“And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou [so] evil entreated this people? why [is] it [that] thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” (Ex 5:22-23 AV)
Sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better. What strikes my attention are two things. First, Moses questions God’s judgment. He questions God’s judgment in sending him. He does so under the illusion that ministry is nothing but positive growth experiences. The second is Moses’ emotional state as he asks these questions. I don’t think it is nefarious. I just think his approach to ministry is naïve. Or better yet, his approach is altruistic. He expected his ministry to immediately alleviate the suffering of his people. This is a good desire. We would never wish more harm than good when we are trying to help others. I can certainly identify with Moses. All he wanted to do was to deliver his people from horrible slavery, and he had just made things worse. Now they had to gather their own building materials, yet the tally of bricks could not diminish. More work, not less. His remarks cannot be seen as rebellion or bitterness. They are not. The words of Moses are words of honest remorse that he couldn’t help more than he did. What Moses cannot see is that things might have to get worse before they get better.
You have to admire the love Moses has for his people. You can hear it in his argument. This is the heart of the pastor. He will defend his people even if it means questioning God’s plan. You can hear the pain he is experiencing as he sees the depth of the suffering. You can understand his consternation at the increase of their trial. This is the man God chooses. By his own admission, Moses was not the most articulate man God could have chosen. Aaron was the better choice of oratory was the main qualification. Military acuity was not the primary qualification for the deliverer. Otherwise, Joshua would have been His first choice. God chose a man who would love His people. Moses loved Israel to the point he was willing to sacrifice his own eternal life for the survival of the nation. Moses wasn’t a politician. Moses lost patience with managing the nation. He had an issue with anger. Yet with all his faults, there wasn’t a man on earth that loved the Jewish people as much as Moses did. This was why God chose him. This gives life to the words above.
It is a heartbreak for a father, pastor, or leader to be an instrument that inflicts short-term pain for long-term gain. A really compassionate and wise coach will require his team to go through hard times. There is pain to be experienced. There are emotions to feel. It is all in preparation to gaining the victory. But the coach does not like having to do it. A leader must anticipate the natural response to his leadership. Those who are following will not like the fact that their lives just got more difficult. They will not enjoy more work, or preparation, or more hardship. This is even more evident by what Moses was called to do. He was called to deliver them. It appears his leadership was headed in the opposite direction. How Moses felt is completely understandable. Some leaders cannot stomach this part of leading. They cannot bring themselves to lead knowing their decisions we cause short-term negative effects. They cannot live with the complaints and suffering their leadership might bring. If they cannot, they are not fit to lead. Moses is learning here. He is learning to balance his love for his people with the necessary and uncomfortable steps that will eventually work to their deliverance. If he reacts purely out of emotion, the people will never be free. If he does what is best even if it means short-term pain, then he is a leader God can use.
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