Not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly, and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? Numbers 12:7-8
Jesus says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). A leader often has to endure the disparagement of those from his own household, with whom he grew up with. Moses, the greatest prophet in the Old Testament, had to tolerate the criticism of Aaron and Miriam. After the gold calf incident, you would have thought that Aaron learned his lesson. The assistant pastor should have been eternally grateful to the senior pastor for restoring him back to ministry. But this was not so. Here is an account that illustrates the maxim: “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
Aaron and Miriam became a little frustrated that their younger brother Moses seemed to be getting all the respect, submission and favor of the people. To spite him, they criticized Moses for taking a dark-skinned Ethiopian woman to be his wife. Moses simply endured their hurtful remarks with a spirit of meekness. But God heard the taunts. He took it personally when the criticism was uttered against Moses. He decided to come down and deal with Aaron and Miriam Himself. God put them into their proper place by telling them exactly where they stood in the kingdom. Aaron and Miriam received directions from visions and dreams; they were minor prophets. On the other hand, God spoke to Moses face to face; he was a major prophet. As far as God was concerned, Aaron and Miriam had overestimated themselves. They had become overfamiliar with Moses.
Being the chief culprit, Miriam was smitten with leprosy. When Moses saw that, he immediately pled for mercy on her. Can you see the tremendous burden of the ministry upon Moses? As the leader, Moses was the one man who could not fail. He couldn’t crack up. He couldn’t give up. Everyone else could slip up once in a while because Moses was always there to pick up the pieces for them.
A leader can’t walk away. Even when he is personally attacked and betrayed by those closest and dearest to him, he has the responsibility to keep on forgiving and helping them. A leader has the responsibility to see lives through. It takes years to develop anointed and wise leadership. A leader is a pillar in the house of God.
Pray for your pastors today. Support your spiritual leader. Fight for him. Paul says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Heb. 13:17).
Jesus says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Mark 6:4). A leader often has to endure the disparagement of those from his own household, with whom he grew up with. Moses, the greatest prophet in the Old Testament, had to tolerate the criticism of Aaron and Miriam. After the gold calf incident, you would have thought that Aaron learned his lesson. The assistant pastor should have been eternally grateful to the senior pastor for restoring him back to ministry. But this was not so. Here is an account that illustrates the maxim: “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
Aaron and Miriam became a little frustrated that their younger brother Moses seemed to be getting all the respect, submission and favor of the people. To spite him, they criticized Moses for taking a dark-skinned Ethiopian woman to be his wife. Moses simply endured their hurtful remarks with a spirit of meekness. But God heard the taunts. He took it personally when the criticism was uttered against Moses. He decided to come down and deal with Aaron and Miriam Himself. God put them into their proper place by telling them exactly where they stood in the kingdom. Aaron and Miriam received directions from visions and dreams; they were minor prophets. On the other hand, God spoke to Moses face to face; he was a major prophet. As far as God was concerned, Aaron and Miriam had overestimated themselves. They had become overfamiliar with Moses.
Being the chief culprit, Miriam was smitten with leprosy. When Moses saw that, he immediately pled for mercy on her. Can you see the tremendous burden of the ministry upon Moses? As the leader, Moses was the one man who could not fail. He couldn’t crack up. He couldn’t give up. Everyone else could slip up once in a while because Moses was always there to pick up the pieces for them.
A leader can’t walk away. Even when he is personally attacked and betrayed by those closest and dearest to him, he has the responsibility to keep on forgiving and helping them. A leader has the responsibility to see lives through. It takes years to develop anointed and wise leadership. A leader is a pillar in the house of God.
Pray for your pastors today. Support your spiritual leader. Fight for him. Paul says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” (Heb. 13:17).
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