The bitterness of rebellion

Have you ever felt like leadership was heading in the right direction? Do you ever get frustrated at the apparent immobility of the engines of hierarchical institutions? Wouldn’t it be great if Pastors and were more selfless and led more like Christ would?

I have often had these questions. And as I read the daily reading of today (Numbers 19-20), I find that I am not alone. In fact these questions are founded in antiquity and surface in the narratives of the wilderness wanderings of the people of God.

Can you imagine following a leader who is outdated? Moses was such a leader. He had lived half his life in a different land and a foreign culture (Midian) than the Israelites. He was old, and was dogmatic about his convictions. Over three million people had to follow such a leader for fourty years. Thus understandably these Israelites had complaints pertaining to Moses’ leadership, I probably would too, wouldn’t you? However, God had a different perspective. In Numbers 16, He challenges the people for their disobedience, and equated their complaint to Moses as rebellion against Himself. Due to this rebellion many died from divine judgement.

For those of us leaders, unfortunately, rebellion also seems easy to succumb to. Granted the Israelites perpetual complaints frustrated Moses in Numbers 20. God told Moses to provide them their much sought after water by speaking to the rock. Moses however in frustration at the people neglected to decree God’s word to the rock. Instead he strikes it with his rod to induce the miraculous flow of water. Due to this disobedience, Moses is judged guilty by God and forfeits the right to ever enter the promised land in his lifetime. As I survey this from a leader’s perspective, I must confess that I am bewildered. Why would God fault Moses for striking the rock? Afterwards at other times, Moses had been instructed to use his rod to perform miracles. Couldn’t Moses exercise initiative and do things his own way? Why is God so “micro”? As I meditate on these thoughts, I become convinced that God’s ways are not our way. Thus, we just need to reverently submit and follow him. Moses’ ultimate indictment was that he was found rebellious. Interestingly enough, this was the very thing that he faulted the Israelites for.

May we as followers submit to Godly leadership and in humility follow our Paul’s as they follow Christ. And may leaders in the kingdom be found even more humble, and demonstrate radical-immediate obedience to the utterances of a holy God.