In Sunday School this last week, we were talking about Moses’ death on Mt. Nebo. God led him up the mountain and reminded him that he could only see the Promised Land, not enter it, because he “broke faith” with Him before the people at Meribah Kadesh. Moses led the Hebrews faithfully for 40 years, endured their grumbling, their idolatry, and everything else. He was a great leader, but that one failure caused God to keep him from the Land.
This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites. 52 Therefore, you will see the land only from a distance; you will not enter the land I am giving to the people of Israel.” Deuteronomy 32:51-52
What did Moses do that was so wrong? He didn’t have an affair or abuse anyone. He didn’t curse God’s name or steal money from the till. He did not proclaim false doctrine. The first time the people had been thirsty, God had told him to strike the rock, and water flowed out, an act we see as a portend of the work of Christ on Calvary. Then it happened again. The people got thirsty and instead of trusting God, they complained. That seemed to be the national pastime among the Hebrews. Moses lost his cool and struck the rock, twice.
That was undeniably an act of disobedience toward God, but stacked against his years of faithfulness, it seems disproportionate, doesn’t it? Why would God punish this faithful servant so harshly?
Of course, there are many answers to that. Jesus could only be crucified once, and striking the rock twice is not good. Moses was clearly acting in a fit of pique, not for the glory of God. Someone suggested that perhaps by hitting the rock, he was taking credit for the work of God. “See, I’m a magician who can make water come from the rock with my sorcerer’s staff.” There are many theories, but there is one undeniable truth.
Being a leader of God’s people is a serious thing.
I have been a pastor since February 1, 1982. I have been faithful to my wife every day of my ministry, and I’ve tried to be faithful to God’s people. I’ve preached the word, though even I don’t agree with some of the things I preached 40 years ago. Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land because he “did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.” I look back at my four and a half decades of ministry, and though I know I tried to be faithful, I wonder if I have been more faithful than Moses, whose failure cost him the Promised Land. One time, Moses failed to uphold the honor and glory of God before the people of God, and the Father held him accountable – harshly.
I am grateful for the privilege of being a pastor, of proclaiming God’s word and leading God’s people, and I am grateful that my relationship with God is held by grace, not by my worth or my works, but I pray I never lose the holy fear of the responsibility that leadership brings. James reminded us that we will be held to a higher standard than other Christians. We must maintain integrity, holiness, purity, and godly maturity such that we can tell our people, “follow me as I follow Christ.”
Have I always done that? I fall on the grace of God, but I do not want to presume on that grace. I never want to compromise God’s standards. Every time I hear of another pastor who fell into sin, who abused his authority prey on his people, I cringe. I’m an old codger now, and just because I’ve avoided those traps to this point doesn’t mean I’m home safe. The Bible has many stories of good leaders who fell in their later years. I had a brief flirtation with name recognition a few years ago, and I know how heady and how empty that can be. I keep hoping God will tempt me with massive wealth so I can overcome that, but alas. This world is a spiritual minefield for pastors (as it is for everyone else, but it feels, at times, that we are temptation targets).
Perhaps our biggest spiritual minefield is to forget just how sacred our trust is and that we will be called to account by a Holy God for how we managed that trust. Leading God’s people is an awesome calling, but a terrifying one as well.
