Moses' Big Mistake!

If we had to put it into today’s terms, we might say “it sucks to be Moses.” He was the man of God who strove with a million dependent Israelites for 40 years, trying to lead them to a closer walk with God while also leading them into the Promised Land. In the end, after those 40 years of service, he was allowed to look at the Promised Land from atop a mountain, but He would not lead the Israelites into it (Num 27:12).

After being miraculously set free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites saw God part the Red Sea and beckon them through; afterward they watched it spill over and swallow the entire Egyptian army. For 40 years God never left them: they were protected and led through the desert by a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of clouds by day.

But during those years of being led and provided for by God, they complained nearly every step of the way. And each time they complained God supplied them with food, water, rest, protection, etc., etc. etc. But it was Moses who heard their complaints. He carried their pains and problems to God and in turn brought back God’s answers in the form of miraculous supply and protection.

So by the time they arrived at Meribah, after many years of leading the Israelites, Moses was likely becoming impatient and tired, as were the Israelites. But tiredness feels different when you’re on the side of receiving complaints as opposed to being on the side of giving them. Such was the case with Moses; he was wearied from hearing the continued complaints of the Israelites!

“We’re thirsty and there’s no water here. We should have stayed in Egypt! Our children and animals are going to die! We should have died when our brethren died [after they rebelled against God]” (Num. 20). Such were the complaints at Meribah, where Moses and Aaron went before God to once again receive His answers. God’s immediate reply to Moses was: “take your rod, gather the congregation and speak to this rock as they watch. It will yield enough water for them and their animals.”

We are given no indication that God was angry or irritated with the Israelites: the message was straight forward and simple. It was just one more circumstance in which God would show Himself as their faithful and continuous Caregiver and Supplier, even in the driest of circumstances. But Moses was fed up! So instead of delivering the message in the way God showed him, he struck the rock, declared that he and Aaron we’re bringing water from the rock, and called them rebels (Num 20:9-10).

This was the wrong answer, wrong heart attitude and wrong way to represent God! While the Israelites were complainers, Moses himself was rebellious in his actions and words, and God called him out on it. He had taken the credit and glory for bringing them water, but God had supplied it. He had struck the rock, using the force of anger and aggression, when God called for him to speak to the rock. In the end, because of this outburst, Moses was not given the privilege of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Perhaps this seems harsh, seeing that Moses had put up with the complaints of the Israelites for the last 40 years. But Moses’ calling was to first and foremost represent the heart and character of God to a wandering and helpless people. He was a messenger, but he stepped into God’s shoes and used God’s power to release his aggression on those he was sent to serve. In the end, God told Moses that he had not shown His holiness to the people and he hadn’t believed God; he had delivered the message with unsanctified emotions and actions, effectively causing them to think that this was how God was delivering his blessing to them. Moses also showed a lack of faith; he didn’t trust that God would bring the water out of the rock simply by speaking to it.

This one incident certainly doesn’t wipe out the years of love and guidance that Moses gave to the Israelites through God’s continued presence and anointing. In fact, in Matthew 17 we see that Moses has more than stepped into the Promised Land when he appears on the Mt. of Transfiguration with Elijah and Jesus. But this incidence of rebellion does show us the importance of going before the Lord to sanctify our own emotions and frustrations before dealing with God’s people! We must never use God’s power to misrepresent Him to others!

Someone might say that this is Old Testament stuff, and God gives us grace, grace, grace today. While that is true, God’s character has not changed; today we would expect that He’d supply all of our needs, just as He supplied water from the rock in the desert. Then we should also expect that He calls us to be the kind of messengers that He called Moses to be: those who lead and deliver His message with the holiness of His character! This means that the authority and power of God is to be delivered with His heart and intent – otherwise it is a misrepresentation of Him and a usurping of His omnipotence and supremacy!

Let us take a lesson from Moses’ mistake (as well as the mistakes of the complaining Israelites), seeing that all of these words are written as examples from which we may learn (1 Cor 10:6). Let us be instruments in His hands, it is not the other way around: He is never an instrument in our hands! We can take example from Moses rebellion: although he worked diligently, he was never able to take the last few steps to the completion of his calling.

God, help us to never take your power and purpose and represent you through our frustrations, anger or unsanctified emotions! You are holy; cause us to represent you as the Holy God, perfect in all of your ways!