Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to show me as holy before the Israelites, therefore you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.”
Numbers 20:12 NET
The Israelites’ forty years of wandering in the wilderness were nearly over. They were preparing once again to enter the promised land. But, once again, we find them complaining about their circumstances. They were thirsty and brought their complaint to Moses and Aaron, seeming to blame them for their condition.
Moses and Aaron took their complaint to the Lord and were given instructions for providing the people with water. They were to take the staff from before the Lord, gather the assembly, and speak to the rock. When they did, the rock would pour out water for the people and their animals.
So, Moses and Aaron took the staff and gathered the people. But rather than speak to the rock, they struck it with the staff. This had two results. Water came out of the rock and satisfied the people’s thirst. But Moses and Aaron also faced God’s judgment for failing to obey him fully by striking the rock rather than speaking to it.
Because they did not trust the Lord enough to show him as holy before the Israelites, they would not lead the people into the promised land. It might seem like a minor infraction on their part, hitting the rock instead of speaking to it. And they had been instructed to strike the rock at an earlier, similar event (Num. 17:1-5).
Failing to Show God as Holy
But this was more than a simple infraction. They had failed to show the Lord as holy. They responded in anger to the people, claimed credit for the provision of water, and disobeyed God’s instruction (Num. 20:10-11). Rather than focusing on God’s bountiful provision, it centered on Moses’ anger and his actions.
I wonder how often I am just as guilty as Moses in failing to glorify God and show him as holy–serving him with the wrong motives and/or failing to credit him for what he does. God may still use me like he did Moses in bringing forth the water. But how many blessings do I miss out on because I do not trust God enough to show him as holy in what I do?
