Speaking, Not Striking

Ever felt like you've totally lost control of a situation? I know I have! The reality is that we aren't ever really in control of anything that happens, but we like to act and think as if we were. Moses was put in one such situation in Numbers 20. The people of Israel have been going through the wilderness, complaining pretty much the whole journey, and they end up in a place called Kadesh. Kadesh made for great camping, except that it didn't have any water! Numbers 20:2 says, "Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying, 'If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!" When the people complain, Moses and Aaron initially act wisely: they go to the Lord. V.6 says, "So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them." 

The best response to a crisis is always to first turn to the Lord! And God appears to Moses and Aaron in His glory. He gives them the answer to the people's needs: "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water." God has an answer ready for the people's need: they will receive water from the most unlikely place. The rock at Kadesh will be split open and pour out enough water to satisfy the millions of Israel and their animals! But Moses is only going to speak to the rock. Just as he laid hold on God's presence by simply seeking God in prayer, so he will receive God's provision by simply speaking to the rock. It is God's power, not his own, that will split the rock and provide for the people.

But Moses is frustrated! He has had enough of the Israelites and their accusations against him. So instead of approaching the situation as God directed him, Moses gathers the people and says, "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod". Moses' good start in going to God in prayer is now ruined by his angry attitude toward the people. He not only gets angry at these "rebels", but he sinfully puts himself in God's place. Notice how he asked, "Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" GOD is the one who provides the water, not Moses or Aaron. On top of that, Moses expresses his self-glorifying attitude by striking the rock (twice!) instead of speaking to it, as God had commanded. 

When we're thrown into those out-of-control situations, our sinful instinct is to always try to fix the problem ourselves. We see that we aren't as "in charge" as we imagined and we want to reclaim our imagined sense of control. Instead of looking to God to split the rocks for us, we speak of bringing water out ourselves. Instead of speaking to the rock, we strike hard in our own strength. 

When Jesus was teaching about not being anxious and trusting God instead He said these words, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (Matt 7:7) God knows everything that you need, Christian, and He has promised to provide for everything you need. The water is going to pour out of the rock! But receive the water by asking, not demanding. Don't strike the Rock, but speak to Him. He will answer the one who asks Him in faith.