Moses
– Freeing
Yourself to Know God
·
Is
it possible to experience God's overwhelming power, and then shortly become so
depressed we want to die? Is it possible to go quickly from a strong faith to
questions and doubt?
·
The
Israelites camped at Mt. Sinai for a year. It was here they committed a great
sin. Here they received the Law. Here Moses experienced a close fellowship with
God. However, God decided it was time to march on (Num. 10:11-13) The cloud
began to move…
·
Moses
left with great optimism, his faith bolstered by his experiences in God's
presence. Notice his confidence as the Ark goes before them (10:33-35)
·
But,
it happened again. The people began to complain (11:1) just as they had done
before. The Israelites had far less to complain about this time, and it angered
God (11:1)
·
The
fire was a warning, and a sign God was keeping his promise to Moses (Exod. 33:3)
Moses responded well, again interceding for the people, and the fire died down
(Num. 11:2)
·
The
people kept up their complaining though (11:4-6) They had food, they just
wanted better food! They were not satisfied with God's generous provisions.
·
For
Moses, he is again attacked at his most vulnerable point. And again he is
deeply affected. First, Moses loses sight of God's promises. Moses essentially
calls the Hebrews big babies (11:11-12), but feels forsaken, like he is
responsible for carrying the Hebrews. Has Moses forgotten what God had said?
(Exod. 33:3,10,14-16)
·
Next,
Moses loses sight of God's power. Moses wonders where he can get meat
for so many people. God has to remind Moses what He is capable of (11:23) Where
is the Moses of Exodus 15:6? Moses is also doubting the Israelites will ever be
satisfied (Num 11:22) Moses didn't trust God, and he didn't trust the people.
He had lost hope, and the results were not surprising
·
Moses
loses sight of God's overall plan. Since as far back as the burning bush, God
had promised He would be there to support Moses. God had promised to guide the
people all the way to Canaan. Yet Moses wishes he were dead (11:15) It would be
comical if it weren't so tragic
·
God
understood Moses' despair, though. He is a caring God. Remember the other times
we studied men of God who experienced depression. God provided what they most
needed
·
God
instituted a plan similar to the one Jethro had proposed (Exod. 18:7-26) 70
elders were selected. God would empower these elders with His Spirit to assist
Moses (Num. 11:25) Again, God is saying to Moses 'You are not alone'.
·
In
addition, God removes the complainers with divine judgment (11:33)
#1) It's easy to forget God's
promises and power in the midst of intense pressure and complex problems
#2) God understands our
difficult times, and wants us to share our feelings with Him
#3) We should seek God's
solutions to our depression
For
next week read Numbers 12:1-16; 16:1-15
