After everything God helped Moses to do on behalf of the nation of Israel, the people complained right to the very end. How exasperating that must have been for Moses and his sidekick Aaron. Hadn’t these people seen the miracles? Hadn’t they survived 39 years in the desert? Right before the Lord brings them into the promise land they were griping about their lack of water. Finally, Moses had all he could stand and went to the Lord.
“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. The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.’ So Moses took the staff from the Lord ‘s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 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 20:6-12
So, Moses snapped. But what was so terrible about striking that rock anyway? Hey, I’ve been that mad plenty of times. What’s the difference between talking to a rock and hitting it? It’s just a rock, right? Wrong! Moses and Aaron mistakenly did what many of us do. We forget it is through God’s power we do anything! He uses us because He wants to–but He doesn’t need our two-cents worth to perform any miracle. In fact, it’s a miracle He looks to us at all. God said, “Speak to that rock,” and Moses hit it instead. The Rock wasn’t just symbolic of Christ–the Scriptures say that it WAS the pre-incarnate Christ! I guess the Lord’s anger against Moses and Aaron was justified after all. Their lack of faith (thinking they needed to take things into their own hands) cost them entering the promise land.
“For I do no want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.” 1 Corinthians 10:1-5
In Christ,
PastorJimKilby @Kilbin8er Jim@JamesKilby.com