Moses: The Weighty Consequences of Anger

Marcus Aurelius suggested, “How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” It seems as though if there were a man who could comment on the validity of this point, it would be Moses. Think about your short list of facts about Moses. We know Moses led the Israelites from captivity. We know Moses interceded for the people in the reception of the Law (Ex 19) and in the repentance of their sins (Ex 32). We know Moses to be the most humble man in all the world (Num 12:3). If anything, we know Moses to be a man of sacrifice and service … but like many heroes of the Bible, we remember their faults. Moses, a devout and diligent servant of the Lord, was kicked out of the promised land.

This is not meant to minimize, but what did Moses do to receive this punishment? Was he drunk like Noah? Was he an adulterer like David? No, he struck a rock twice. Moses was in a whirlwind of emotions - consider the events surrounding his error in Numbers 20:10-12. Moses faced a revolving door of rebellion (Num 12, 14, 16). Moses heard insurmountable complaining (Ex 15:24, 16:3, 17:2-3; Num 11:4-6, 14:2, 20:3-4). Take the repetitive transgressing of the people and couple that with the loss of his sister (Num 20:1, though she was a former rebel - what emotions do you think that provoked?) and you end up with an irritated Moses who seeks the quickest path to alleviation. I think many of us are like Moses. Matter of fact, I think that is why the story is given.

We are like Moses in that we can have a rash reaction when angered. Do we regret much of anything done in joy? Much of anything done under thoughtful consideration? But we certainly do the things done quickly and angrily. See, the story of Moses striking the rock is the word picture of Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry and do not sin…” We read of Moses and his consequences to learn. First, God is serious. Second, anger is better passed over than entertained. Third, great rewards can be forfeited in a moment. Fourth, the classical imagery of a scale is not accurate (if it were, Moses would have surely entered Canaan).

Consequences for anger are often much more grievous than the cause of anger - I believe Moses would agree.