"It's a small matter."

"The Israelites said to him, 'We'll go up by the road. If we drink from your water, either we or our livestock, we'll pay for it. It's a small matter. We would only ask to cross on foot.' But he said, 'You won't cross.' Then Edom came out against them with a powerful army and a strong hand."

(Numbers 20:19-20)

"You're making a mountain out of a molehill," or so the expression goes. Making a big fuss over something that's really not that big of a deal. It happens ALL THE TIME doesn't it? Usually in connection with children who get upset about something and aren't able to have a proper perspective on the situation. But, let's be honest... we adults do it too, don't we?

There's a story in the Old Testament that occurred during the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. They were "on the move' (as they were quite often during that time) and they wanted to pass through the land of Edom. They made a request to peacefully pass through, and were immediately denied. They then said if it's a matter of limited resources, they'd pay for any water they (or their animals) drank while passing through. Again, denied. But this time, the Edomite army came out in force to show how serious they were. At one point, the Hebrew delegation said, quite honestly, "It's a small matter." Meaning, this really shouldn't be a big deal. Edam disagreed. Forcefully.

Now maybe the Edomites were worried the Hebrews were just pretending to be "passing through," and actually had intentions of taking over their territory. Of course, we know that wasn't the case... but it could have been a legitimate concern on they part. In the end, they unwillingness to allow safe passage came back to bite the Edomites... as many years later the Hebrews "paid them back" for their lack of hospitality.

Now I'm not condoning seeking revenge when you've been wronged. But the part of this story that stuck out to me was the fact that we ten, from time to time, to make a BIG DEAL of of little things. It's probably our lack of maturity, if we're honest. W need to have a broader perspective. Instead of reacting quickly to a request, we can look to God for wisdom and insight. We might just be surprised at how the Spirit works through us in new ways.