Scripture: Numbers 20:1–13
Additional Scripture: Exodus 17:1–7; Deuteronomy 9:20; 1 Corinthians 10:1–12
By the time we reach Numbers 20, I think Moses deserves a little sympathy. For nearly forty years, he’s been leading the Israelites through the wilderness, listening to their complaints, settling their disagreements, and trying to keep them moving in the direction God has called them to go. If they weren’t complaining about the food, they were complaining about the water. And when they weren’t complaining about either of those, somebody was questioning his leadership. I wonder if there were mornings when Moses heard someone calling his name and thought, Oh, Lord, what now?
And remember, Moses wasn’t exactly a young man anymore. He was approaching 120 years of age, and the Israelites were nearing the end of their wilderness years. After everything they had been through, the Promised Land was almost within reach. You would think there might have been a little excitement in the camp, perhaps even some gratitude for the Lord’s faithfulness. But apparently, complaining had become something of a national pastime, and the next generation was doing a fine job of carrying on the tradition.
But there’s something else happening in Numbers 20 that we shouldn’t overlook. Miriam, Moses’ sister, has died at Kadesh. This was the same sister who had watched over him as an infant when his mother placed him in a basket along the Nile. She had been part of his life from the very beginning, and now she was gone. Scripture doesn’t tell us how Moses was dealing with her death, but anyone who has lost someone they love knows that grief doesn’t politely wait until we’ve finished everything else on our calendar. Life keeps moving, responsibilities keep coming, and sometimes we’re expected to carry on when our hearts are still trying to catch up.
And wouldn’t you know it, here come the Israelites again. This time, they’re complaining because there’s no water. Now, to be fair, being thirsty in the wilderness is a legitimate concern. They had children and livestock to care for, and water wasn’t something they could simply pick up at the nearest grocery store. But instead of remembering how faithfully God had provided for them, they gathered against Moses and Aaron, questioning why they had been brought out of Egypt in the first place. After nearly forty years, they were still looking backward instead of trusting the God who had brought them this far.
I wonder whether Moses ever thought, Lord, haven’t we had this conversation before? Actually, they had. In Exodus 17, the Israelites faced a similar situation at Rephidim. On that occasion, God instructed Moses to strike the rock with his rod, and water came forth. But this time, at Kadesh, God’s instructions were different. Moses was to take the rod, gather the congregation with Aaron, and speak to the rock before their eyes. God would provide the water.
Moses and Aaron had gone before the Lord and received His instructions. Moses took the rod, gathered the people with Aaron, and stood before the rock. But instead of speaking to it, he turned toward the congregation and said, “Hear now, you rebels!” (Numbers 20:10, NKJV). Then he lifted his hand and struck the rock twice. Not once, but twice. I can’t help wondering whether forty years of listening to the same complaints had finally caught up with him. We aren’t told exactly what Moses was thinking, but Psalm 106:32–33 tells us that the people provoked him and that he spoke rashly. Whatever was happening in his heart, his frustration had found its way into his words and actions.
And here’s what I find so interesting. Although Moses disobeyed, God’s grace still provided water for the people. Not just a trickle, either. Scripture tells us that water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. But the fact that God provided didn’t mean Moses and Aaron had faithfully carried out His instructions. The Lord had something to say about what happened, and His words reveal that the problem went much deeper than striking a rock.
In Numbers 20:12, the Lord spoke to both Moses and Aaron, saying, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel…” Now, think about that for a moment. God didn’t simply say they had disobeyed. He said they had not believed Him. These were the men who had stood before Pharaoh, witnessed the Red Sea part, and watched God faithfully provide for Israel year after year. Surely they believed God! And yet, in this particular moment, they failed to trust Him enough to follow His instructions.
I think there’s a distinction here that we sometimes overlook. Believing in God and believing what God says should never be separated in the way we live. We can read our Bibles, talk about God’s faithfulness, and encourage others to trust Him, but then something happens that pushes our patience a little too far, and suddenly we’re handling things our own way. We may never question God’s ability to do something, but our actions sometimes reveal that we’re struggling to trust His wisdom. And I wonder how often I’ve done that myself without even recognizing it.
But the Lord’s words didn’t stop with unbelief. Moses and Aaron had also failed to hallow God’s name before the people. To hallow means to regard as holy, to honor God as the One who is set apart and worthy of our reverence. These two men had been appointed to lead Israel, and their words and actions were supposed to reflect the character of the One they represented. Scripture specifically describes Moses’ angry words and his striking of the rock, but God holds both brothers accountable. God was preparing to show mercy to a thirsty, complaining people, and His appointed leaders had failed to honor Him as He commanded.
And while we’re considering Aaron, there’s something from earlier in Israel’s history worth remembering. This was the same Aaron who had fashioned the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai (Exodus 32). In Deuteronomy 9:20, Moses tells us that the Lord had been angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but Moses interceded for his brother, and Aaron was spared. Think about that. Aaron had participated in leading the people into idolatry, yet he had experienced God’s remarkable mercy. Now, nearly forty years later, he stood beside Moses at Kadesh, and both brothers were held accountable for failing to believe God and honor Him as holy. Scripture doesn’t tell us that their unbelief at Meribah was a greater sin than the idolatry at Sinai, but it does remind us that receiving God’s mercy yesterday never removes our responsibility to trust and obey Him today.
And there’s something else about this account that I find remarkable. We have to turn to the New Testament to see it. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul reminds the believers in Corinth of Israel’s experiences in the wilderness. He speaks of the spiritual food they ate and the spiritual drink they received, and then makes this extraordinary statement: “and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4, NKJV).
Now, isn’t that something? We read about Moses standing before a rock in the wilderness, but Paul directs our attention to the One who had been sustaining Israel all along. The water was a physical provision for a very real need, but Christ was their spiritual Rock, the true source of their sustaining provision. Through all those years of wandering, all those complaints, and all those occasions when the people failed to trust Him, the Lord had remained faithful.
And it makes me think about how patient the Lord has been with us. How many times have we complained about something He has already carried us through before? How often have we questioned His care because our circumstances weren’t what we wanted them to be? Yet His faithfulness doesn’t disappear simply because ours falters. The same Christ who sustained Israel in the wilderness is the One we depend upon today, and I’m rather grateful that His patience isn’t limited to the amount I sometimes have for other people.
But Paul wasn’t reminding the Corinthians of Israel’s history simply to encourage them. He was also warning them. In 1 Corinthians 10:12, he writes, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Those words ought to give us something to think about, especially when we consider Moses and Aaron. After decades of walking with the Lord, they still needed to trust and obey Him in that particular moment. Their past faithfulness did not remove their present responsibility, and neither does ours.
And that’s where this account becomes a little uncomfortable, because I suspect we can understand Moses more than we’d like to admit. Haven’t we all had moments when we’ve been patient about as long as we think anyone should reasonably expect? Maybe we’re dealing with a difficult family member, a situation that never seems to improve, or a problem we’ve prayed about more times than we can count. We start out wanting to respond with kindness and understanding, but somewhere along the way, our patience wears thin. Before we know it, we’re saying things we wouldn’t have said on a better day, and perhaps even feeling a little justified in saying them.
But being right about someone else’s behavior doesn’t necessarily make us right in the way we respond. Sometimes we’re so busy trying to straighten somebody else out that we forget to consider whether our own words and actions are honoring the Lord. We may have every reason to feel weary or frustrated, but we’re still called to reflect the character of Christ. And that includes those moments when we’d much rather give someone a piece of our mind than extend a measure of grace.
For Moses and Aaron, the consequences were painful. After nearly forty years of leading Israel through the wilderness, neither brother would enter the Promised Land. Aaron would die on Mount Hor, and Moses would later be brought to Mount Nebo, where the Lord allowed him to see the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What a sobering conclusion to so many years of faithful service. Their disobedience had consequences, but God’s promise to Israel remained sure, and His faithfulness had not changed.
Perhaps that’s what I want us to remember. No matter how long we’ve walked with the Lord, we never outgrow our need to depend upon Him. There will still be days when we’re hurting, when we’re weary, and when our patience seems to have disappeared somewhere between the morning coffee and the first difficult conversation. But those are the very moments when we need to remember who our Rock is.
After all, Moses wasn’t asked to make the water flow. That was God’s responsibility. Moses and Aaron were called to believe Him and faithfully carry out His instructions. And perhaps we need that same reminder when life becomes difficult and we’re tempted to take matters into our own hands. We don’t have to solve everything, straighten everybody out, or have the last word. We can trust the Lord, obey His Word, and leave the results in His hands.
The Rock was Christ. And the One who faithfully sustained Israel through the wilderness is still the One we can trust today.