2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. ... 4 "Why did you bring the Lord's community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?" ... 6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff ... Speak to that rock ... and it will pour out water." ... 9 So Moses took the staff ... 10 He and Aaron gathered the people ... "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out ... 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."
Numbers 20
It seems like a little thing.
God said, "Staff + Rock = Water," right?
So Moses went with the staff to the rock and as a result of his ministry, water poured out. Mission accomplished, right?
So how come God was so angry and the result of this "little thing" was Moses never being able to enter the Promised Land?
Read it again: the formula wasn't "Staff + Rock = Water." The formula was "God = Water and Provision." And while it would be bad enough for Moses to think, "Staff + Rock = Water," what Moses essentially said to Israel was, "Staff + Rock + me (Moses) = Water."
Moses said, "Listen, you rebels, must WE bring you water out of this rock?" (emphasis added).
Moses knew God -- knew him personally, like virtually no human before or since. He'd conversed with face to face. He'd seen God's glory. He witnessed the sheer awesomeness of God's power and provision. Moses knew he wasn't God -- not be a million miles.
But ... God had used Moses so many times that Moses almost began to view himself as a partner, an equal (of sorts), a co-actor.
No!
Moses was a servant ... at best.
He was a proud, willful, rebellious human being ... at heart. And when he presumed -- even just a little bit -- to stand in the place of God, God needed to humble him ... for the sake of Israel ... and for the sake of himself.
The punishment seems harsh. You cannot enter into the Promised Land. But it's wrong to capitalize "promised land" as if it is The Promised Land. God didn't just want to give Moses and Israel a few earthy acres. He wanted to give them an eternal inheritance. And hearts of rebellion, presuming that we are God, don't open the gates to The Eternal Promised Land.
God humbled Moses temporarily so that he could ultimately bless Moses eternally. (Which we know Moses received, because he appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration.)
Do you trust God that much ... especially when you aren't receiving what you "want" at any given moment in life?
In Christ's Love,
a guy who wants to get
the word problems in life right:
Staff (physical) + Water (physical) ≠ Living Water (spiritual)
God + anything = Life and Hope and Peace and Joy
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