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A Judgment Against Moses

Numbers 20:1–13 (NET)

¹ Then the entire community of Israel entered the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there.

² And there was no water for the community, and so they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron. ³ The people contended with Moses, saying, “If only we had died when our brothers died before the Lord! ⁴ Why have you brought up the Lord’s community into this wilderness? So that we and our cattle should die here? ⁵ Why have you brought us up from Egypt only to bring us to this dreadful place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink!”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They then threw themselves down with their faces to the ground, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. ⁷ Then the Lord spoke to Moses: ⁸ “Take the staff and assemble the community, you and Aaron your brother, and then speak to the rock before their eyes. It will pour forth its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the community and their beasts water to drink.”

⁹ So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as he commanded him. ¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock twice with his staff. And water came out abundantly. So the community drank, and their beasts drank too. ¹² 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.” ¹³ These are the waters of Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and his holiness was maintained among them.

Petty, Demanding, Cruel

Many Christians today believe that the Bible is a liability, especially the Old Testament. This is a famous passage in which again, what appears to perhaps be a procedural error is the basis for a devastating judgment against Moses, who has been the human “hero” of the story in terms of the exodus.

At a previous water emergency God commanded Moses to strike a rock and water gushed forth (see Exodus 17). Now God tells Moses to talk to a particular rock or cliff. We don’t know that he told him what to say.  Moses in very understandable frustration with the people (if you read more of Numbers) strikes the rock rather than talking to it. After venting his frustration to the people he strikes the rock and water comes out. God then tells Moses that because he struck the rock instead of talking to it Moses forfeits his opportunity to enter the promised land, the outcome he has been laboring towards for almost 4 decades.

This story has left many commentators with many questions, provoked many theories, and leaves many contemporary readers with some anxiety about the character of the God of Israel.

What did Moses do wrong? Continue reading →