By: Juliet Constantine
“And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, ‘Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.” (Numbers 20:10, 11 NKJV)
The twentieth division of the fourth book of the Pentateuch recorded an incident that forever altered its writer’s ability to enter the, long searched for, Promised Land of Canaan. Moses, one of the greatest leaders of all time, caved in under pressure when in anger he did his own thing – contrary to the instructions given him by God. He struck the rock instead of speaking to it.
On a previous occasion at Mount HÖreb, when the Israelites in their thirst for water, complained against him: Moses, in fear of being stoned, cried to God for help. God answered. In obedience to God, Moses struck the rock and out came water. However, his obedience didn’t remain constant.
On the occasion recorded in Numbers 20, when the Israelites came into the Wilderness of Zin, they again contended with Moses for water. They were thirsty. Yet in their ingratitude and forgetfulness, they murmured and complained about his leadership. He again went to God who told him to “speak to the rock” before his eyes. But in his anger, rage, frustration, and disappointment with the Israelites, in a moment when he allowed himself to be human, he forever lost the opportunity that he waited forty years to realize. He was prevented from entering because he “did not believe” and he did not hallow God in the eyes of the children of Israel.
Like Moses, the pages of history are littered with examples of leaders who have caved in under pressure. The ones that readily come to mind are: Samson – he revealed the secret of his strength to his mistress; Saul – he went to see the witch of Endor; Solomon – he followed the persuasion of his strange wives to worship their strange gods; Elijah – he ran for his life when he learned of Jezebel’s threat on his life; and there are many others. Can you think of any? They are all political (be it religious or secular leaders) who believed that, in spite of what their conscience dictates, they are bound to be politically correct to secure the vote of men. Many bowed under pressure. But praise God, there is always the faithful few: like Martin Luther, who stood before the Diet of Worms of April 18, 1521 and boldly proclaimed that his conscience “was captive to the word of God”. He could not, nor would, recant anything “since it was neither safe nor right to go against conscience”. Even in the face of death, men have stood tall and did not cave in under pressure.
We all have our pressure points – that point when we think we can take no more. That moment when we are ready to quit, and when we believe it’s not worth it! Don’t give in. Don’t give up. With God’s help, we can make it. We can stand tall. We can be guided by the Holy Spirit and speak freely from our conscience. Our guarantee is the Word of God. Whatever circumstances you may be facing now, hold on. God will work it out somehow. And even if He chooses not to, still hold onto Him. He sees the way you take; and if He brings you to it, He will see you through it. Do not cave under pressure. Just hold on.
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. You will win the battle. Righteous Father, may we look to You, trusting You all the way. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
Copyrighted by Juliet Constantine 2014 (for “Alone With God – Finding Jesus In The Scriptures” Daily Devotional)
