Reading Numbers 20:6-12 (NIV) today,
"Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."
So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."
Someone recently said to me something along the lines of, "I want my child to be a part of a church community, but I don't want to take him to church because I don't want him to learn to hate."
Those words cut to my heart, I am writing this blog with a heavy heart.
I wish I could say that I didn't understand why they felt that way. But I did understand, I too often see the same thing.
On social media, in the news, how are we representing our holy, loving God?
In the above passage, Moses altered God's message. He was told to speak to the rock, not strike it in anger. And certainly not call the people "rebels." God was angry then, not with the people, but with the messenger, Moses.
Whether or not they were rebels is not the issue. The issue is God's heart in the matter was not properly represented by Moses. God's heart toward everyone is love.
I think it's time we, as the body of Christ, examine how we represent our God to the rest of the world. Do we chime in with fear and hate, or do we show the love of God to this world?
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son..." John 3:16(NIV)
And when the son was here...
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matthew 9:36-38 (NIV)
What do we stand for? What does the world see?
