"Water Out Of A Rock"
Numbers 20:8
Introduction
I. He ran into the house and once he reached his room upstairs he fell across his bottom bunck bed moaning like the end of the world, his mother rushed in and asks what was wrong, he replied, "Church was so long and now my stomach hurts."
His understanding mother relied, "Oh that’s because it’s empty, once you get something in it you’ll feel better."
A. Minutes passed and to his surprise she called everyone in and their sat the Minister and his family for lunch too. Moments after grace was said, the Minister leaned over to the young boy and said, "Boy, my head sure hurts." Quickly the anxious child shares this advice, "Oh mommy said that’s because it’s empty but when you get something in it you’ll feel better!"
No one can blame our Biblical guest for getting fed up with a bunch of bellyachers. If they weren’t complaining about the food they were moaning about something else.
1. God had a solution and Moses was a part of the answer. However to appreciate how much this relates to you and I in the time we’re living we have to examine some important events in each of the following episodes.
Main Division
I. The Story (1-2)
No food, no water and now they needed someone to blame and Moses and his brother were easy targets. The crowd was ready to hang someone for their ills. Why did God take them from the only home that some knew. Yes life was hard and taxing but anything would be better than this! Isn’t it funny how much we miss God’s work in our lives when we don’t see the big picture.
II. The Struggle (3-5)
Life became hard. The sun was hot, the ground wasn’t soft like the straw bed they had back in Egypt, so what if they had to work from sun up to sun down at least they had work and ate some. Here they were ready to give up because the going had gotten tuff. If the Christian life wasn’t meant to be an easy one if it was then everyone would be one! It cost to be a child of God.
III. The Sin (6-12)
Finally some sense to all this mess. God instructs Moses to follow His instructions and the rebels will have what they need. Yet, tired from all their complaining Moses adjusts the instructions and falls short. In essence he sins. God isn’t impressed with Moses refusing to follow His will. He too suffers from the consequences of his actions.
Conclusion: God forgives all sin, however, the consequences may still be harsh and rightly so when God wants to use us as a part of His answer to somones problems and we take matters in our own hands!
