"The Patience of God"

 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.” (Numbers 20:8-9 ESV)

In the time of Moses and the Old Testament, God conversed directly with His creation. There should have been no confusion about what God wanted done by the prophet, the King, or His designee. Why would one, to whom God has spoken, willingly disobey?

Even Moses, whom God used extensively, spoke to frequently, and even appeared before, disobeyed God. Again, I ask why? Because it is the nature of all humans to disobey God. To take what God has given us and distort it, or refuse it.

Moses was told by God to “tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.” But that is not what Moses did to the rock. Moses wrote in Numbers, “Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock” (vv 10-11).

Perhaps it was the frustration with Israel that led Moses to deviate from God’s instruction to tell the rock to bring forth water. Perhaps it was his anger, a lack of patience, but whatever the reason, Moses disobeyed God. God was not happy with Moses or Aaron, his brother, as God said, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 

Moses was counted as righteous by God. Yet, even Moses, who witnessed God's miracles, disobeyed. This should remind us that no believer is sinless. Recognizing our own disobedience helps us approach God with humility and dependence on His mercy.

The human being is a creation of God that has been infected with the sickness of sin. Even the prophets were shown not to be sinless. We have also been given the scriptures through which we can understand what God commands us to do in our lives. We tend to live in our guilt, carrying what God has forgiven. Yes, we may have hurt others in our sin, but most of us ask for forgiveness or try to make right what we have wronged as part of our reconciliation to God. This is the first step in our personal healing haven already been spiritually healed by the Lord.

God did not forget Moses; he died at 120 on Mt. Nebo, having seen the promised land from afar. This reminds us of God’s mercy and faithfulness, even when we fall short, and of Moses’ unwavering dedication to God.  Moses lived with God. We know this to be true because he appeared before Christ on Mt. Tabor during the transfiguration of the Lord:

“And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.” (Matthew 17:1-3)

Even though we are all sinners, those who have found salvation in Christ have received God's mercy and grace through forgiveness. Have you truly sought salvation through faith in Christ? If not, consider doing so today; only God knows what tomorrow holds for each of us, and His mercy is waiting.

Grace and Peace.