Lesson 1 – Sharing an Insight

It wasn’t a big deal or was it?  Moses chose to hit the rock instead of speaking to it as God told him to do.  God still gave the people the water that they wanted.  But Moses suffered the consequences of his deliberate disregard of the instructions that God had given to him.  In those moments Moses learned a huge and unforgettable lesson, I think.  It’s too easy to rationalize an inappropriate verbal response or a critical attitude on the basis that it is “just a little thing” or that the other person really deserved it.  Dear Lord, please help me to follow your directions carefully.

3 Responses to Lesson 1 – Sharing an Insight

  1. Marilyn i noticed the same thing and wondered, did Moses still have an issue with trusting God completely…wholeheartedly? He questioned God from the beginning, arguing that he was not the man God should use to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and continued throughout. While he did eventually do as the Lord asked, in this instance shouldn’t he have trusted that simply speaking the words of God would suffice?
    Let me add though, I probably would have done as Moses had since this was what God had Moses do in the past.
    Oh Lord, help me to have ears to hear you wholeheartedly!

  2. I think God was upset with Moses because the Israelites were watching Moses disobey His command. If God allowed Moses to disobey His command, would the Israelites think it was okay to disobey God also. God was serious about them obeying His commandments, and this was an example of what could happen if they didn’t obey Him.

    Numbers 20:12
    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.”

  3. What was Moses thinking here, “if I strike the rock it will be more dramatic or powerful”? Whatever he was thinking he allowed himself to step of of God’s will and into his own. Taking back my will always spells trouble for me. I just wish I was better at discerning my will from His sometimes. In any case, God would need to reestablish sovereignty here. When it comes to God’s will for us we are foolish to not submit to it. It is for our own good.

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