OBSTACLES TO TAKING THE PROMISED LAND
EXODUS 14
God works in mysterious ways...and also speaks to us in somewhat mysterious ways at times. Over this past week God has spoken to me by bringing to my mind very clearly 2 situations ...one from my past...one from the Scriptures. They've had quite a profound effect which I hope and pray will last my entire lifetime.
First...donkey taking off finger...pain of peeling off the bandages.
Isaiah 6...vision...saw God in holiness...a man ready and desiring to serve God...saw self in sinfulness... I saw this with me standing there...realized my sinfulness and failure as a minister...also some of the failings of the church...but yet saw the coal of fire ready to cleanse and prepare me...
taken to example of Moses much to learn ...both for myself and this church...
Moses was, without a doubt, one of the greatest leaders of all time. He took Israel, a nation of disorganized and demoralized slaves, and led them from Egyptian bondage toward the promised land for 40 years.
In Egypt their taskmasters had laid on them some very heavy burdens...and made their lives bitter. They were forced to serve under the kind of cruel circumstances that not only break a person's back...but also his spirit.
Slavery, by its very nature, crushes people's hopes and stifles their initiative. So Israel became angry...bitter...and rebellious. But Moses took these people...perhaps 2 million of them, and led them for 40 years as God molded them into a nation that would eventually give birth to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Moses had all the qualities of a good leader: many were qualities he developed "on the job"...learning from difficult situations and experiences...but he was a leader!
+He had a vision a clear sense of mission. He knew where he was going
+He had courage...the faith to try...to risk
+He had the determination to stick...when hardships and obstacles came his way he stuck with the plan...he was persistent.
+He had a humble spirit...he was open to the advice of others...and constantly sought the council of God.
+He didn't try to do everything himself...he knew how to share responsibility with others.
+He had a servant's heart. In fact, nowhere in Scripture does the Lord ever refer to him as Moses, my leader. It was always Moses, my servant.
+He always had the best interest of his people at heart. He continually pleaded with God on behalf of the people.
+He was a man of impeccable integrity.
But in spite of all these qualities, Moses lived in constant conflict...and also with bitter, cutting criticism. At least 12 times the Bible tells us of Moses being in conflict because of his leadership.
Someone once said that a good leader is doing his job when half the people are following him and half are chasing him. That's the way it was with Moses most of the time. The people criticized Moses about everything.
They criticized him about his provision. When the water ran low they accused him of bringing them into the desert to die of thirst. When food became scarce they accused him of bringing them into the desert to die of hunger. When God provided manna from heaven they soon grew tired of eating the same thing every meal and complained that they wanted a more varied diet.
They criticized Moses about his wife. After Zipporah, his first wife died, he married an Ethiopian woman. Aaron and Miriam didn't like him marrying a foreigner and openly let their feelings be known. Leaders live in glass houses...and not only are they subject to criticism, so are their families.
They criticized Moses leadership style. They said he took too much authority on himself. He didn't give people enough say in making decisions. They felt he was overstepping his bounds as a leader.
And they criticized his plan for taking the Promised Land. When Israel reached the borders of Canaan and Moses urged them to possess it...they resisted and turned back into the wilderness...where they wandered for 40 years.
At times Moses grew so weary of their complaints that he cried out to God for relief. He told the Lord he couldn't handle the load any longer. And what Moses faced...all leaders face. It's partly because leaders are fallible and do make mistakes...but it's also partly because leaders are change agents...and people are generally resistant to change.
Roy Bletze said the only person who likes change is a wet baby. But sometimes they don't even like it. I've often had to change my boys while they were screaming and kicking. At times people resist change because they have no faith. They're afraid to risk...to launch out.
At other times it is because they have honest differences. And also at times its because they are just plain bull headed. But the fact is...the problems Moses faced and the kind of people he had conflicts with exist in every age...even ours.
I've discovered that there were 4 groups of people in particular that Moses was in conflict with as he led the children of Israel for 40 years. Those four kinds of people are still with us today. In fact, we probably have all four here in this church.
The first group of people he dealt with were the "back to Egypt committee."
This committee was formed before Israel got out of Egypt and became a standing committee. Every time the children of Israel encountered a problem or faced a danger this "back to Egypt committee" quickly met and said, "Moses, we had things much better in Egypt...and we were foolish for leaving. Let's pack up and go back where we came from."
This committee first met right after the Israelites left Egypt and were camped on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea. You remember how Pharaoh changed his mind about letting them leave and pursued them with hundreds of chariots and horsemen.
They began to complain that they should never have listened to Moses in the first place. They would have been better off to live as slaves than die as free men. They quickly forgot the bitterness of slavery and the harsh taskmasters...and only talked of returning to what they once knew.
These were fearful and faithless people who were afraid to risk. They were afraid of Pharaoh's army...afraid of the desert...afraid of the people of Canaan. Their motto was "nothing ventured, nothing lost.".... Forget the prospects of a new life...a promised land.
But Moses said to them..."Don't be afraid...stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring...the Lord will fight for you." He tried to get them to take their eyes off the obstacles and see the power of God.
I think in many ways we are like the Israelites...facing a great battle...and it=s a spiritual one. And many are ready to go back to a life "the old life"...which means different things to different people... instead of waiting for God to show His power and bring deliverance. But this could lead to a real spiritual wandering in the desert...because God wants us to possess this land.
The second group Moses had to contend with were the "onion and garlic people" and we read about them in the book of Numbers 11. You remember that shortly after the Israelites left Egypt the Lord began sending manna from heaven...they received it each morning..
But it wasn't long until they were fed up with manna. Maybe they ate well in Egypt because it says that they remembered the fish they ate freely...the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now they said they had lost their appetite...sick of the manna.
And their complaining distressed Moses to no end. So he went to the Lord in prayer... Read Numbers 11:11 12....
These "onion and garlic" people are the immature saints...the ones who've never grown in their faith...who whine and complain every time they don't get their own way...or when things don't go the way they feel they should. They don't like the way others do things.
And most often they are the ones who are sitting on the sidelines...not involved in any meaningful ministry...they just sit back and expect to be ministered to...and it had better be done their way. They always had it better somewhere else...but won't stop whining long enough to help make meaningful change where they are now. [everyone knows this bunch]
The third group Moses had to contend with was the "we also are holy bunch." In Numbers 16:1 3 Korah and 250 of the prominent leaders in Israel rose up against Moses and said to him... "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"
Korah and his followers resented Moses leadership style. They thought he overstepped his bounds as a leader. He was not giving them enough say so in the decision making process. But the Bible says he was the meekest man that ever lived. The problem was not Moses.
It was that the people didn't understand and didn't want good leadership. They wanted to be in charge. They wanted to run things themselves. They thought they knew better than Moses and God combined.
And every church has "we also are holy people" in it. They are people who are ambitious and zealous for power...and it doesn't matter if they hold official positions or not. They are always afraid the preacher or someone else is going to overstep their bounds and take too much authority on themselves. They think they know better than anyone else what ought to be done...and they want to be consulted on every decision.
Now, I believe that every truly born again Christian is holy. And I don't believe we have a privileged, priestly class among God's people like there was in Moses' time. We all have direct access to God. And that's why we have the kind of church government that we do.
But that doesn't minimize the need for strong leadership in our churches. Most churches today...including this one...are floundering because of lack of direction. And most of that guilt falls squarely and solely on my shoulders. But I truly believe that can be remedied.
There is an old Irish toast we need to remember..."May you have the hindsight to know where you've been...the foresight to know where you're going...and the insight to know when you're going too far." A wise leader knows when he's going to far in one direction or the other.
Well, the fourth group Moses had to contend with was the "grasshopper and giant crowd." These were the pessimistic people who had no faith. Someone has defined a pessimist as a person who can look at the land of milk and honey and see only calories and cholesterol.
18 months out of Egypt, Israel arrived at the border of the promised land. After 400 years of captivity God had freed this nation...and here they were in Kadesh Barnea. The promised land was theirs for the taking.
So Moses appointed a "Promised Land Search Committee" to spy out the land. There were twelve men on the committee and their mission was not to determine if they should take the promised land...but how! Not is it possible...but what's the best way!
After 40 days they came back with a divided report. All 12 saw the same thing...rich fruits, great abundance...and giants. They even brought back clusters of grapes so big they had to carry them between 2 people with a staff...that's how great the land was.
But the majority of the spies gave a negative report...one that focused on the superiority of the giants and the inferiority of the tribes of Israel. They said, "Man they are giants...and we're just grasshoppers." They overlooked the grapes and focused on the giants.
Only 2 saw things in the proper perspective. They said, "We should certainly go up and take possession of the land because we can do it." But what happened when the people heard the 2 reports?
Those 10 men effectively transferred their own feelings of inadequacy and pessimism to the whole group. Negative thinking is always infectuous. So the people concluded that they couldn't go up against the Canaanites.
All the negative ideas and thoughts...which probably grew with each account...soon took over the whole camp. And they wept and wailed all night. They forgot everything except what they considered to be a great danger. They forgot the mercies of God and the way He so miraculously delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh and his armies.
And a rebellion followed. A movement was launched to impeach Moses and elect new leaders to take them back to where they came from...back to bondage in Egypt. You see, the problem with the "grasshopper and giant crowd" is that they see obstacles as being greater than opportunities.
They focus on the giants instead of on God. Their fear is bigger than their faith. Their pessimism blinded them to the power and the promises of God. They saw themselves as grasshoppers...and acted like grasshoppers. And we still have them today.
At every crossing of the road that leads to the future...there is opposition led by pessimists who are appointed to guard the past. As someone once said, "Where there's a will...there's a won't!" Because of our lack of faith we undersell ourselves...(our church) ...and God!
But the Bible tells us what happened to Israel. Everyone over 20, except the 2 faithful witnesses, died in the desert. And let me tell you...just as God totally discarded the cowardly Israelites...He still discards people without faith and courage.
Never in the history of God's dealings with His people has He done anything positive with pessimists and cowards. And the reason is they cut themselves off from the source of strength. Our unbelief and our unwillingness to trust God will limit His divine power.
The challenge is here before us in this church. The challenge is...seize the future. We have many giants in this church...but we need to look beyond the giants far enough to God...we need to look beyond doubt to faith...we need to look beyond pessimism to the promises of God.
The simple truth of this message is that conflict is a part of life...it always has, and always will be. So don't be surprised or disheartened when it comes. But we can't sit idly by...we need to seize the moment...and take the promised land that is before us!
Moses was a leader who faced a lot of conflict, criticism, and opposition. And for the most part he handled it as well as any man could. But in the end...in just one situation...he lost his cool...and lost his leadership.
Moses was not allowed to take Israel into the promised land. A new leader Joshua did that. One of the saddest scenes in all the Bible is that of a lonely, windswept mountain where Moses died all alone...unable to finish what God had called him to do...partly because he didn't handle conflict and criticism correctly.
And that brings me back to my "vision" of Isaiah 6. I find myself standing alone...alone except for God...facing in a spiritual sense what Moses faced physically. But God, in His mercy, I believe is giving me one more chance to get it right.
I want to take that opportunity and make the best of it. And I want to extend to each of you the invitation to be a partner in this ministry we have here at Goodridge. We can still together enter into the promise of God...the promise of healing and restoration which we desperately need...the promise of effective ministry...the promise of renewal and revival.
The "promised land" is still within our reach. Will you go with me as we cross over into the blessing of the Lord?
