Read Numbers 20 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
20:1-6 {p} Death of Miriam/ no water
20:7-11 {s} Moses draws water from the rock, but in disobedience
20:12-13 {s} Because Moses did not believe, he will not bring Israel in (Meribah)
20:14-21 {p} Edom refused Israel passage
20:22-29 {s} Death of Aaron
This incident always puzzled me. I thought it was hard of God, after Moses had served Him so faithfully for so many years without one mistake, for Him to prevent Moses from leading the people in to the Promised Land based on this one mistake.
The chapter makes a Chiastic Structure, though, that sheds some light on what happened:
Moses and Aaron saw the glory of YHVH (vs.6), but the children of Israel did not at that time. The E pairs of this structure reveal to us, that the way Israel saw YHVH’s glory was reflected in Moses’ obedience to the word of YHVH. Moses did not obey. He was to speak to the rock, and not strike it.
But even more than that, Moses was angry with the children of Israel. He said bitterly to them, “Hear now, you rebels!” And, “Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Was it Moses who was bringing water out of the rock, or YHVH? It was YHVH of course. Israel did not see the glory of YHVH reflected in His mighty works, as Moses and Aaron saw YHVH’s glory, because Moses and Aaron did not credit YHVH with the miracle. This is why I believe YHVH said to Moses, “Because … you did not hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
Furthermore, we learn that Moses’ bitterness and disobedience was motivated by unbelief (vs. 12).
For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Heb 3:16-19
This is the Gospel. We enter the promise of salvation and life everlasting, by faith, and not by any other way. Lack of faith, or unbelief, cannot inherit the promise. Because Moses did not believe, he also cannot enter the Promised Land. God is not being harsh. He is prophetically preaching the gospel of grace uncompromisingly from Torah for our sakes!
Leave a Reply