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"And they [the children of Israel] rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, ‘Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!’ And Moses said, ‘Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you.’ But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop; nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed from the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah." (Numbers 14.40-45).

You have probably heard the comment at one time or another, "He’s his own worst enemy!" Well, that certainly could be truthfully said about Israel. After rebelling at various times and for various sinful reasons, Israel determined to run ahead of the Lord and go up and conquer the Promised Land with or without Moses’ support and wise counsel. In fact, they blatantly ignored Moses’ advice in order to implement their own flawed ideas. When this (or any similar event occurs), what was said of Israel can be said of anyone, i.e., "…you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you." When Israel determined that they had the ability to establish their own rules, they became their own worst enemy.

Notice, however, Moses’ reaction to Israel’s self-willed and rebellious decisions: "Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you." This reaction is the reaction of a true friend. Someone who did not care or who did not have the genuine best interest of the people at heart might have encouraged them to go forward with their plans; however, this did not describe Moses. He was a prophet who truly cared for those whom he was leading. His comments, though terse and to the point, were absolutely right on the money. At times like these, it takes a true friend to say, "…the LORD is not among you."

This trait of Moses, the trait of being a true friend, was one which sustained him through dark and stormy days with Israel. Even when they rebelled against him personally, he refused to allow their recalcitrant hearts to dissuade him from doing what was best for them. Even when his own family turned against him, he kept on doing what was best for them. A true friend is difficult to find, but it is a search which will pay off with tremendous dividends. Who knows what the fate of Israel would have been had Moses been of different character and turned his back on his fair-weather friends the way they turned their backs on him!

When we think of a prophet, we do not have to see a preacher who simply lays down the law without empathy for his hearers; rather, we can think of a Moses who truly cared for his friends!

Questions:

1. What was Moses’ first question when he learned of Israel’s plans to proceed contrary to his inspired counsel?

2. In light of the focus text, why can it be said that Israel was her own worst enemy?

3. Why can it be said that Moses was a true friend to the Israelites?

4. Does desiring strict adherence to God’s law by others exclude empathy and compassion?

"'Christ in You...'" from Dale Krebbs

Origin Of Nations