We are encouraged to imitate many things in Scripture.  “Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1), “be imitators of me as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), and “imitate the faith of your leaders” are some of the many encouragements we receive from God to imitate something or someone.  But, there can be a danger found in imitation as well.  This week, a local pastor shared some words with our group and they have stuck with me all week.  He said:
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God loves to do the same thing…differently.

This pastor warned our group about the tendency which exists in each of us to seek favorable results by imitating the actions that previously led us or another person to those results.  Sadly, we can even turn from obeying God’s voice, which is what Moses did.

You’ll remember in Exodus 17 that the people grumbled to Moses for water, so God said:

5 Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink. (Ex 17:5–6)

Then in Numbers 20, the people of Israel are again complaining for water, so God tells Moses:
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8 Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and cheap Zoloft tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.  (Nu 20:7–8)

God loves to do the same thing…differently.  His desire is to nourish His people and allow them to see that He is their provider.  Yet, this time, He instructs Moses to tell the rock to yield its water to the people rather than strike it.  So, what does Moses do?  Does He listen to the instructions of God?  No, he goes with the ol’ tried and true method that worked last time.  He proceeds with the staff in his hand, a strong striking motion with his arm, and a trust that it will produce the same results.

In essence it does, as the water once again flows to the people, but we see the devastating consequences later when Moses is not allowed to enter the promised land.  The reason God gives…”Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel” (Numbers 20:12).

We learn from this that sometimes a lack of faith in God leads us to imitate someone or something to try an produce the same results.  We want our kids to be obedient in a certain way and instead of turning to God for direction and walking in faithful obedience to His commands, we turn to the latest parenting book or try to imitate the practices of the parents in the 2nd row at church whose kids sit so quietly.  We desire to see unbelievers come to faith, but instead of seeking God through prayer and following His lead, we immediately run to the newest cookie-cutter ideas in how to share the gospel and lead someone to faith or copycat the super-evangelist in our church.

It’s been a good reminder to me this past week that God loves to do the same thing…differently.  The goal is glorifying God by enjoying Him wherever I am, not to produce particular results.