Moses – The Angry Man
Autor: Arlete Simões | Publicado: 2010-03-30T17:19:00-07:00

Recognized as a deliverer, statesman, historian, poet, moralist and legislator of the people of Israel, Moses is the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. He was the one sent by God to take His people out of Egypt with great power. For his hands, God had done great miracles: the 10 plagues of Egypt, the first Easter and the opening of the Red Sea.
After leaving Egypt, Moses led the people for 40 years in the wilderness, where every day God sent manna from heaven to satisfy the hunger of His people. But the ungrateful people used to become angry with Moses when something was missing, so the generation that left Egypt did not enter the Promised Land.
One day, Moses was also angry with the people and he also missed the blessing of entering the Promised Land.

See: Numbers 20:1-12
1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.    2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"     6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."     9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Some theologians say that the Rock was a figure of Jesus Christ - the Living Water.  What we know for sure is that God wanted Moses only spoke with the Rock, but he was very angry with the people and hit it twice, then the water flowed.
Moses did not miss the eternal salvation, but he missed the blessing here on earth.
He did not try some milk or honey, or even ate cereals, figs and grapes from the land that was promised to his ancestors.
Now we need to consider this: if Moses, the great prophet and deliverer of Israel, who spoke with God face to face, missed his blessing when reacted with anger, what shall we say? Take care!
When we are angry we do or say the worst things of our hearts. In time of wrath it’s revealed who we really are. The wrath of Moses revealed that he was a real human being.
Words that are spoken in anger not turn back. A word in anger can make you miss your best friend or your job. A word spoken in anger can make you miss the blessing of a united family. You will not miss your salvation, but you will miss the blessing.
So, have you missed any blessing for acting in anger? Ask God for forgiveness.
What blessings can you miss today if you do not change your behavior? Ask for help from God to be transformed.
And pray for God heals the wounds you caused to others in moments of anger and for the wounds the others have caused to you.