- araratchurch
- Aug 17, 2022
- 3 min read
“And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.”
Exodus 32:15-16, 19 NKJV
Have you ever even heard of an “anger room?” I hadn’t either, until I saw that there is one in the Atlanta area! What am I referencing? Well, you may have heard about “escape rooms” where people go for entertainment as an individual or a group. In these rooms you solve different riddles to make your way out of the room.
Alternatively, an “anger room” is a place you can go (for a price) where they have a room filled with breakable objects you can destroy to “vent” your frustration/anger by breaking stuff. Supposedly this will enable you to get relief (“catharsis”), without having to experience the consequences: loss of a valuable item, having to clean up a mess, and so on. However, I have my doubts as to whether you can “vent” in that way without experiencing consequences. Indeed, “research has shown” that venting anger or frustration by breaking stuff actually tends to increase the anger or frustration level. With that, I don’t much care what the world system decides is profitable or not profitable in terms of behavior; I am more desirous of what God says. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
No doubt, people do ridiculous things when they get under pressure and haven’t learned to express it or cope with it in righteous ways.
I saw some answers to a survey questioning: “What is the most expensive thing you’ve ever broken when you were angry?” One guy said he had broken a $300 weed-eater; another person had put a dumbbell through a wall; several people had broken iPhones. It seems to make no sense; and yet, here we are.
Several years ago I remember being frustrated and pressed by a very stressful situation. Without thinking twice about it, I reached up and grabbed the hair above each of my ears and pulled it out. I had heard the reference to “pulling your hair out,” used as a way to express frustration; but it never occurred to me to do it. Yet, I did it and was left with gaping holes above each ear. Needless to say, this did not help my frustration and despair. However, for me it was kind of a “wakeup call”that I needed to deal with things differently. Now, this was an isolated incident for me (well, I did throw a plate once, creating an awful mess to clean up), as I generally internalized angst, anger, and frustration which would come out in physical symptoms. I don’t have shame over those types of displays as I repented before the Lord and received forgiveness. But as I said, this type of an outburst showed me my need for change. And—by the grace of God—I don’t allow frustration to get to that level; and if it does, by the grace of God, I now deal with it very differently.
“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,”
Ephesians 4:26 NKJV
I said earlier that I care more about what God has to say about how to deal with anger/frustration. Now, we know that the Word tells us that a person given to venting their anger, is likely to face calamity.
“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm.”
Psalms 37:8 NKJV
“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.”
Proverbs 25:28 NKJV
And—speaking of calamity—today we see that Moses—having been confronted by the rebellion of the people—“loses it” and breaks what had been fashioned from the very hand of God. As we know, this tendency was never really conquered in him. But I get it, I have no stones to throw (no pun intended); it’s a tendency packed into our human frailty. But God has an answer for it.
Ultimately, control over such impulsive actions of “venting” must be conquered by the Holy Spirit within us. Only He can give us the control we need in times of great pressing. And, back to my own “lapses,” I am now more likely to vent by praying in the Spirit…sometimes, loudly!
Tomorrow we’ll see what Moses did to make it right.
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Don’t let anger or frustration make you break what is precious.
- araratchurch
- Aug 16, 2022
- 3 min read
“Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.””
Exodus 14:11-12 NKJV
In early January, 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon triggering a five year civil war that would end with Julius Caesar being named the first “dictator for life.” According to Suetonius (Roman historian), as He crossed over the stream (Rubicon) separating Italy from its northern provinces, he uttered these words: ālea iacta est (the die has been cast).
You see, Julius Caesar had been a governor of a Roman province (Gaul). By Roman law it was illegal to cross into Roman territory leading an army; to do so would be understood as a step toward revolution or insurrection.
As you may know, the phrase, “the die is cast,” is an illusion to the rolling of dice: once tossed from the hand, you can’t take it back.
It seems that most people want to have a “plan B” in case their plan turns south. And—whereas there may be a place for that in some situations—our walk with the Lord isn’t one of those.
“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem,”
Luke 9:51 NKJV
Our Lord certainly didn’t take a way out, but rather, determined to accept the will of His Father, He heads for Jerusalem where He knows what will happen.
This determination to complete His assignment is spoken of prophetically in the book of Isaiah:
“For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.”
Isaiah 50:7 NKJV
We are living in a time of great stress and uncertainty. As such, we may fall to the temptation to try to escape the pressure of following the will of our Father. But, we do well to heed the warning of Jesus when speaking of the Last Days:
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”
Matthew 24:9-13 NKJV
Today we reflect on the fact that the children of Israel did not set out from Egypt with a resolve to stay the course. As we see in our opening scripture, early on, when they first faced the pressure of being pursued by the armies of Egypt, they wanted to bail. Sadly, we see this tendency emerging repeatedly with each new challenge.
“And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.””
Exodus 16:3 NKJV
And, time and again we see them losing ground—or losing everything—because of it.
For those seeking to do the will of the Lord, the world system will always be a wilderness. And, a lack of resolve in terms of trusting the Lord, will inevitably lead to equivocation.
Remember, we have the Lord with us and He has assured our victory! For the Christian sojourner, “plan B” is never an option!
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Commit to the journey, no matter what.
- araratchurch
- Aug 15, 2022
- 3 min read
“Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.”
Exodus 32:25-26 NKJV
In 1965, six Tongan boarding school boys decided to interrupt their boredom by “borrowing” a fishing boat and heading out to Fiji. Their ill-conceived plan was made worse by the fact that they took no map and had very few supplies with them. Additionally, they all fell asleep and drifted into a storm that tore their sail and broke their rudder. They drifted without food and water for eight days, finally making it to the deserted island where they would spend the next 15 months.
Now, these rowdy school boys, ranging in age from 13 to 16, somehow managed to survive by coming up with a plan to which they all adhered. Being thrown into this crisis, rather than driving them further into their foolish behavior, evoked a courage and resilience far beyond their years.
As it turns out, they had come up with a plan to work in teams toward developing a strict roster of chores and duties among which was to keep a fire burning the whole time they were there.
Additionally, they developed a garden, a “badminton court,” a “gym,” a way to store fresh water, and a chicken coupe (chickens, left by Tongan people who inhabited the island before being taken as slaves 100 years before, managed to multiply on the island). No doubt, their ability to maintain order aided their survival.
Sadly, there are many stories of groups of people in crisis situations, who—rather than keeping order and working towards surviving—dissolved into chaos and disorder.
It doesn’t take much for some people to cast off restraint. But, for even the most disciplined or resolute, extreme stress or uncertainty can cause people to act the fool.
The Lord, in speaking to Jeremiah about His people, makes this observation:
“Thus says the Lord to this people: “Thus they have loved to wander; They have not restrained their feet. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins.””
Jeremiah 14:10 NKJV
The Bible is full of examples where the tendency to cast off restraint gets God’s people into major trouble. We turn to one of those examples now.
Today we find that the children of Israel, having become agitated and impatient as Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, have conscripted Aaron to build a golden calf for them to worship.
We may look at their example and wonder how they could’ve done such an atrocious thing. But perhaps we are not considering the ways in which we may cast off restraint when things aren’t going exactly the way we think they should.
Frustration and/or confusion can cause people to do some ridiculous things. It’s so very important that we allow the word of God to be made real in us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our circumstances should not determine whether or not we are living a spirit-controlled life. Rather, our spirit-controlled life should take authority over our circumstances.
In our opening passage, the word that is translated as “restrain” or “restraint” is the same word we see used here:
“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”
Proverbs 29:18 NKJV
Look at this verse in another translation:
“When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.”
Proverbs 29:18 NLT
For fear of the people, Aaron failed to provide divine guidance to them. He caved to the pressure and they fell into complete unrestrained reveling. Many would pay the price for this lapse with their lives.
In whatever circumstance you may find yourself, seek and follow divine guidance from God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to show you the way. Remember, acting the fool may prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Oh—and those Tonga boys? They also prohibited quarreling and ended each day with a song and a prayer!
For today write this in your “wilderness journal”:
Show restraint.