The Cost of Disobedience

"'Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.' So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, 'Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?' Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.'" -Numbers 20.8-12

This is perhaps the saddest moment in the life of Moses. He's led the people from Egypt to Sinai, and then from Sinai to the edge of the Promised Land with them complaining the whole way and asking if they can turn around and go back to Egypt. Things had gotten so bad that God sentenced them to forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Moses would have to put up with their complaining for four decades, but at the end he would lead the nation into the land.

But then we have this event at Meribah. The people need water and complain to Moses about their thirst. Moses in turn falls face down in humble submission to God and God tells him to speak to the rock and water will come forth. Moses goes to the rock and gathers the people and just as God's power is about to be shown off again, Moses disobeys and instead of speaking hits the rock twice with his staff. God doesn't abandon him, water still comes out for the people, but God is displeased with Moses.

I don't know if it was out of anger with the people, for some reason up until this read through I thought it was, but the text doesn't seem to indicate that here. I don't know if it was simply lack of faith because up to this point everything had been accomplished with the staff. I don't know why he did it this way, but it cost him more than he wanted to pay, more than he ever expected to lose.

Because of his lack of trust and disobedience, God will no longer allow Moses to lead the people into the Promised Land. He will lead them through the wilderness for the next forty years, he'll even get to see it from the top of Mt. Nebo, but his feet will never step on the soil. Because of his lack of trust he missed out on the blessing of the land, the hope that probably kept him going through all of the complaining.

There is an important lesson in this story. In January of 2013 I was on my second Israel trip, this one included a few days in Jordan, and aside from Petra the thing I was most looking forward to was the view from the top of Nebo. On a clear day you're supposed to be able to see North to the Sea of Galilee, and West to the Mediterranean. Sadly the clear days happen in the summer and I could just barely make out the northern tip of the Dead Sea. But my time on top of the mountain resulted in one of the greatest lessons I received from a brilliant biblical scholar.

One of my professors was on the trip and pointed out that in this event God shows that no one, not even a leader whom he speaks with as a friend, is able to get away with disobedience. Everyone is held accountable for how they respond to God, and no disobedience will be overlook or go unpunished.

Men, are you disobeying God? What rock have you been commanded to speak to, and yet you are hitting it instead?

Remember, God may not abandon you, water still came from the rock when Moses hit it, but his disobedience was not permitted. God took away the Promised Land from Moses. What will your disobedience cost you?

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor