MomStrong: Encouragement for Everyday Moms by Heidi St. Johnနမူနာ

A Lot Like Moses

As usual, the Israelites were outnumbered, and the battle seemed lost before it was fought. But as usual, God stepped in and reminded Moses not to be afraid, and what his response to trouble should be. Did you know the original Hebrew title for the book of Numbers was “In the Desert?" Sometimes, I wish Bible translators had kept it, because this phrase lets us know a lot about the content of the book of Numbers. Throughout the book, we find the Israelites surrounded by hostile nations. They marched under the burning sun in a desert filled with snakes, scorpions, and drought.

If you were to visit the Sinai Desert today, you would see why people are still amazed that an entire nation wandered around in the desert for forty years and survived. Our lives as children of God are also marked by periods of rebellion and indifference, not unlike the Israelites. We go through our own deserts, don’t we? Oftentimes we find ourselves in the desert because God is testing us. Sometimes, they arise from our own rebellion, or even a simple unwillingness to walk in obedience to God’s clear commands.

The major theme, of course, and the reason why the Israelites took forty years to cross a desert that should’ve taken them two weeks is simple: they struggled with grumbling and rebellion.

Ouch. I imagine Moses felt like many mothers that I know. Moses had his work cut out for him. Moses was given charge of the people of Israel (not a very fun job, if you ask me)! Like Moses, I have found myself correcting grumbling children who rebel against my instructions.

As a mother, I want to lead my children in a way similar to how Moses led the Israelites. He was not perfect, but he did walk with God. There were many positive qualities in Moses, and I believe that God, who saw Moses’ weaknesses as well as his strengths, chose him because He knew he was right for the job. Just like God had to remind Moses not to be afraid, we have opportunities to be reminded today. And just like Moses was right for the job God gave him, you, precious mom, are right for your job too.