"...the LORD was angry with me because of you..."

“…the LORD was angry with me because of you…”

The name of the individual being quoted in the verse above might seem obvious considering the fact that we are in the midst of “Holy Week,” the week between “Palm Sunday” (celebrating Jesus’ “triumphal” entry into Jerusalem) and “Easter,” or “Resurrection Day.”  After all, this week we especially focus our thoughts, our worship, on the wonder of God’s gracious provision of a final subsitutionary atonement.  That is, specifically, on Jesus’ suffering  (on our behalf, in our place, and for our sin), of God’s Holy wrath, His righteous anger against sin.  We focus on Jesus’ death, burial, and triumphal resurrection, demonstrating His final and complete victory over sin and death…our blessed and only hope.

However, without looking it up in a concordance, can you cite the specific book of Scripture where the quote is found?

HINT:  The quote above is repeated twice in that one book of Scripture, and a very similar quote (shown below) is also included in that same book.

“Even with me the LORD was angry on your account…”

Now, just to confirm…look these verses up in a concordance, and see how you did with your answers.

How did you do?

If you did look it up, you have now seen, (…perhaps, as you recognized from the beginning…), the individual being quoted in these verses is not Jesus, but Moses.  The quotes are not from any New Testament Scripture, but from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy (Deut. 3:26, 4:21 and 1:37, respectively).

So, why did I even propose this exercise?  Was it nothing more than an attempt at a “gotcha” moment or a “trick” question?

Not at all!

In fact, looking into the background of these verses provides us with important insights into both our reading of Old Testament Scripture and our understanding of the way in which God has been progressively revealing His plans and purposes for His perfect provision of the ultimate deliverer…the Messiah…for His people.

As Jesus said to his disciples after His resurrection, “…everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled”  (Luke 24:44b); and, just prior to that to the two forlorn and confused individuals on the road to Emmaus, “…beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning him” (Luke 24:27).

My own recognition of the divinely ordained connection between Moses’ statements quoted in Deuteronomy, and Jesus’ finished work as Messiah, came as I was reading through Deuteronomy as part of my “chronological, through the Bible” reading a couple of weeks ago.  I must admit, however, that I did not make the connection immediately.

In fact, reading these verses from Deuteronomy in their context, and reading chronologically, I had recently read the account in Numbers 20 of Moses’ failure to “…believe (God), to uphold (Him) as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel,” which resulted in God’s anger against Moses and His divine judgment that Moses would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.  After 40 long years of being used by God to first deliver His people from bondage, and then to lead them, dealing repeatedly with their rebelliousness and refusal to believe God, Moses himself would die in the wilderness, never entering the place of God’s promised presence, provision and protection…of His rest.

With this image of Moses’ failure fresh in my mind, I must admit that I was initially struck as I read Moses’ words in Deut. 1:37 as he told the people that the LORD was angry with him “…on (their) account.”  Then, as I continued, I read 3:26 where Moses again tells the people “…the LORD was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me.”  Again, as I reached 4:21, it seemed to get even more difficult to understand as Moses says, “…the LORD was angry with me because of you, and he swore that I should not cross the Jordan, and that I should not enter the good land that the LORD your God is giving to you for an inheritance.”

I know I have read this portion of Scripture before, but this time it really struck me.  I found myself wanting to say, Now, wait a minute Moses!  How can you possibly blame these people for the judgment God pronounced on you for your own disobedience…your own act of “unbelief?”  Certainly, I can understand your frustration…even your anger…after all you have gone through with these people, but, really!  I don’t like the contemporary expression, but, I felt like saying aloud “Man-up Moses!”  At least take responsibility for your own actions!  It sounds like you’re taking advantage of God’s call to you to record this history of His people…crafting your own “revisionist history” of what actually happened to make yourself look like the victim here.

Then, looking up a cross-reference that cited Psalm 106:32-33, I read:

“They (the people of Israel in the wilderness) angered him (God) at the waters of Meribah,

and it went ill with Moses on their account,

for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.”

Here, then, was a much later Holy Spirit inspired (as were Moses’ words in Deuteronomy…I reminded myself) account, not written by Moses, which makes the same point that Moses made.  This helped me to begin to view Moses’ statements in a broader context.  Yes, Moses bore God’s anger, rightfully, though, in some measure, humanly, even understandably, as he fulfilled his role as God’s chosen deliverer and mediator for His people.

Then, I recalled Moses’ statements in Deuteronomy 18 regarding a coming future prophet, like Moses, whom the LORD would one day raise up for His people, and I recalled the Apostle Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 10 where he informs his readers (and us) that:

“…they (the Israelites in the wilderness) drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 10:4)

and that…

“…these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.”

(1 Corinthians 10:6)

…and that…

“…these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction…”

(1 Corinthians 10:11)

I was also reminded of the divinely inspired “comparison” in Hebrews Chapter 3 between Moses and Jesus, that future prophet Moses had spoken of Who would be the ultimate deliverer and mediator for God’s people…the One Who is faithful over God’s house as a Son…the One Who is better than Moses.

Now, as I reflected back on those initially “troubling” statements by Moses, I heard them coming from a different voice…from the voice of the Greater Moses…the True Deliverer…the perfect Mediator…who could, indeed, say to all His people “…the LORD was angry with me because of you…on your account.”  He was the One Who did not simply miss out on entering the earthly “Promised Land,” but, rather, He, was the One Who had always known perfect fellowship with the Father, and voluntarily left that place of perfect rest to bear not only the indignity and humiliation of dealing with the rebellion of His Own creatures, but also God’s Holy wrath, His righteous anger against sin, my sin, though He, Himself, had never sinned…so that God’s people might enter into His Perfect Rest…redeemed and reconciled…once and for all.

For our sake he made him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

(2 Corinthians 5:21)

As I focus my thoughts and worship during this Holy week, I do so mindful that the LORD was angry with Jesus, because of me...but also mindful that, because Jesus was willing and able to bear the wrath I deserved, I can now know the fullness of His perfect rest, reconciled to a right relationship with God, because of Jesus, and because of Him, alone.