Passage: Deuteronomy 3:12-29 Speaker: Pastor Lukus Counterman Series: Relationship & Responsibility - Deuteronomy
Speaker: Lukus Counterman - Harold Kushner aptly explained how, “When we think of Moses, we think of his triumphs… But Moses was a man who knew frustration and failure in his public and personal life at least as often and as deeply as he knew fulfillment.”[1] Just think about what it must have been like for Moses to stutter step in Egypt as he grasped for pre-mature leadership, only to spend 40 years living like a sheep herder as a result. Then he’s called out of retirement to lead the exodus, only to inherit a bunch of whining and complaining people. At one point, they infuriate him with their discontentment and distrust to the point where he disobeys the Lord in anger; he strikes the rock instead of speaking to it. In that moment of frustration, Moses lost it all. He was prohibited from entering the land of promise. Decades of work, long-term suffering and sacrifice, endurance right to the finish line, resulted in falling short in the end. Moses understood failure, and he felt the pain of frustration. And some of his experiences are recorded for our example. May the Lord teach us from his word as we seek to turn to him in our deepest disappointments.