Defiance

    Defiance is the act of of rebellion.  It is defying authority, but ultimately you are defying God.  You resist His authority with contempt.  An example is when things are not going your way, you decide to take actions to rectify the situation according to how you see fit instead of going to God to figure out His plan through it all.

    The Israelites became defiant because they did not have water and were wondering in the desert.  They began to complain.  Anyone who has been hot and thirty knows that tempers tend to get flared more easily.   It was all affecting Moses as well.  He was tired of all their complaining and he was not comfortable either.

    Moses went to God about the people and God gave him instructions on how to provide water for them. Moses followed the instructions, but did not give God the glory.  Not giving God the immediate glory was an act of defiance.  He just wanted the people to stop complaining and trust his leadership.  He had done a good job up until then.  That should had been enough.

    Enemies began to take notice of their large caravan after this and attaches began.   The leaders went to the closest mountain top to watch over the battle, as the younger ones fought to defend the people.  This is when we are introduced to Joshua.  He became close to Moses because he had faith.  In the battle as long as Moses held up his arms the Israelites would win, but if his arms fell they would lose. That is why the other leaders went up there with him.  They helped him keep his arms up all day.  

    When they were victorious, God had them put it in writing because he was going to wipe those people out, just not right then.  Moses built an altar and praised God.  He had gotten his priorities back in line.  He knew how important it was to have God fighting their battles for them.

    It is not worth risking everything by being defiant.  It may give you a battle, but you will always lose the war.  When you act defiantly, does it really make things better at home, work, church, or any other organization?  It causes you more pain for you in the long run.  Leaders are only human.  They make mistakes, but a good leader admits it and moves on to do better.

Exodus 17