THE TWISTER
BY BRIAN LIGOMEKA
One outstanding mark which sets the Bible apart from other religious books is its honesty in exposing the sins of its prophets and chosen people.
The tale of Prophet Moses inspires me. Besides the Bible, Islamic and Judaism books also acknowledge the existence, the miracles and the work of Moses. Despite his great feats as one of the greatest Old Testament prophets, the Bible does not ignore his scandals including the one that led to his downfall.
Moses amazing story demonstrates that he was used as a vessel of God throughout his life, but as a human being he had his own weaknesses.
Leaders of all shades should admit that as human beings they have their own shortfalls. As His Grace, Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza once said people including leaders who do not admit their shortfalls are idiots. In his famous sermon, the bishop said: “All of us have strengths and weaknesses. What we need to do is to accept our weaknesses and find ways and means to turn them into strengths. We can always improve for the better. If we are open to this, God will help us.”
He added: “My dear brothers and sisters, the person who thinks and believes that he or she is perfect is actually the most stupid and foolish person. In Chichewa and Tumbuka we call such people as chitsiru chamunthu, (a veritable idiot) or chindere chakufikapo. Do we want to be called chitsiru or chindere because we think and believe we’re perfect and therefore we have all the best solutions for the storm that is passing through our country? Fellow Malawians, let us not become stupid people.”
The issue is leaders should acknowledge their weaknesses and if they do not control them they can fall from grace the way the Biblical Moses did.
There are many lessons which leaders can learn from the downfall of Moses. The lessons can help leaders to deliver and face challenges with dignity instead of behaving like dogs with rabies.
Instead of banging tables, arresting their critics or barking at nothing like rabid dogs, leaders can change their approach and know how to handle the pressure of difficulties.
The road to success is always full of challenges and hence leaders should realise that facing pressure is part of the game of power. The Bible in Numbers 20:1-5, tells a story of how Moses faced the pressure from the people he was leading while in the desert on their way to the Promised Land.
While our current leaders are facing some pressure from the citizenry because of forex and fuel shortages, the problem of water shortage haunted Moses and his subjects in the wilderness. The water shortage problem was so acute that when the Israelites reached Kadesh, there was a mass protest.
Much as water shortage is common occurrence in a desert, theologians drag God into the matter saying the Almighty One wanted to test the faith of his chosen people. God is reported to have created the water crisis deliberately to prop up his people’s faith in Him. He wanted to demonstrate his presence, ability, power and promptness to come to their rescue in their desperate moment of need.
By calculatingly creating a water shortage, God wanted his chosen people to continue depending on Him.
But who says God’s chosen people do not lose their patience? At Kadesh, the Bible explains that Moses received pressure from all over with others acting like rebels. Some people were perhaps more vocal than the current leaders of our civil society organisations, who give sleepless nights our own Mose wa Lero over fuel and forex shortages.
Like what happened on July 20 during the nationwide anti-government protests, Moses and his de facto Prime Minister Aaron faced stiff opposition and lots of criticisms.
Numbers 20: 3 reports that during their protests, the people strove with Moses, saying: “We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh.”
In verses 4 and 5, in their fury, the critics questioned Moses' motives and strategies that resulted in their continued suffering in the wilderness.
Since that was not the first time to face such pressure Moses and Aaron turned to God to seek His usual help.
The almighty God as expected had answers. He gave Moses and Aaron exact prescriptions on how to go about in solving their challenges. It is interesting that even in times of Moses, there were conditions that were prescribed to solve their challenges in the same way IMF, World Bank and donors offer prescriptions to countries facing financial challenges. The bitter IMF prescriptions include currency devaluation. For those nations that fail to pay their foreign bills, IMF offers them financing in balance of payments and assists them in stabilisation of their economies, and restoration of sustainable economic growth.
Back in the wilderness, there were also prescriptions. Moses was explicitly told to take the rod and to assemble the congregation. The final prescription was that both Moses and Aaron were to speak to the rock.
The interesting part is God’s command to Moses to take ‘the rod’ with him, but not use it as was the case in the previous miracles involving water.
Moses took the holy rod and gathered the assembly in front of the rock. He said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then he raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his rod.
Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank with happiness.
Is Moses the only leader to call his people names when under pressure? Not at all. Malawians know of leaders who call their own people stupid or unemployable citizens. They also know leaders who call donors names such as colonialists.
Is Moses the only leader to ignore prescriptions? Not at all! Malawians know of power-intoxicated leaders who despise sound economic prescriptions that can bail Malawi out of its woes. That’s the story for another day.
But what is the wages of failing to listen to sound advice?
Numbers 20:12 quotes God as saying to Moses: “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”
Moses was punished because of his lack of complete trust in God’s command. Instead he displayed his exasperation, temper and his astonishing egotism.
Like modern leaders who bang tables in closed meetings or speak at podiums with arrogance as if they are intoxicated with whiskey by exhibiting their impatience, anger, self-exaltation and know-it-all attitude the Biblical Moses sinned against God. His punishment was that he would not set his feet in the Promised Land.
Writing on a blog one Barbara White once observed: “Good leaders are tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head.”
When you have leaders who are bundles of emotions, who bark at the moon and fear non-existent coups and illusory mass protests, just know that like Biblical Moses they will never set their feet on the Promised Land.
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