Whining and Dining

Reading Through the Bible in 2010 (Numbers 19-20)

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” Numbers 20:7-8

Are you as hooked on the Olympics as I am? Watching the athletes’ dedication to being the best in their field is an inspiration. I love the stories that are featured each night about the lives of the competitors.

During a feature on Norwegian alpine skier, Axsel Lund Svindal, his father described Axsel’s horrific skiing accident at Beaver Creek in 2007. Skiing down the mountain he fell and landed on his neck. Axsel sustained a concussion, terrible facial lesions from his own knees, and many abdominal injuries. After undergoing extensive surgery, he spent two weeks in the Vail Hospital. The young skier said that as he lay there, he had a wonderful view of the Colorado Mountains. Looking at the slopes day after day, he was inspired to ski again. Many months of grueling physical therapy later, he was back. Now he’s won a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal at Vancouver.

Speaking of his son, the father shook his head and said, “He just has a lot of mental strength. Some have it and some don’t.”

Some have it and some don’t. Some would look out of a hospital bed and, viewing the mountains through incredible pain, whimper, “That’s it, I’m through with skiing.” Axsel saw them calling him to a spectacular comeback.

Numbers 20 is such a dramatic chapter. We see who has it and who doesn’t. After 38 years of wandering, the Israelites are right back where they started in the Wilderness of Zin. As the chapter opens, Miriam, the sister of Moses, dies and is buried at Kadesh Barnea

Imagine Moses’ thoughts as he grieves for his sister, remembering - the stories of how she had watched their mother hide him in the bulrushes when Pharaoh’s daughter found him as a baby, how she had danced and sang after the crossing of the Red Sea, how she had become leprous at the hand of God when her jealousy of Moses overcame her, and how she had been healed by the Lord Himself when her brother prayed for her. When we bury our loved ones our grieving is so poignant and reflective. Was Moses any different? I don’t think so.

As the chapter moves on, Moses is abruptly called back to deal with his whiny flock. The Israelites are out of water and whom do they blame but Moses and his brother Aaron. This seventh great murmuring against Moses and God is so similar to all the others. They wail, “And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.”

Once again Moses and Aaron fall on their faces before God and plead for these obstinate people. The Lord instructs them to take the rod, their visual symbol of His power, and speak to the rock and water will come out – enough water for all of the Israelites and all of their animals.

Moses takes the rod, but he is tired and exasperated and he doesn’t obey God. He strikes the rock twice and water comes out. We can understand his deep vexation with the Israelites. All leaders come to this point at times. Surely it is okay for Moses to get a little overwrought.

But God speaks to Moses and says, “Because you did not believe Me to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”

After forty years of leading this cantankerous group of people, Moses is not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of one irreverent outburst? At this point most of us would go into our tents, throw ourselves on our pallets, and become the greatest whiners of all.

But not Moses. He goes on to confront the unhelpful king of Edom who refuses to let the Israelites cross his country in spite of Moses’ ardent offers to comply with his wishes as they march. Then, still in Numbers chapter 20, Moses escorts his brother and his nephew to the top of Mt. Hor as God has instructed. There, according to God's instructions, he strips his own brother of his priestly garments and puts them on Eleazar his son. He watches his brother die on the mountaintop and then comes back down with Aaron’s son, the new priest.

Now that is a person with mental strength! What a role model for all people who serve in the ups and downs of leadership. Moses never got into the Promised Land. He spent the rest of his earthly life still in charge of leading the whiners. Later, his body was buried in the heathen land of Moab.

But it was only his body. His spirit went to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. We see him in the New Testament meeting with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration. One day we will sit across the table from him in heaven at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

Maybe we can ask him, "How did you do it all so well? Compaining was never on your plate. No wonder God called you the humblest man that ever lived."

Axsel’s father said, “Some have it and some don’t.” Moses sure had it.

What about us? What's on our plates? Are we spending our days whining like the children of Israel? Or are we faithfully performing the work that God has called us to do - knowing that one day we will be dining with the God of the universe - and Moses?