I started feeling sick a week ago. I thought it was just a cold, so I loaded up on cold medicine. All week. Yesterday, I started on an antibiotic for a sinus infection.
It hasn’t been a great month so far. Of course, compared to others, my month has been wonderful. In Numbers 20, in the first month of the year, the Israelite community has been wandering in the desert for 40 years. They arrive at the Desert of Zin and camped at a place called Kadesh.
It’s there that Miriam, Moses’ sister dies.
In the very next verse, we learn that the whole community gathers in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They’re not happy about the desert, the lack of food and the lack of water. After 40 years, they’ve had enough.
So your sister dies and then the people you’ve been leading for 40 years decide now is a good time to rebel against your leadership.
Moses and Aaron retreat to the Tent of Meeting and fall facedown. The Tent of Meeting is the place where God shows up to speak, which He does. He tells Moses to take his staff and “speak to that rock” which will then pour out water.
Moses does what God commands. Well, almost.
Rather than speaking to the rock, Moses hits it with his staff. Twice. The good news is that even though Moses hits the rock rather than speaking to it–water still pours out. The bad news is really bad though. Because Moses hit the rock rather than speak to it–God tells him that he and Aaron will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
In verse 12, it says:
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.”
After 40 years of leading this ungrateful mob through the desert, Moses and Aaron learn they won’t be crossing the Jordan River because they didn’t do exactly what God commanded.
Does God’s response seem out of proportion? Honestly, it does to me. But I’m not seeing the situation from God’s perspective. And that’s the only one that matters.
It’s time to break camp and move on, so Moses sends messengers to the king of Edom. Moses asks for permission to pass through his country. He tells the king they’ll stay on the road and not pass through and fields or vineyards or drink any of the water.
The king says “no.”
Moses tries again and tells the king he’ll pay for any water they drink as they pass through.
Again, the king says “no,” but this time sends out a large, powerful army to back up what he said.
So Moses leads Israel away from Edom and they head toward Mount Hor. That’s when God speaks again:
At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.”
Moses did what God commanded. The three of them go up to the mountain top. Aaron dies. Then Moses and Eleazer come down. When the community learns that Aaron had died, they mourn for 30 days.
And so ends Numbers chapter 20. It begins with the death of Miriam. Along the way, Moses learns he won’t be making the trip into the Promised Land. A large, powerful army faces him down. And then Aaron, his right hand man, dies.
Moses and Aaron, the two men responsible for leading the nation of Israel for 40 years, are guilty of committing a serious offense against God: they did not trust Him and rebelled against His command.
Hitting a rock rather than speaking to it may not seem like such a big deal to us, but it is to God. His commands aren’t suggestions. They are meant to be obeyed.
It doesn’t mean there isn’t grace and forgiveness. There is. But I wonder how often we miss out on opportunities and blessings because we choose to do things our own way rather than God’s.
Is there something God has told you to do? In a certain way?
It’s best to just do it.
Why miss out on God’s best?