Hineni Reflections
Reflection 2
Experience vs. Obedience in God’s Ministry
While meditating on Exodus 25, one verse particularly captured my attention:
“See that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.”
– Exodus 25:40 (ESV)
God had just given Moses detailed instructions concerning the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of Showbread, the Golden Lampstand, and the other furnishings of the Tabernacle. After revealing these instructions, God emphasized that everything must be made exactly according to the pattern shown on the mountain.
Moses was not given the freedom to modify the design. He could not add his own ideas, improve upon God’s instructions, or remove details that seemed unnecessary. The pattern belonged to God, and Moses was called to obey.
At first glance, this may appear to be a simple instruction regarding the construction of a tent and its furnishings. However, the New Testament reveals something deeper.
Hebrews 8:5 tells us that Moses was shown a heavenly pattern and was instructed to build according to it. The Tabernacle was not merely a structure made of wood, gold, and fabric. It pointed to heavenly realities and ultimately to Jesus Christ Himself.
That is why God insisted on exact obedience.
Moses was not building something according to human wisdom. He was participating in God’s redemptive plan.
As I reflected on this verse, a question came to my mind:
What is the role of human experience in God’s ministry?
Moses: A Man Rich in Experience
Moses was not an inexperienced man.
The first forty years of his life were spent in Pharaoh’s palace. According to Acts 7:22:
“And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.”
– Acts 7:22 (ESV)
He received the finest education available in Egypt. He learned leadership, administration, communication, governance, and many other skills that would later prove useful.
The next forty years were spent in Midian as a shepherd.
At first glance, it may appear that Moses was wasting his life in the wilderness. Yet God was preparing him in a way Egypt never could.
Egypt taught Moses what he could accomplish through his own strength.
The wilderness taught Moses how dependent he was upon God.
The first forty years were years of learning.
The next forty years were years of unlearning.
At age forty, Moses thought he was ready to deliver Israel.
At age eighty, Moses felt completely inadequate.
Only then did God call him to lead His people.
God often works this way. Before He entrusts a person with responsibility, He teaches that person dependence. Before He uses a servant publicly, He often shapes that servant privately. Before He fills a person with His strength, He frequently exposes the weakness of human strength.
Did God Use Moses’ Experience?
Absolutely.
God did not discard Moses’ experiences. He redeemed them.
The leadership skills acquired in Egypt helped him govern a nation. His education enabled him to communicate God’s laws. His administrative abilities helped organize the camp of Israel. His years as a shepherd prepared him to guide people through the wilderness.
God used every part of Moses’ journey.
However, there is an important distinction.
God used Moses’ experience, but God never intended Moses to depend upon his experience instead of depending upon Him. Experience was a tool. God remained the Master.
This distinction is vital.
There is a difference between a servant whom God uses through experience and a servant who begins to rely on experience instead of God. The first walks by faith. The second slowly drifts into self-reliance.
Experience is valuable. But experience must never become our guide. God must remain our guide.
The Danger of Depending on Experience
This truth becomes clearer when we consider another event from Moses’ life.
In Exodus 17, when the Israelites complained because there was no water, God instructed Moses to strike the rock. Moses obeyed. Water flowed from the rock. The miracle was undeniable.
Years later, in Numbers 20, the people complained again.
The situation appeared similar. The need was the same. The people were the same. The complaint was the same.
But God’s instruction was different.
This time God said:
“Speak to the rock before their eyes that it may yield its water.”
– Numbers 20:8 (ESV)
God instructed Moses to speak to the rock. Instead, Moses struck the rock twice. Water still came out. The people received what they needed. The crisis appeared resolved.
From a human perspective, everything seemed successful.
Yet Moses had disobeyed.
Perhaps Moses thought: “I have seen this before. I know what to do. This worked the last time.”
But ministry is not sustained by yesterday’s instructions. It is sustained by present obedience.
What was obedience in Exodus 17 became disobedience in Numbers 20 because God had given a new command. The issue was not a lack of experience. The issue was allowing past experience to take precedence over God’s present instruction.
The Sobering Reality of Apparent Success
One of the most striking aspects of this story is that water still came from the rock.
If no water had appeared, everyone would have immediately recognized Moses’ failure. But water came. The people drank. The need was met. The visible outcome appeared successful.
Yet God was displeased.
This teaches a profound lesson: Results are not always proof of obedience.
In ministry we can easily measure success by visible outcomes. Did people attend? Did the program succeed? Did the ministry grow? Did the problem get solved? These things may be important.
But God’s question is often different.
God asks:
“Were you obedient?”
The blessing upon the people did not necessarily indicate God’s approval of Moses’ action. God, in His mercy, provided water for His people despite Moses’ failure.
This is a sobering warning for every servant of God. A ministry may appear successful. People may be blessed. Results may be visible. Yet the servant must still ask: “Am I obeying God?”
Success is not always evidence of obedience. Obedience must remain the standard.
Why Was This So Serious?
God explained His judgment:
“Because you did not believe in me, to treat me as holy in the sight of the people of Israel…”
– Numbers 20:12 (ESV)
Moses represented God before the nation. By altering God’s instruction, he misrepresented God’s character. The issue was larger than striking a rock. The issue was honoring God as holy.
The closer we are to God’s work, the greater our responsibility to represent Him accurately. Good intentions are not enough. Past successes are not enough. Experience is not enough. God desires obedience.
Experience Has a Place
The Bible does not teach that experience is unimportant. Experience teaches valuable lessons. God uses our education, careers, failures, victories, suffering, and responsibilities to shape us. Experience often develops wisdom and maturity.
Yet experience must always remain under the authority of God’s Word.
David was an experienced warrior, yet he repeatedly inquired of the Lord before battle. Sometimes God said: “Go.” At other times God said: “Do not go.” David understood that previous victories did not remove the need for present guidance.
Likewise, Jesus said:
“The Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.”
– John 5:19 (ESV)
If the Son of God lived in continual dependence upon the Father, how much more should we?
The Danger of Familiarity
One of the greatest dangers in ministry is familiarity. After years of serving God, we may begin to rely on methods instead of God. We may depend on what worked before. We may trust our experience more than His voice. We may become experts in ministry while neglecting intimacy with God.
Young believers often pray:
“Lord, show me what to do.”
Experienced believers can be tempted to think:
“I already know what to do.”
Yet Moses’ failure reminds us that no amount of experience can replace dependence upon God. The Christian life was never designed to run on accumulated experience. It was designed to run on continual dependence upon the Lord.
That is why Jesus said:
“Apart from me you can do nothing.”
– John 15:5 (ESV)
He did not say: “Apart from me you can do very little.”
He said: “Apart from me you can do nothing.”
A Lesson for Every Believer
The question is not: “What worked last time?”
The question is: “Lord, what are You saying now?”
Experience can guide us. Knowledge can help us. Skills can assist us. Wisdom can protect us. But obedience must govern us.
God may use the same methods repeatedly. Or He may choose an entirely different path. Our responsibility is not to repeat the past. Our responsibility is to obey God in the present.
Conclusion
Exodus 25:40 and Numbers 20 together reveal a profound truth. God spent eighty years preparing Moses. He gave him knowledge, skills, leadership ability, and life experience. God used every part of that preparation.
Yet God never permitted Moses to place his experience above God’s instruction. The Tabernacle had to be built according to God’s pattern. The rock had to be approached according to God’s command. The ministry had to be carried out according to God’s will.
Perhaps the greatest lesson from the life of Moses is this:
God spent forty years giving Moses abilities, forty years removing self-confidence, and forty years demonstrating what He can accomplish through a man whose abilities are completely surrendered to Him.
Experience is a gift from God. Wisdom often grows through experience. But God’s servants are not called to be guided primarily by experience. They are called to be guided by God.
Moses teaches us that God can use our experiences, redeem our failures, and prepare us through every season of life. Yet the greatest qualification for ministry is not experience, knowledge, gifting, or success. It is a heart that continually asks:
“Lord, what would You have me do?”
May we never despise the experiences God gives us. At the same time, may we never allow those experiences to replace our dependence upon Him. For in God’s kingdom, experience is valuable—but obedience is indispensable.
Hineni