Morning Moments

Let's look again at the passage regarding Moses in Numbers -

Numbers 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the ^||Ethiopian woman whom he had ^†married: for ^ahe had ^†married an ^||Ethiopian woman. ² And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? ^bhath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord ^cheard it. ^3 d(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) ^4 dAnd the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. ^5 eAnd the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. ⁶ And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him ^fin a vision, and will speak unto him ^gin a dream. ^7 hMy servant Moses is not so, ⁱwho is faithful in all ^kmine house. ⁸ With him will I speak ^lmouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in ^mdark speeches; and ⁿthe similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against ^omy servant Moses? ⁹ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed. 

Let me suggest five things Moses faced that every man and woman of God faces:

I.  Adversaries vss 1-2 - Sometimes our greatest adversaries are in our own family.  Many servants of God have, do, and will face jealousy, resentment, and opposition from those who should be the most supportive.  Think about David's son, Absalom, who sought to steal the throne from his own God anointed/appointed father.  It is a sad but true thing!  Watch out for those who should support you, for they will sometimes surprise you.  "Who does he/she think he/she is?  God can talk to me as well as him/her.  God can use me just as well as He can use him/her."

II.  Affliction vs 3 - MANY are the afflictions of the righteous!  It is why Paul wrote that "tribulation worketh patient endurance..."  The natural tendancy is for us to fight or flee, when we are to just "stand still and see the salvation of The Lord."  I broke off a business venture with a guy once with whom I should have never entered.  He threatened to retaliate.  I did NOTHING!  I waited patiently on The Lord and "He delivered me from all my troubles".  The Psalmist said, "I was glad that You afflicted me..."  It is a learning and growing process.  There are times we too cry out, "Surely nobody on earth could be having the problems I am..."  God knows, cares, and works.  Be Still!

III.  ALMIGHTY, THE vss 4-8 - God always steps in when we step out!  As Major Ian Thomas use to say, "I vacate, He occupies!  I vacate, He occupies!  After awhile I am on a permanant vacation."  How can God do what we won't allow Him to do because we are in the way?  So He says to Aaron and Miriam, "If I want to speak to any of the rest of you, I will speak to you through a prophet by dreams and visions, but I will speak to Moses FACE TO FACE".  Godly counsel is very important, but not all counsel is godly and not all of the godly are equipped to counsel.

IV.  Anger vs 9 - Remember, God was upset with the adversaries, not His ambassator to His adversaries, even though they were Moses relatives and children of faith who were not in fellowship. The point is for us not to take upon ourselves that which belongs to God - that is what Moses later got in trouble for when he spoke the "ROCK" the second time rather than speaking to it.  Paul tells us in Corinthians, "that ROCK was CHRIST".  So, in type, "he crucified the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame."  God's anger is not limited to sinners, so if you think all this mushy "Jesus loves you" means that God does not judge and chasten His own, you are on the wrong track about the God of the Bible, for "judgment begins at the household of God".  Read 1 Cor 11:26 and following.