It's Not About Me

This is the message given in the United Methodist churches of the Wheatland Parish on Sunday, February 8, 2015.  The Bible verses used are Numbers 13:1-20.

            As we continue our sermon series “Holy Moses”, looking at the life and times of Moses, it looks at first like we’re doing a rerun.  We start out with the people of Israel in the desert.  And once again they’re complaining.  Last week it was about food, this week it’s about water.  And they say pretty much the same thing they’ve said other times.  “Why did you bring us out here?  We should’ve stayed in Egypt.  We had food and water there.  You’ve brought us out here to die.”

            And once again, Moses and Aaron go to God.  And once again, God is going to take care of these complainers, these whiners.  God tells Moses, take your staff, and you and your brother get everyone together and go over to that rock over there.  Speak to the rock and water will come out of it.  Everyone, and even their livestock, will have enough to drink.

            So Moses does that.  He and Aaron get everyone together and they gather in front of the rock.  But instead of speaking to the rock, Moses speaks to the people.  He chews them out.  Then he hits the rock twice with his staff.  And sure enough, water comes out of it and everyone has enough to drink.

            But God was not pleased.  Because Moses did not do things the way God told him to.  Moses did not get water by speaking to the rock, he got water by hitting the rock.  And so, God tells Moses that he won’t be the one to take the people of Israel to the Promised Land.

            Now, when I read that, I wonder about it.  Maybe you do, too.  Why was God so mad?  What was the big deal about this?  So Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to the rock.  So what?  Speak, hit, what difference does it make?  He still got water out of a rock, right?  Why does it matter how he did it, as long as he did it?

            Well, look at the difference between God’s reaction to these complaints and Moses’ reaction.  When Moses and Aaron go to talk to God about this, God is very matter-of-fact, right?  God just tells them, okay, here’s what you do.  This’ll take care of the problem.  God is not angry.  God is not upset.  God just says okay, we’ve got a problem here, let’s get it solved. 

What’s Moses’ reaction though?  Moses gets mad.  He’s frustrated.  He’s tired of all these complaints.  After all he’s done for these people, all they can do is whine and gripe.  Moses has had it.  He chews them out.  He says here’s your blankety-blank water, you rebels!  And then, wham!  He hits the rock twice.  Probably hit it as hard as he could, he was so angry and frustrated.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?  We’ve all had those moments of frustration, of anger.  It can be from anything.  It doesn’t have to be people, although it can be.  It can be animals.  It can be machinery.  It can be electronic equipment--that’s one of my biggest frustrations, when the computer does not do what I want it to do.  We just get so totally angry and upset and frustrated that we just want to take a stick and hit something with it, as hard as we can, just to get that frustration out.

And we can understand why Moses was so frustrated with these people.  He had led them out of slavery.  He had led them across the Red Sea to get away from Pharaoh and his army.  He had produced manna for them in the wilderness.  And nobody appreciates it.  Nobody ever says “Thank you, Moses.”  He left everything behind, including his family, to lead these people, and all they do is whine and gripe and complain and demand more.  I’d probably be pretty frustrated, too.  Wouldn’t you?

But here’s the thing.  When Moses looked at all he’d done for these people, what did he leave out?  You probably guessed it.  God.  Moses left out God’s role in all this.

After all, was it really Moses who led the people out of slavery?  Or was it God?  Was it Moses who led the people across the Red Sea?  Or was it God?  Was it Moses who produced the manna in the wilderness?  Or was it God?

What Moses did is something that’s an incredible temptation to all of us.  Moses took all these things that had happened and made them all about him.  The people were complaining about him.  The people were demanding more from him.  The people did not appreciate him.  The people did not thank him for all the things he had done.

What Moses forgot was that he, himself, had not done any of this.  He had a role to play, of course.  He had to overcome his fears and go to the Pharaoh and do all the things we’ve talked about in this sermon series.  But Moses, by himself, could not have gotten the people out of slavery.  Moses, by himself, could not have defeated Pharaoh.  Moses, by himself, could not have parted the Red Sea.  Moses, by himself, could not have produced manna in the wilderness.  Moses, by himself, could not have done any of these things.  It was God, acting through Moses, who did those things.  Moses had not done these things.  God had.

How many times do we do that?  How many times do we look at something that we’ve accomplished and think, “I did that”?  How many times do we think, “Why don’t people appreciate all the things I do for them?”  How many times do we make things about ourselves, rather than making them about God?

Maybe some of us don’t.  But it’s an easy trap to fall into.  It’s really easy to think that we’ve done things by ourselves, rather than recognizing that it was God, acting through us, who did them.  And it then becomes really easy to make the things we’re involved in about us, rather than making them about God.

That’s why Moses was so frustrated.  That’s why Moses was so angry.  Moses had made this all about himself.  He took the people’s comments personally.  He thought they were a challenge to his leadership, to his ability.  After all, what does he say, “Must we bring you water out of this rock.”  He was not upset because of the way people were treating God.  He was upset because of the way people were treating him.  He was personally offended by all this.  And he took it out on the people and on that poor, innocent rock.

When you think about it, it’s arrogance, really.  And what’s ironic about it is that Moses was doing to God exactly what he thought the people were doing to him.  He was complaining.  He was criticizing.  He was not appreciating all the things God had done for him and through him.

And that’s what got him into trouble.  Because this was not really about Moses.  It was never supposed to be.  It was about God.  After all, it was God who had brought the people to this point.  And it was God who was going to take them further. 

When Moses and Aaron went to God, God did not get angry.  God did not even make it a big deal.  God’s reaction is that this is going to be easy.  Just go talk to that rock.  It’ll give you all the water you need.  No problem.  But Moses made it about himself and his leadership and his ability.  Moses acted like he was the one who had done all this stuff, instead of it being done by God.

That’s why God was not pleased.  It was not that Moses hit the rock.  What were God’s words?  “You did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites.”   Moses did not say, “Don’t worry, God will provide.”  Moses said, “Must we bring you water.”  Moses was taking credit for doing it.  Moses was not honoring God.  And God was not pleased.  And Moses had to suffer the consequences.

It’s a temptation.  It’s a temptation for me, and it’s a temptation for you.  Maybe some of us are really good at resisting it.  I hope so.  I hope all of us are.  But I’m not that good at it.  It’s really easy for me to get arrogant.  It’s really easy for me to make things about me.  It’s really easy for me to take credit for things as if I’d done them, rather than acknowledging that it was God who did them. 

It’s an honor and a privilege for us when God decides to act through us.  God would not have to, after all.  God would not have had to act through Moses.  God could’ve gotten the people of Israel out of Egypt without Moses’ help.  God could’ve done all of this without Moses’ help.  God gave Moses an honor and a privilege when God to act through him.

And God gives the honor, and the privilege, of acting through us.  But we dishonor God when we don’t give God the credit.  We dishonor God when we become arrogant and make things about ourselves.  We dishonor God when we take credit for the things God does through us, rather than recognizing that it was God who did them.

God does not need our help to do stuff.  But God allows us to help.  God chooses to act through us.  Let’s recognize what a great honor that is.  And when God accomplishes things through us, let’s remember that it’s not about us.  And let’s give the honor and the credit and the glory to God.