands, or buts. God in turn needed a leader He could trust to guide and influence His people, someone who obeyed God’s commands and who trusted God.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
John Maxwell
Relevant Reflection:
How can you honor God today through your trust and obedience?