Exodus 32:19
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
Even before I became a Christian I knew the story of Moses because so many supernatural things happened in his life. When he was born his mother defied the authorities and hid him in an ark, placed him in the Nile river only to be rescued by Pharaoh's daughter and raised in the palace. It was Moses who lifted up his staff over the red sea and the waters divided, and the Jewish people walked through the sea on dry ground. God called him the meekest man to ever live, and told the Jewish nation if he had anything to say to them He would tell Moses and Moses would relay the message to the people.
The only time God wrote anything with His own hand was on mount Sinai when He wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone and He hand delivered those to Moses. In the New Testament much of the hall of faith is dedicated to Moses. We could list many other accomplishments in Moses life that characterize his Christian walk. Even though Moses was a great man of faith, he had weaknesses in his life, just like you and me. We all struggle at some point.
When God hand delivered the Ten Commandments, Moses was sent down the mountain to show the people the law of God. When he arrived he found the people dancing around a golden calf; in his short absence the people had created a false God. Moses was so angry he threw the tablets of stone to the ground and broke them. We can't even begin to explain the significance or value of those stone tablets with the very handwriting of God on them. The tablets were a physical written representation of the holiness of God. Yet in one moment of rage they were destroyed, Moses's wrath completely destroyed the value and significance of the tablets. I think it is safe to say he was blinded by his anger.
Galatians chapter 5 list seventeen works of the flesh, I believe ten of those are directly tied to anger. One moment we are standing in God's presence, showered with accolades, and the next MOMENT we have an outburst of anger and we don't care who or what it destroys. Temper your anger with the Holy Spirit. Don't use your anger as a weapon to control other people. The tablets Moses broke could not be repaired they had to be replaced, be careful what we destroy in a moment of anger cannot always be repaired.
Pastor Ken Smith
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