"Moses Strike the Rock"

Well, again, I want to say good morning. It's good to have you here.

And I want to just remind you, as Tom said earlier, if you are feeling hot and need to get up,

move to a different zone so you can feel a fan or go downstairs and continue to engage in our service

on the live stream in the air conditioning, please feel free to do that.

In great stories, there are always inflection points.

And if you are particularly a teen here and you want to read these books,

you may want to plug your ears because I'm about to give you spoilers, okay?

Obi-Wan falls to the lightsaber of Darth Vader in the Death Star at the end of the original New Hope.

Dumbledore, okay, have you plugged your ears?

All right, so Dumbledore meets his fate at the top of the Astronomy Tower in Hogwarts.

And in the minds of Moria, again, if you haven't read The Lord of the Rings, plug your ears,

Gandalf falls into the abyss at the bridge of Khazad-dûm.

And in each of these situations, the main characters, Luke, Skywalker, Harry Potter,

Frodo Baggins, and the company ask the question, how do we go on?

Where do we need to look for help, for leadership, for guidance?

During the…in these inflection points, in these turning points,

they feel fear, confusion, and uncertainty about how to go forward.

In the journey of our life, we may also come to inflection points along the way.

It might be starting a new job or having a promotion, a new company.

It might be heading off to junior high or high school coming up this fall.

Maybe that you're getting married or having a baby or having another baby.

All of these are inflection points in our lives.

Perhaps you've suffered great loss.

Maybe a loved one or even a pet or a job or a hope.

They cause the same feelings in us.

Confusion, fear, uncertainty.

How do we move forward?

What would God want us to know about Himself in these moments?

This is what brings us to our passage today.

We'll be looking at Numbers chapter 20.

Numbers 20 · chapter mention

This summer, we are preaching through the book of Numbers in the Old Testament.

If you're looking at the Pew Bible, that's page 119 in the Pew Bibles or around there.

We're looking.

And as we go through, you will see we're going to focus particularly on the narrative story

in verses 2 through 13 this morning.

So we're not going to teach through the whole chapter.

We're just going to focus on that story.

But if you haven't been here or just to remind us of where we are in the whole Bible, right?

Numbers is the book about God leading His people on a journey through the wilderness.

God had in the book of Exodus delivered His people from Egypt, brought them to Mount Sinai,

revealed Himself with great signs and wonders.

And they camped there as they received the law and began to learn what it meant to be God's people.

The book of Numbers begins as the people set out from the Mount of Sinai,

heading towards the promised land that God would promise to take them into.

But despite all of God's great signs of faithfulness to them,

the people struggled and failed to trust and believe God in this journey through the wilderness.

They complained about food and about water.

They rebelled against God's leaders.

In Numbers 13, they came to the brink of the promised land,

and they went in and spied it out.

And they came back and they said,

There's no way God can help us.

We're afraid.

We don't want to do this.

And so God in His judgment said,

If that's how you feel, fine.

My judgment is that this generation will not enter in to the promised land.

But your faithfulness, faithlessness, will not deter my faithfulness.

So the next generation I will take in.

So you are now going to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

And in that time, He reaffirmed His appointment of the leadership of Moses and Aaron in the priesthood.

And He asked them again and again to trust Him.

To believe in His saving purposes.

That God will deliver us from our enemies.

To trust in His provision.

That God will give us the things that we need.

Manna and water.

That God, He calls us to live with hope in His promises.

That what God has said He will do.

He will bring it to completion.

When we come to Numbers 20 then, it's a turning point.

Because suddenly, we are 40 years ahead.

Right?

The generation that was condemned for not believing God and going into the promised land.

Had pretty much died out.

And the new generation had raised up.

And you see this in a number of different ways.

You see this new place coming up.

You see that there's an inflection point in the leadership.

Right?

Chapter 20 begins in verse 1 with the death of Miriam.

Remember, Miriam was the prophetess.

The sister of Aaron and Moses.

Who helped lead the people and praise the Lord.

Right?

And we see at the end of the chapter that Aaron too.

His death is recorded in this.

And the passing on of the high priesthood to a new generation.

To his son, Eleazar.

And it's even an inflection point in the travel plans.

Because they're still thinking they're going to go to the promised land.

And in verses 14 through 21, they try to go through Edom.

And Edom says, no thanks.

We don't want your people walking through our land.

And so God redirects them to go south and around the long way.

So that God can show his faithfulness to them.

So there's your outline for the whole chapter.

If you missed it, you can go back and watch it on the video.

So, but the central narrative in this is verses 2 through 13.

So we're going to look at that today.

We're going to read it.

And we're going to explore it.

So if you want to read with me, Numbers chapter 20, verses 2 through 13.

Numbers 20:2–13

Numbers 20, verse 2.

Numbers 20:2

Now there was no water for the congregation.

And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

And the people quarreled with Moses and said,

Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord.

Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness?

That we should die here, both we and our cattle.

And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place?

It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates.

And there is no water to drink.

Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting

and fell on their faces.

And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

And the Lord spoke to Moses saying,

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.

Then 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.

And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

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.

These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord.

And through them he showed himself holy.

Let's pray and ask for God's help as we look at his word today.

Lord, thank you for this word.

Thank you for this morning that we can gather together.

And we pray for your help as we look at this.

Lord, help us to understand your word.

Lord, help us to not only understand it,

but Lord, make our hearts ready to receive it and to submit to it.

Search our hearts.

Lord, show us if there be any wicked way in us,

and lead us in the ways of everlasting.

Lord, be my help.

Help me to speak as I ought to this morning,

that your truth may be clear.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

So we're going to recount the story

so that we can pull out some of the details

and see it for all that we can see in it.

And then we're going to ask three questions at the end.

So if you're making an outline,

that's what we're going to do.

So the story comes in four movements, right?

In verses 2 through 5,

the new people, the new generation, complain.

Now remember, they are thinking, potentially,

the old guard, they got judged,

but we're now expecting blessing.

And so here they go,

and the first thing that happens to them is,

there is no water.

And this is not merely them overlooking something that was untrue.

It's not that they misperceived the situation.

The narrator himself says,

there was no water.

The question was, how would they respond to that?

Well, they complained.

Just like the earlier generation did,

they complained.

They were faithless.

They were accusatory of Moses and Aaron.

Why did you lead us out here to die?

It's interesting.

They even say, we wish we were like our brothers,

the brothers who were the rebels

who were swallowed up by the earth.

We wish that we would die instantaneously like them

rather than dying by starvation in the wilderness.

It's a pretty ugly picture of the people of God.

The second movement in this story is God's response.

In verses 6 through 8,

Moses and Aaron receive this.

They take it to the Lord,

and the Lord gives them instructions.

And it's so interesting, is it not?

Though in some of the other places,

God would have said,

these people are worthless and faithless,

and I'm going to judge them

and wipe them off of the face of the earth.

And then Moses and Aaron step in and say,

no, God, you have to keep your people to,

because you want, you have to keep your promises.

And then God relents,

and it goes on from here.

Here, you don't see any word at all of condemnation.

Right?

Look with me again at verse 7.

What does he say?

Where'd it go?

The Lord spoke and said,

he just said,

take the staff and assemble the congregation.

His goal is to provide for the people.

Right?

He gives Moses and Aaron particularly three instructions.

He said, go get the staff.

And what is the staff?

It's particularly here,

the staff of Aaron that they had,

if you go back and you have to listen to the sermon

from a couple weeks ago on Aaron's staff,

signifying that the priesthood was meant to be

a life-giving blessing to the people of God.

It was a signal of God's authority to these leaders,

but it was a signal of God's desire

to bless his people through their leadership.

So go get the staff from the tent of meeting.

Get it from its special place in the Holy of Holies.

Second thing, assemble the people.

And it's really interesting.

If you look carefully,

there are two different words through this passage.

One is assembly and one is congregation.

And God uses the word congregation,

typically, in a neutral or positive sense

to talk about the unified people of God.

But he uses the word assembly often

with the connotation of,

these are the people who are rebelling against me.

So when in verse 7,

God says,

go assemble the congregation,

he's saying,

pull the people together before me.

Right?

And then the third thing is,

he says,

speak to the rock

so that it will yield the water.

And God's promise is,

when you do these things,

the water will give rock,

sorry,

the rock will give water

to all the people.

Not only to all the people,

but all the livestock.

It's not just a trickle.

It's a gush.

It's a torrent.

It's a waterfall

to feed all these hundreds of thousands of people

and their livestock.

So God promises.

He instructs his leaders to do things

with the promise that God is going to provide

for the people through them.

The third movement,

in verses 9 through 11,

Moses and Aaron's surprising leadership.

This is very interesting.

The ESV does not help us

by putting a paragraph break

between verses 9 and 10

and a new title.

Okay?

So I want you to try to erase that from your brain

if you're looking at your Bible.

And just because in verse 9,

right,

it says Moses heard God

and he went

and he took the staff

out of the tent of meeting

as the Lord commanded him.

Now,

as the Lord commanded him

feels a little early,

doesn't it?

God gave him three instructions

and Moses did one of them.

Right?

So there's partial obedience.

But then what do you see in the rest of it?

Is it further obedience?

Well,

he gathers the people,

but again,

verse 10 says,

he gathered the assembly,

which is an indication perhaps

in the narrative

of something slightly off,

and his tone.

I tried to get it

when I was reading it earlier.

He says,

you rebels.

Right?

which is the word used

in chapter 16

for Korah and his followers

when they rose up

against the leadership

and God brought great judgment

on them.

He treated them

as worthy of judgment.

And he didn't say,

God has promised

to provide for you.

He said,

should you?

Should I bring water

out of the rock for you?

The implication,

I think,

is that he,

Moses was thinking,

these people are not deserving.

These people don't deserve

God's grace.

They don't deserve

God's provision.

And then the third thing he does

is he strikes the rock.

He lifts up his hand.

He strikes the rock.

He strikes it twice.

He lifts up his hand.

And the water gushes forth.

And God is faithful

and God provides the water

for the people.

We're going to come back

and explore this a little bit

because it's the first question.

Right?

So,

the fourth movement

in the story is

because it feels like,

hey,

this is great.

God has

totally provided

and this is wonderful

and let's go on

into the promised land.

Verse 12,

God's judgment

and vindication.

Right?

Verses 12 and 13,

water does come

from the rock,

but Moses and Aaron

are condemned.

Why?

For two reasons.

The text is clear.

The first one is,

you did not believe in me.

That is,

you did not trust me.

You did not trust my words.

Secondly,

you did not,

what's the phrase

that he uses particularly?

Uphold me as holy

in the eyes

of the people of Israel.

You did not represent me

as I truly am

in my heart

for these people

accurately.

You showed that

through your disobedience

and you showed that

through your attitude.

And God gave

the people water,

but there's a word

of rebuke

and condemnation

and consequence

for Moses and Aaron.

They would not see

the promised land

that this generation would.

Okay.

So that's the story.

I've tried to pull out

some of the details.

Let's talk about

the implications of it.

Three questions.

The first one is,

why was Moses and Aaron's

sin so significant?

And I put Moses and Aaron together

because as you go

through the story,

it's actually a little bit confusing

because it moves

from singular to plural

and back and forth

between just talking

about Moses

and talking about

Moses and Aaron.

And when you look

at verse 12,

when you see the judgment

on them,

it's on both of them.

And so I'm going to use

plural broadly

even though the text

goes back and forth

between Moses did this

and it doesn't specify

that Aaron did this.

The idea is that

they were doing this together

is what we see, right?

But why was it

such a big deal?

It kind of seems harsh

on a first read.

Like, seriously God?

They just,

they kind of misstepped

on a few of the details

and you like,

nope,

you can't see

the promised land?

That's a terrible,

that seems really harsh,

doesn't it?

Well, it does

until you see this

in the context

of the book

and understand

a few details

that are really important.

The first thing is

Moses and Aaron

were given particular roles.

If you go back and read,

if you remember

what we've seen

in Numbers 11 through 20,

God keeps propping them up.

Moses is the prophet.

He is the anointed one

that I have set aside

to lead these people

into the promised land.

He is to represent me

and He is to represent

the people to me.

So Moses has this unique role

as a mediator

and Aaron is held up

in chapters 16 through 19,

particularly in chapters 16 and 17.

Aaron is held up

as the high priest,

the one who goes

into the Holy of Holies

to make the sacrifices,

to atone for the sins

of the people.

So these two people

had a unique role

in the people of God

at the time.

And God gave them staffs.

And I'm going to say

two of them

because this is kind of important,

right?

Each of them had a staff

that symbolized

their authority.

And I went back and looked

and I'll tell you,

I just want to be clear.

The writer isn't always clear

on which staff

is which staff,

okay?

But here we go,

right?

The staff of Moses,

the staff that he used

as he raised up

to part the Red Sea,

right?

The staff that he used

to strike the rock

in Exodus 17

to bring water

the first time

and when the first generation

complained,

right?

This is the staff of Moses.

But remember,

the staff of Aaron,

now the staff of Aaron

was also used

back in the judgments

on Egypt.

It was a time

when Aaron would raise up

his staff

to be a part

of what God would do.

So again,

there's a bit of intermingling,

but they are two distinct staffs.

And at this point

in Numbers 20,

as I said,

Aaron's staff

has been put away

in the innermost place

where God's presence

dwells among his people

to be a testimony

of his faithfulness

and his desire to provide.

So God tells them,

go get that staff

so that you can hold it up,

not to strike the rock,

but to hold it up

to remind the people

that your leadership

is meant to be a blessing.

And they do that.

But then in verse 11,

it says,

Moses took his staff

and struck the rock.

not Aaron's staff.

Now,

we could have

a really good row

about the Hebrew particles

and whether this is

really a distinction or not,

but this was helpful for me

that it specified

it's Moses' staff

that he takes

to strike the rock

because it shows

how far he had gone

in disregarding

God's command.

because the point

of getting Aaron's staff

was to hold up

this sign of authority.

But Moses said,

no, I'm going to do this.

I'm going to get

my own staff

and struck the rock.

Right?

And so,

and part of this

is because it subverted

God's plan for this.

Because in this inflection point,

Moses has been

with the people

leading them,

but he's not going to be

with this new generation forever.

At some point,

he's going to die.

And what is going to continue

to lead and instruct

the people of God?

Interestingly,

not another prophet

like Moses,

but the words of Moses

written down in the law.

And so,

God is using this.

The command to speak

is trying to signify

a transition

that God wants to happen

among his people,

that it will not be

the person of Moses,

but the words of Moses

that will be their instruction.

And so,

when Moses subverts this

by striking the rock

and putting himself back in,

again,

the implications of it

are much greater.

And in all of this,

they misrepresented

the heart of God.

God came to this

undeserving people

who were complaining

just like the old generation

complained,

and was clear

that his purpose

was to bless them,

not because they deserved it,

but because he was

a gracious God

who would provide

for his people.

And they subverted that.

And they didn't represent God

as he truly was,

but instead thought,

God,

these people are people

you should judge

just like you judge

those other people,

and treated them

as in that way.

And because of this,

then,

this is the reason

why there was

a great judgment

upon them,

why they would not

enter into the promised land

with this new generation,

because they failed

in this unique role

that God had given them

to represent him.

And that is a great loss,

because this whole story

in this inflection point

is for God

to show the new generation

more about who he is,

and they distorted that.

Now,

before we move on,

I want to just think briefly.

Application for us.

The church is called

the New Testament

people of God,

a kingdom of priests

and a holy nation,

that we are meant

to represent Christ

in the world.

That's why we're called Christians,

because we represent Christ.

If we claim

to be the people of God,

do we take it seriously

that all of our actions,

all of our words,

all of our stewardship

of life

are meant to represent

the character of God?

More specifically,

do we obey God

in the specifics

of what he has commanded us

in the New Testament,

not just do the ones

that we agree with

or like?

When we do obey,

do we believe

that God will show

his glory

through our obedience?

Or do we obey

with doubt

and fear

of consequences?

Do we believe

believe that God

will provide for us?

Or do we grumble

and complain?

Do we,

like Moses and Aaron,

take up a part of God

and represent that

to the people

without representing

the fullness

of who he is?

some reflections

for us

as God's people.

The story goes on

because the purpose

of this story

is not to focus

on their sin,

but it's so that

we can see God.

Did you notice

in verse 6,

Aaron and Moses

turned to the tent

of meeting

and went there

and the glory

of the Lord

appeared,

right?

Now,

this happens

because that's

where he dwells

and when he shows up

to speak,

his glory…

So,

at some point,

it's very…

But it's also

right in the central…

center part

of the story

that the glory

of the Lord

appears.

So,

the second question

I want to ask is,

what does this story

tell us about God?

And you've probably…

You've heard this already.

God wanted to show

himself faithful again

to this new generation,

right?

Just like to the old generation

who he gave manna

in the wilderness

and he gave water

from the rock.

He wants to say…

show the same thing

to this.

He wants to show himself

to be the Lord

who announced himself

on Mount Sinai

to Moses

when Moses said,

tell me who you are,

let me see your glory.

And the Lord

passed by him

and said,

the Lord,

the Lord,

a God merciful

and gracious,

slow to anger

and abounding

in steadfast love

and faithfulness,

keeping steadfast love

for thousands,

forgiving iniquity

and transgression

and sin.

this is what the Lord

wants us to know

about him.

Yes, he is holy.

Yes, he will judge sin.

But at the end of the day,

he will do that

as a God

who is merciful

and gracious

and whose redemptive plan

is to rescue people

from that right judgment

by his own work.

He showed this

to the people

through providing them water

even though their leaders

sinned against him.

Right?

God didn't blink.

God didn't stop

Aaron and Moses

in the middle

and say,

whoa, whoa, whoa,

you guys got it wrong,

so sorry,

no water.

He said,

the water came out

and it was so abundant

it gushed out.

And this water

is a reminder

that he would provide

for them

in all things

along the way.

And we'll see this

as we go along.

He will provide

military victories

that they shouldn't be winning.

He will provide food

and allies

when they don't deserve it.

But all of this

is a down payment

of the promises

that he will ultimately fulfill,

meeting not just

our physical needs

but our spiritual needs.

Look at me at verse 13.

It's so striking here.

It says,

these are the waters

of Meribah

where the people of Israel

quarreled with the Lord.

Right?

This is the second Meribah.

The first one

is mentioned

in Exodus 17.

Right?

But in that context,

what did God do?

Through them,

through the very people

who quarreled

against him,

he showed himself holy.

He showed himself

as a God

like no other.

He showed himself

to be the Lord,

merciful and gracious,

slow to anger

and abounding

in steadfast love.

That's exactly

what he did

in this story.

He displayed his glory.

And this,

it's exactly

what he wanted

Moses and Aaron

to do

when they failed

to do it.

And God said,

I don't care

if you fail,

I'm going to do it anyway

so that this new generation

in this inflection point

will know

that this is the kind of God

that I am.

I am the God

who graciously provides.

I am the one

who brings water

out of rocks.

I am the one

who will provide

for you new leaders

in the new generation

when Aaron and Moses

and Miriam are gone.

I will take you

into the land

that I have given

to you.

I am your God.

Friends,

when we're facing

inflection points

in our lives,

we need to gaze

upon this God.

We need to remember

what He is like.

We need to recognize

how prone we are

to grumble

and complain,

to see difficult circumstances

and think that God

has abandoned us

in them

when in fact

He was always there

and He is ready

to show Himself

faithful in the midst of it.

and in transition,

how easily it is

for us to forget

what God has done

and look ahead

with fear and anxiety

rather than

with hopeful faith.

So that's the second question.

What do we see

about God in this?

And then the third one is,

what does this mean

for us today?

How are we to live

in light of this passage?

Remember what we read earlier,

what Carolyn read

from 1 Corinthians 10.

These stories are given

to us for our good.

Specifically,

did you hear

how it was mentioned?

I'm just going to re-read

the first beginning,

the first few verses again.

Paul writes this,

1 Corinthians 10,

1 through 4.

I do not want you

to be unaware,

brothers and sisters,

that our fathers

were all buried,

were all under the cloud

and all passed through the sea

and all were baptized

into Moses,

into the cloud

and in the sea

and all ate

the same spiritual food

and all drank

the same spiritual drink.

For they drank

from the spiritual rock

that followed them

and the rock

was Christ.

Do you see how

the New Testament,

I'm not just making it up

that this story

about some water

in the desert,

is pointing to

our salvation.

The New Testament

tells us that.

It tells us that

this rock is a picture.

It is an image

to help us understand

what God has done

in Jesus Christ.

That in Jesus,

in His life

and His death

and His resurrection,

He has achieved

victory over sin and death

so that He might be

the one

who comes to be

the bringer of life.

We who are in our sins

spiritually a wasteland

and a desert

without hope

and without any ability

to bring spiritual life

to ourselves,

God comes

and brings it to us

from the outside

making us born again,

having a new spiritual life

that wells up

like the water from a rock

wells up in us

when we place our faith

in Jesus.

Christ is the rock for us

and this is what

this passage tells us.

And if we wonder

if God is going to be faithful

in the circumstances

of our lives

and the inflection points

of our lives,

the New Testament reminds us

to look at the cross,

look at the empty tomb,

remember who Jesus is

and know this is where

we find life

and this is where

we find hope

and this is where

we know that God

will be faithful to us.

And even in the most

difficult circumstances,

He is ready to show Himself

faithful when we despair

and when we feel like

we're in the wilderness

and when we're tempted

to complain or give up.

Jesus invites us

in this passage

to come to Him

and find a spiritual life

in Him.

And for those of us

who have known Him,

we are reminded again

in Hebrews 12

of how to follow Him.

Hebrews 12, 1-3 says this,

since we are surrounded

by so great a cloud

of witnesses,

let us also lay aside

every weight and sin

which clings so closely

and let us run with endurance

the race that is set before us,

looking to Jesus,

the founder and perfecter

of our faith,

who for the joy

that was set before Him

endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is seated

at the right hand

of the throne of God.

Consider Him

who endured from sinners

such hostility

against Himself

so that you may not

grow weary

or faint-hearted.

Friends, as God's people,

we are to lay aside

our sin.

We are to lay aside

the things

that so easily distract us

from seeing Christ alone

as the place

where we find

real, true life,

eternal life with God.

And the writer of the Hebrews

exhorts us,

fix our eyes on Him.

People often ask me,

how do I live

the Christian life?

How do I do this?

How do I grow

in godliness?

How do I…

And I…

And there are lots

of techniques,

there are lots of things

for us to learn,

but friends,

at some level,

it's this hard

and this simple.

Fix your eyes

on Jesus.

That means reading

God's Word.

That means attending church.

That means finding

fellow brothers and sisters

who you can have fellowship with

to talk about Christ together,

to remember His goodness

and His faithfulness

and His character

as He's shown it to you

in your life

and as He's shown it

revealed in His Word

so that we can look to Jesus

because He is both the founder,

the beginning of our faith

and the one who will bring us

through this journey

in the wilderness

to the promised land.

He is the one

who ultimately

will take us home

and one day

we will be resurrected

with Him

and we will be taken

to the new heavens

and the new earth

which will be

the best promised land

that we could ever imagine.

And now He says,

it will be hard.

There will be a race to run.

It is through a wilderness.

But fix your eyes on Him

and let Him be the author

and perfecter of your faith.

So consider Him

and don't grow weary

as you face inflection points

or even if you're not

in the middle of inflection point,

maybe you're in a point

of the most stability

you've ever had in your life.

Fix your eyes on Him.

Let's pray together.

Lord, thank You for this Word.

Thank You for the way

that it points us to Christ,

the rock from which

we drink spiritual life.

Lord, be with us

as we continue to worship You

through the celebration of baptism.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.