Title PagePressure of Difficulties on LeadershipIn Difficulty People-Pressure is InevitableIn Difficulty God's Prescriptionis IndispensibleThe Sin of Disbelief by LeadershipAttitude: Disbelief Manifested in MoodPresumption: Disbelief Manifested in WordDisobedience: Disbelief Manifested in ActionIncreased Demands on LeadershipLeaders are Responsible to Pay for Their Own SinLeaders are Prone to Sin like the People They LeadLeaders Face Stricter JudgmentThe High Cost of Disobedience in LeadershipRestriction in Blessings is the Result of DisobedienceConclusionEndCalvary Baptist Theological Journal 5.1 (Spring, 1989) 12-27 Copyright © 1999 by Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary, cited with permission; digitally prepared for use at Gordon College] The Fall of a Great Leader as Illustrated in the Life of Moses Vince Sawyer Pastor, Faith Baptist Church Corona, NY One distinctive feature that sets the Bible apart from other historical writings is its relentless willingness to mention the transgressions of its heroes. Even Moses, who without a doubt, is regarded as the greatest and most dynamic of the OT prophets and leaders, does not have his failures omitted. He was one who was tremendously used of God and yet one who fell into sin. Lessons can be learned from the sin of Moses for the benefit of God's leaders today. Such lessons will aid the leader when pressures mount; will guard against the hideous sin of unbelief; will reveal the increased demands that come with the title "leader;" and will warn against the high cost of disobedience paid by God's leaders who sin. The Pressure of Difficulties on Leadership In Difficulty People-Pressure is Inevitable In Numbers 20:1-5, Moses the leader faces the pressure that comes when difficulty arrives. After 37 years had passed, the stage seems set for history to repeat itself, when the second generation appears no different from the first in their complaint about a lack of water at Kadesh. Why did God allow the situation regarding the lack of water to occur in the first place? What was His purpose?Sawyer / Moses 13 First, the second generation was to be put to the test in order to find out whether it was better than the first; second, Yahweh's greatness and might were to be impressed upon them by His ability and readiness to help them in their hour of need in order to prove Himself as the God of their covenant. By purposely creating a situation in which the people lacked water (a most precious commodity in the desert), Yahweh causes the second generation to realize their dependence upon Him, as well as His readiness to help them as He had done to their fathers.1 Difficult times tend to come all at once. This appears to have been the case with Moses. At Kadesh, Moses experienced pressure from all angles. In verse one, Miriam's death no doubt was a burden to Moses. The absence of water not only would cause irritation among the nation of Israel, but also with the leadership of Moses and Aaron (v 2). The effect of this great need was collective opposition (v 2b) and verbal strife (rib). This opposition apparently was initiated by "ringleaders" who called and assembled the people together. Moses faced verbal complaint in verse three by the people who cried out, "If only we had expired or breathed out (gara') our lives when our brethren died before the Lord!" In other words, they were implying that “anything would be better than this!" More pressure is added in verses 4 and 5 as Moses' motives are questioned and he is credited (blamed) for a work that he did not do. It was God not Moses and Aaron who led Israel out into the wilderness. And it was the sin of Israel that resulted in her roaming around in the desert for 40 years; it was not Moses' fault. Moses also faced internal pressure as he recalled the last experience at Kadesh 37 years earlier. He was very concerned that Israel would produce a repeat performance, incur God's judgment again and restrict him from ever entering the land as he so greatly desired. In Difficulty God's Prescription is Indispensible The leaders, Moses and Aaron, did what all of God's leaders should do in times of pressure and need--they entered God's presence and sought Divine answers (v 6). "They fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them." God then gave Moses and Aaron exact prescriptions (commands) which in turn demanded exact obedience (v 8). Moses is explicitly told 1) to take14 / Calvary Baptist Theological Journal/Spring 1989 the rod, 2) to assemble the congregation, and 3) both Moses and Aaron were to speak to the rock.2It is interesting that God told Moses to take "the rod" with him, since he was not to use it, though he did use his rod in other miracles involving water (Num 7:20, 14:16). This time, however, "Moses took the rod from before the LORD." This phrase points to the same rod that budded in order to vindicate the Aaronic priesthood. After this event, it was then kept "before the testimony to be kept as a sign against the rebels" so that God might put an end to Israel's grumblings (Num 17:10). Now Israel is grumbling again, so God tells Moses to get the rod to remind the nation about her former sin of grumbling. Moses did obey with exact obedience on two of the three commands. He took the rod (v 9) and he with Aaron gathered the congregation together to witness the miracle that God intended to perform. If Moses had obeyed the third command exactly, it would have been a testimony to the people who witnessed. The act of speaking to the rock by its unusual nature would draw attention to the rock and not to Moses. This indeed was God's intention, for the NT describes this rock as none other than Jesus Christ (I Cor 10:4). Thus "speaking to the rock" would reveal the rock as being the source of water and not the efforts of Moses. Moses, however, failed in regard to the third imperative. The Sin of Disbelief by Leadership Attitude: Disbelief Manifested in Mood In the Bible, God speaks of leaders who had moments of unbelief. Such lack of faith manifested itself in despair, such as Elijah who fled from Jezebel and John the Baptist who had moments of doubt concerning Christ. In Numbers 20:10, God records Moses as one who also manifested a lack of complete trust in Yahweh by the attitude he displayed. In this verse he "shows his exasperation, his famous temper (cf Exod 2:11-12), and his astonishing egotism."3"The faithful servant of