Numbers 12; Ecclesiastes 8, Matthew 20:17-34; Numbers 15-16; Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20
No matter how I live my life, no matter how a believer lives their life, we are going to face criticism. The best people often receive the greatest judgment from the world. There is this double standard that the world sets: they say, no, I’m a terrible person, but since you are a believer, you better be perfect. And these people will try their hardest to tear people down. A recent celebrity situation is Tim Tebow. He seems to me like the real deal. I believe he is a genuine believer, sold out to God, and in a situation to share the love of Christ with millions. His team is tearing him down and throwing him under the bus for things that are mostly likely only true of themselves. So how does a person deal with this kind of thing? Prayer and faith that the Lord’s will be done. The truth is, God called out Miriam and Aaron in scripture and judged them for their words, it was not up to Moses to do it. And as I sit here thinking about all the people in the world who pass judgment on one another, I can’t help but think of myself, just the other day, passing judgment on some people. Who am I to criticize and judge others? May the Lord forgive me! Thank God for showing me how wretched I can be and how much I need his mercy. It is true that often the greatest criticism in this world comes from the mouths and hearts of Christians. May God help us to leave that attitude behind and adopt a loving, accepting, humble attitude. We cannot know everything and we are just as guilty of sins as any other person on this planet. May Jesus' example teach us humility and destroy our pride and selfishness. If we desire deep in our hearts to be honored in heaven, we must devote ourselves to serving others and putting everyone else before us here on earth.
In Matthew, even when Jesus tells the disciples the future, what will happen to him, and then his promise comes true, the disciples are still afraid and still doubt. So why would God tell us the future if we won’t believe him anyway?
How many times in the New Testament does the “crowd” get in the way of people following Jesus or being healed? A lot. The truth is, it is often the people of God who, instead of helping bring those people and leading them to Christ, they are blocking their view, telling them to be quiet, ignoring them completely. That is not what we were put on earth to do.
The fact that a man was killed for collecting firewood on the Sabbath seems harsh, but I think there is more to it than that. God is a just God, and he would not condemn a person for unjust reasons. My guess is that this man, more than just picking up some sticks, was struggling a lot with his faith and perhaps thought that the laws of God were worthless or not applicable to him. He would have to have deliberately acted in such a way and therefore, did his action on purpose. In his mind, he was probably irritated with God and God’s laws, and would have been a terrible influence on his family and God’s people if he continued.
God gives each person a responsibility, a calling, a gift. My role is not to be a musician, a public figure, or some other thing. My role is to be a teacher of young people. I am so blessed to know my calling and be in my perfect position so young in life. Some people, spend 25 years in the wrong job until they finally decide to pursue what is in their hearts. God is so good to care so much to make each person fit for something perfect. I pray that no matter where God leads you in life, that you would be faithful and glorifying to God. I pray that we would be supportive of others.
Moses and Aaron demonstrate the power of prayer. When they are faced with persecution, judgment, destruction, uncertainty, they immediately pray. What a powerful tool! May this teach us to pray as an immediate response to any hardship.
Wisdom is so important, it is greater than any other strength. However, even a small thing can ruin all the work of the wise, so it is best to try and fix the little things before they become a disaster. We need help to right our sins now, while they are still just a “leaky roof” so that they do not eventually cause our whole “house” to cave in. God alone has the wisdom and knowledge and love to make us spiritually mature, and I thank him for teaching us.
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