“Then I begged the Lord… I said, ‘Lord GOD, I am your servant. I know that you have shown me only a small part of the wonderful and powerful things you will do… Please let me go across the Jordan River and see the good land on the other side. Let me see the beautiful hill country and Lebanon.’”
Deuteronomy 3:23-25 ERV
Anger, like any other sin is like a “cancerous seed”. If not completely uprooted from one’s life, it may inadvertently debar the man of destiny from finishing well. While grace may keep him from the fire of hell, there would have been lands yet to be taken. Similarly, victories yet to be won; like Moses, a promised land never to set his foot. In Deuteronomy 3:23-26, we find Moses pleading with the Lord, expressing his desire to enter the promised land. This shows that, like Moses, we may fall short of God’s plan for our life because of sin. Anger hindered Moses from entering the promised land, not because God lacked the power to bring him in along with the rest.
A great beginning of a journey with remarkable manifestations is nothing compared to the glory of finishing well. Moses earnestly wished and sought for the glory of finishing well. He must have cried bitterly as he prayed: “God, my Master, you let me in on the beginnings, you let me see your greatness, you let me see your might… Please, let me in also on the endings. Let me cross the river and see the good land over the Jordan, the lush hills, the Lebanon mountains.”
God had been using Moses in many ways before Numbers chapter twenty. At this point, over 600,000 of the generation that came from Egypt had died due to their sin of unbelief. They harvested bitter fruit of unbelief in silence. So, it’s important to note that the people who complained about the lack of water were a new generation, but as stiff-necked as their predecessors. In a similar situation in Exodus 17:17, God told Moses to strike the rock so that water may flow for the people. He did exactly as God commanded, and the people had their fill.
However, we must be careful never to fall into the error of thinking that yesterday’s victory would be a basis or evidence for winning a similar battle tomorrow. We need new strength for each day and for every battle. And when God give us an instruction, we must ensure to diligently obey.
Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarrelled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
Numbers 20:2-5 NIV
Moses, however, seems to have reached the limit of his patience. He not only erred with his words, but he also struck the rock that he was commanded only to speak unto; he struck it even twice. So, he was denied from entering the promised land. Though he sought it with many tears, God did not reverse the judgment.
So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water]. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
Numbers 20:9-12 AMP
Dearly Beloved, why wait until anger leaves an indelible scar in your life before breaking free? Maybe anger is not the issue for you. However, could there be anything else that can stand in your way in your “promised land”. Why keeping quiet about it when you can seek divine intervention today? It may be too late for correction; too late for a second chance; anger may keep you from eternal life. Why not cry to God to remove every little fox wanting to destroy you at your bloom.
