Numbers 14:12

New King James Version

I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.

For Meditation

My grandchildren were watching a TV show I did not understand, but a section caught my attention. Ten contestants remained in separate rooms. Outside, the producers had one million dollars in a clear glass cubicle for the contestants to take turns and take as much money as they chose, leaving the rest for the others. They determined their order of entry based on their knowledge of each other. The first contestant reasoned on equal share and took a hundred thousand dollars. The second person chose $225,000 because it was his birthday. Then, the third person entered and took $650,000. You can calculate what he left for the remaining seven contestants. He had family and bills and couldn’t care about the needs of the others. That is human beings for you. Greed and selfishness rule our hearts but for Christ.

In the Old Testament, God gave Moses a better opportunity when the people rebelled in response to the scout’s report (Nu. 14:12). He proposed to wipe all the Israelites out and raise a new and better generation out of Moses, like Noah during the floods. Wow! What an opportunity that was!

First, those people had tormented his life through their journey from Egypt—the insults, accusations, insinuations, rebellion, and threats to his life. The offer allowed Moses to get back at them with God’s hands, not his. Then, there would be a new generation Moses could call his own throughout redemptive history. What a heavenly opportunity!

Please stop here, think about it, and be honest with yourself. What would you have done? Remember, this is an offer from God Himself, implying He has found you worthy above all the others—and His judgment is pure.

You and I have faced such situations uncountable times in our lives. I will not ask how you decided when they proposed that position in your office to you and your response that hanged your colleagues dry. Neither am I asking about the offers you received from the contractors, companies, or organizations that competed for the contracts your signature gave away at the expense of others, the interest of your company, or your country. Need I say more?

The offers were too tantalizing to pass up. Some were what you had dreamed about all your life, and others threatened your family interest, so you reneged on your Christian values. Just think about it as I am.

Moses did not let God finish speaking before He turned the offer down on one basis that should underline every believer’s decision every time:

The glory of God! (1Cor. 10:31).

What will the nations say about you after all you have done to display your power, LORD? [Nu. 14:13-16 Summarized]

Child of God! What will people say about the name of the Christ you hold before everybody, inviting them for salvation? Where is His honor in your speech, action, and proposal?

No offer is worth taking if it offends the holiness of God or robs Him of His glory — not even from Himself, as Moses has shown us. We, too, can prioritize the glory of God in our decisions by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 Pray with Me

Father, thank you for the unselfish example of Moses, particularly your decision to take on humanity to bear our sin burden to save us. Please help our weaknesses with your grace so we can make decisions that only honor you, regardless of what it offers us. We thank you, in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.