08/06/2008 Numbers 20:1

08/06/2008

Numbers 20:1 - 12 (HCSB) ¹ The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. ²There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. ³The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD. ⁴Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? ⁵Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!”

⁶Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell down with their faces [to the ground], and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

⁷The LORD spoke to Moses, ⁸“Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock.” ⁹So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence just as He had commanded him.

¹⁰Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

¹²But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.”

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I have heard people say of the passage above that Moses knew there was water in the stone and that he only pretended a miracle when he struck the rock revealing the water underneath. I suppose if this were the only miracle associated with Moses, it might be more plausible, but in light of the many miracles recorded, I see no reason to doubt the divine nature of the event.

But the problem remains, God commanded Moses to speak to the stone. If people from my era could argue away the divine nature of the event, surely people of Moses’ day could, and would do the same. We see later in the passage that God is displeased with Moses’ striking the rock rather than speaking to it. And for this infraction, neither Moses nor Aaron will enter the Promised Land.

Now, to us, this may seem like a little thing – rather nit-picky. But the truth of the matter is, God knows what is in the hearts of men and He prescribes events in order to demonstrate His purposes. If we fail to follow His commands explicitly, then we run the risk of people murmuring – just like the people who claim that Moses faked the miracle.

A second principle to keep in mind is that the more authority that is entrusted to us, the more important it is that we stay in tune with God’s instructions. Moses had been entrusted with the leadership of Israel. This had been re-affirmed by God several times. Yet, Moses, no doubt frustrated with this obstinate people, reacted by striking the rock rather than speaking as he was instructed. We should never let our own emotion or agenda eclipse what God has instructed. For this seemingly small misstep, Moses would not be allowed to enter the land to which he was leading the entire nation of Israel. Imagine Moses great and bitter disappointment.

Finally, keep in mind that God does not need us in order to achieve His objectives. But He graciously allows us to participate in His plan. When we do so, we must be careful to listen closely and act only as directed.

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