Moses – Part 2 From a Temperamental Prince to a Shepherd with a Gentle Heart

Working in marketing, after spending more than a decade in administration, has been a challenging new experience for me. Where I used to sit behind a desk, now I have to go around to various places to offer products. I meet consumers directly with all kinds of personalities. Some are friendly, overly polite, arrogant, stingy, full of considerations, and so on.

At times, when dealing with annoying people, I am tempted to avoid them or retaliate against their actions. However, I know that instead of solving the problem, it would only add to it. I also realize that through these hard-to-deal-with people, God is shaping me to have a gentle heart.

If you are currently struggling with a temperamental character or a hard heart, you are not alone. Moses, the prophet who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and journeyed for forty years, also went through it.

Here are 3 things about gentleness of heart that we can learn from Moses:

1. A Gentle Heart Is Not Gained Overnight

Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. – Numbers 12:3

Was that Moses' nature from birth? I am convinced it was not. Moses was an Egyptian prince, the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter. We may assume he was always dressed beautifully, had the finest toys, was served by many people, and always got what he wanted. In his youth, Moses was temperamental and did not think things through.

At that time, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his brothers to see their forced labor; then he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. He looked this way and that, and when he saw no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. – Genesis 2:11-12

As a result of what he had done, Moses was pursued by Pharaoh. He fled to the land of Midian, married Zipporah, and became a shepherd for Jethro, his father-in-law (Exodus 2:15-22).

Do you know how much time passed from then until God sent him to deliver the people of Israel? Forty years (Acts 7:30). That was not a short time. Yet through his simple life as a shepherd, Moses' heart slowly changed. At that point, God was able to send him as the deliverer of Israel.

2. Value the Lord's Faithful Love

Then the LORD said to Moses: "I have seen this people, and indeed they are a stiff-necked people. Now therefore leave Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may destroy them, but I will make you into a great nation." – Exodus 32:9-10

When the people of Israel rebelled by making a golden calf, God was angry and intended to destroy them (Exodus 32:1-10). Yet He relented from the disaster He had planned after Moses tried to soften His heart (Exodus 32:11-14).

Moses did that because he realized how greatly he had been loved by God. He valued that love, and so he was willing to love the people of Israel.

It is indeed not easy to love people who are stubborn and rebellious. Yet through them, God wants to shape our hearts to become gentler. When we value God's love, we will not focus on someone's bad character, but on what act of love we can do for that person.

As long as we focus only on ourselves, demanding that others change first before we are willing to change, it will be difficult for us to have a gentle heart. But when we see that every human being is precious, that every human being can change, we learn to soften our hearts. We are not provoked into negative actions, but instead practice the teaching of love.

3. Accept God's Decisions, Including Those That Seem Harmful

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust Me and did not honor My holiness in the sight of the people of Israel, therefore you will not bring this assembly into the land that I will give them." These were the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them. – Numbers 20:12-13

The event above took place when the people of Israel, grumbling because they had run out of water, began to question God's presence (Numbers 20:1-13). Even though God commanded Moses to speak to the rock so that it would bring forth water, he instead struck the rock with his staff.

When you think about it, it seems unfair, doesn't it? Moses was not the one testing God, yet he was the one who received the penalty of not being allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Perhaps we have tried many positive things for someone. We spend time, thought, energy, or money to make another person's life better. In return, we instead reap something bad, the effects of which may be felt for a long time.

Let us learn from Moses, who did not complain even though God's decision was to his detriment. We have the right to feel disappointed when we experience hardship. However, if we have a gentle heart, we will be able to accept whatever God allows to happen in our lives.

It is never too late to have a meek and gentle heart like the heart of Moses. Do what is your part, namely, to go through God's process. Depend on Him, not on your own strength. Value the Lord's faithful love that you have already enjoyed, and accept whatever His decision is for your life. We do not always have control over situations and circumstances, but we can control our hearts. No matter how small the positive change that happens in you, give thanks, and keep striving to have a gentler heart. Amen. The story of Moses' life has inspired many people, even in this modern age. If you are struggling with feelings of insecurity, let us learn how to overcome doubt and low self-esteem in Moses – Part 1 - Confidence in Weakness.