Israel’s disobedience with the golden calf had occurred just a few months earlier (Ex. 32-34). More recently, the people had complained at Taberah (Num. 11:1-3), but in Numbers 14 the whole nation had decided to stone Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb in their refusal to conquer the land (v. 10). God intervened and launched His own complaint against the Israelites.
And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they” (Num. 14:11-12).
Not many of us would have blamed Moses if he had sighed, shrugged his shoulders in weariness and frustration, and said, “Okay.” But Moses pleads on behalf of the people; interestingly, his main argument is based on God’s reputation.
And Moses said to the Lord: “Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by your might you brought these people up from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, the Lord, are among these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and that Your cloud stands above them; and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which he swore to them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness'” (Num. 14:13-16).
In essence, Moses is saying, “Think of your reputation!”
Moses has a well-reasoned argument here (a generous and gracious one, too, considering he had just escaped from being stoned to death). How would other nations view the Israelites’ destruction? It would reflect upon the Lord’s power. Notice that God resolved this problem in an interesting way. He did destroy that generation in the wilderness, but He allowed their offspring to take their place. Had He begun anew with Moses, it would have taken generations to achieve a nation of the same size.
If Moses could caution the Creator of heaven and earth about maintaining a good reputation, how much more should we be careful to guard ours! “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Pr. 22:1).
The villain of Shakespeare’s Othello speaks the truth when he speaks on this subject:
Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ‘Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which enriches not him And makes me poor indeed (Act 3, Scene 3, lines 159-165).
Iago knows whereof he speaks; he then proceeds to assassinate the characters of two innocent people, resulting in the death of one. True to his insight, he was not himself enriched by his slanderous speech.
Not only should we be concerned about our own reputation; we also should be concerned about God’s good name, as reflected by us. If God was concerned about His reputation to the extent that He did not immediately destroy the Israelites (as per Moses’ request), then we should be careful to represent Him properly.
When 40 years later, with the new generation grown, the Israelites were ready to take the land God had promised to their fathers, the people of the land had heard about them. When the two spies went into Jericho, Rahab told them:
“I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:9-11).
The first event, involving the Red Sea, had occurred 40 years earlier; the defeat of Sihon and Og were recent: the Canaanites were aware of both. The reason that Israel had been in the wilderness so long was not a matter of concern to these people; the power of God was. God’s reputation had remained intact.
Jesus’ reputation was important to Him; He denied being a Samaritan, being demon-possessed, and working His miracles by the power of Beelzebub. ( Occasionally, it is necessary for a person to defend His name.) He also expressed concern for the way His followers would represent Him. Therefore, He prayed for unity among them.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).
What a charge! Of course, with so many claiming to be followers of Jesus who are not, unity has no possible chance of occurring. Anyone can look at the different denominations and see division. Among genuine disciples, however, the prayer must be taken seriously. We have a reputation to keep–Jesus’, as seen in us. If we “bite and devour one another” (Gal. 5:15), then we have harmed a good reputation. We should be willing to sacrifice our pride and to forego the spreading of views with which others are not required to agree in order to go to heaven. How much better to hold certain opinions privately rather than to insist on public proclamation of them when such will most certainly end in division and sully the reputation of Jesus.
But there are other ways we might do damage to the Lord’s reputation.
1. We should avoid breaking the laws of the land. “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15). How embarrassing to be guilty of violating a law when everyone knows you profess to be a Christian!
2. We must be engaged in the works that God has given us (Titus 2:11-14). We were not saved just to enjoy our own fellowship while ignoring the spiritual needs of others. Imagine a neighbor asking about religion. After explaining about the one church, the one plan of salvation, and acceptable worship, the question is asked, “What areas of work are YOU personally involved in?” What does it say about Jesus if the answer is, “Er, well, I attend worship on Sunday mornings.” “Well, sure,” the denominational neighbor says, “We all do that. But what programs of work are you involved in? I do maintenance, and my wife teaches a Bible class. Together we do a lot of visiting. What do you do?”
3. How is the church in the community handling the reputation of the Lord, whose name she wears? Are we known for our love, our enthusiastic worship, our collective good deeds, our benevolence? Have we withdrawn fellowship from those who have departed from the faith? Have we made certain that everyone who visits us feels welcome? Or do we just figure that someone else is taking care of these things?
God cares about His reputation; Jesus prayed about the actions of His followers. And most of us are concerned about our own image. We stay out of debt and pay our bills so that no one will look at us as deadbeats. Are we as concerned about being spiritual deadbeats? Are we more anxious about our personal reputations than the reputations we have as Christians? Are we faithful representations of Jesus? Do we honor Him in the works we do?
At a very young age, children will imitate their parents. In fact, their actions can be downright frightening. A child may walk or sit the way His father does. He may use the same expressions he heard his mother say–either good or bad. Children frequently do not discern between good and bad actions or speech; lacking analytical skills, they just imitate.
The Word of God describes our heavenly Father. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John show us the way Jesus behaved in a variety of circumstances. The pattern is there for us to follow. Children imitate their parents out of love and admiration for them. Should Christians do less? We are not our own; we were bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20). We have God’s reputation to think of.