Numbers 20:1-13
James tells us something very important in James 1:19-20 “Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man
worketh not the righteousness of God.”
The New International Version replaces the word “wrath” with “anger” and I don’t
think it is as strong. Paul tells us that we are to be angry and sin not, so there is a proper
and righteous anger. I believe that wrath denotes a harsh outpouring of anger. My own
personal definition is uncontrolled anger. We are right to be angry at sin. We are not right
to pour out that anger in a wrong way.
I enjoy using this particular illustration because it is comical. A man comes home at
3 in the morning and he has lipstick on his collar and smells of cheap booze and even
cheaper perfume. His wife stands in the doorway with her arms crossed and points at the
dinner table, where dinner was waiting from 6 P.M. until this early morning hour. She has
every right to be angry and upset. He has wronged her. However, she would be wrong to
crack him in the head with a frying pan, even though the ladies in the church where I
pastor think the bum would deserve it. She needs to find an appropriate way to express
that anger, and it needs to have some brakes on it.
Several years ago, a mother walked into a courtroom and shot a man who had
molested her child. She had every right to be angry, but her vigilante action was in wrath
and accomplished nothing bu getting her in trouble with the law, despite the fact that
many applauded her action because they didn’t believe she would get justice from the
justice system.
I believe that Moses’ action in Numbers 20 is an excellent example of how man’s
wrath doesn’t bring about righteousness in anybody’s life.
Numbers 20: 1
“In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and
they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.”
The chapter begins with the Children of Israel arriving at the Desert region of Zin
and of Miriam’s death. While we cannot say that Miriam’s death definitely played a part
in Moses’ attitude in this chapter, it certainly couldn’t have helped. We know that Moses
loved his sister because he interceded with God on her behalf when she was struck with
leprosy.
The devil will always catch you when you are physically or emotionally drained
because he knows you are more easily manipulated at that time. In Matthew 4 the devil
approaches Jesus after a period of fasting and in which he was physically weak.
God has given us emotions, but he doesn’t want us to be controlled by those
emotions. God has given us human bodies, but we are not to be controlled by the body.
God has given us free will and that will is to be led by the Holy Spirit into Self-Control,
which is one descriptive word used to describe the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Whenever you find yourself at an emotional or physical low it is important to be
especially on your guard against Satan’s attacks.
Numbers 20:2-5
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to
Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our
brothers fell dead before the LORD ! 4 Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this
desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to
this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water
to drink!"
I think it is fair to note that a small portion of the complaint that the Israelites make
is valid-- there is no water. Quickly, however, the criticism degenerates into peripheral
complaints-- no water, no grapevines, no pomegrantes, etc. The Israelites had a valid
complaint, but they turned their valid complaint into a personal attack against Moses and
Aaron.
I wonder how often we let our valid complaints degenerate into personal attacks
against others. I know that sometimes congregations face major problems and rather than
dealing with the problem every possible complaint is aimed at the pastor, the deacons, or
other leaders within the church. This sort of response to a problem is less than helpful.
Isn’t it amazing that when the roof is leaking and funds for repair are short someone starts
griping about the church’s music program? Isn’t it odd that when someone is angry with
the pastor or other church leaders about the music that it isn’t long until someone is angry
that the kitchen was left dirty on Sunday morning? Why do people let a valid complaint
grow into an attack on other areas?
I believe I know at least one answer. Attitudes are contagious. For some reason it
seems that a bad attitude is more contagious than a good attitude, but all attitudes are
indeed contagious. It is therefore easy for these other issues to be thrown at leaders in what
amounts to a bombardment that resembles artillery fire, leaving pastors and leaders
ducking for cover.
And don’t get the idea that it is always the congregation doing the grumbling and
complaining. A Pastor or church leader may have a valid complaint that degenerates into
unhappiness and disatisfaction in many other areas. No matter which side you are on, you
have a responsibility not to let yourself slip into firing the above-mentioned arillery
bombardment, because it only brings more problems.
Numbers 20:6-8
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and
fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8
"Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that
rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for
the community so they and their livestock can drink."
Moses and Aaron find the right response here. They go before God. This is what
every person should do with criticism. The Lord may tell you the criticism is valid, the
Lord may tell you it is not valid, or the Lord may just give you a new direction. Always
take criticism before the Lord and let him shine the light of the Holy Spirit upon the
criticism. There have been many times I have done this. Sometimes God reveals to me a
character flaw or problem I was unaware of. Someone once told me I was insensitive to
some issues and the Holy Spirit showed me some ways to be more sensitive.
Moses gets a direct word from God. God tells him exactly how to handle it and
Moses leaves the place of prayer and heads off to do what God has told him to do. God has
provided an answer to the REAL problem -the lack of water- and that is the only problem
that God wants to deal with at that moment.
In our day and age, it is so important to get a word from God before acting. We are
so impatient that we seek to jump up and try to solve all of our own problems. Moses could
have started digging a well and planting grapevines, etc. but instead he went before the
Lord, and even God acknowledged there was a problem- but also provided a sloution.
We have replaced the voice of God with denominational programs and plans. We
have replaced the Word of God with copying the ministries of other churches. We have
failed to get direct word from God in order to do what God himself has called us to do and
instead plunged forward-- digging wells that will have little or no water-- planting
grapevines that will have little or no growth because God didn’t tell us to dig and God
didn’t tell us to plant them.
Numbers 20:9-11
9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them,
"Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm
and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their
livestock drank.
Moses begins in obedience. He gathers the people together at the rock. Then Moses
loses his cool. We don’t know exactly why, but he reacts to the attitude of the Israelites and
begins to verbally chastise them for their rebellion.
When you look at God’s instructions to Moses for handling this situation, you will
quickly discover that God hadn’t commanded Moses to reprimand the rebels. God wanted
to solve the problem (no water) and solving the problem ENDED the rebellion and put the
people in their place. Moses wanted to chastise the people and put them in their place.
Therefore, he focused on their rebellion rather than the problem and then struck the rock
not once, but twice.
There are those who want to suggest that the rock was a type of Christ and
therefore Moses’ sin was in striking the rock- twice. However, if we let the Bible be its own
commentary, then we have to look at what the Psalmists state Moses’ sin was in Psalm
106:32-33: “By the waters of Meribah they angered the LORD , and trouble came to Moses
because of them; 33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from
Moses’ lips.” I believe this scripture makes it plain that it was not because Moses was
messing with typology, but it was his words which got him in trouble.
What was wrong with Moses’ words, then? Was it because he called the people
rebels? I think that was part of the problem. They were in rebellion against God, and by
extension then they were in rebellion against Moses, too. God wanted to deal with need
first and rebellion second--
Moses elevated himself, though, when he declared “Must WE fetch you water from
this rock.” He took credit for God’s work. He let the people’s rebellious attitude put him
in a corner where he attacked them and elevated himself as morally superior.
Numbers 20:12-13
“12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough
to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the
land I give them." 13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with
the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them. “
Until today, I’ve always wondered why God couldn’t forgive Moses for what he did.
I’ve wondered how God could keep Moses from the Promised Land. Wasn’t Moses sorry
for what he did?
Apparently, Moses spent the rest of his life being bitter at the people for what
happened at Meribah. This even makes it into Scripture. Look at these passages where
Moses is speaking:
Deuteronomy 1:37
“Because of you the LORD became angry with me also and said, "You shall not enter
it, either.”
Deuteronomy 3:23-27
“23At that time I pleaded with the LORD : 24 "O Sovereign LORD , you have begun
to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven
or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? 25 Let me go over and see the
good land beyond the Jordan-that fine hill country and Lebanon." 26 But because of you the
LORD was angry with me and would not listen to me. "That is enough," the LORD said. "Do
not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and
north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to
cross this Jordan.”
Do you see the difference in what Moses said and what God said? God said,
“Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites...”
while Moses continued to place the blame for this incident squarely on the shoulders of the
Israelites. Moses apparently never came to full repentance.
If Moses had been faithful and honored God in a right attitude, God would have
provided the water and brought shame to those who were complaining. God could have
used his mercy to convict them of their wrong attitudes. Moses’ wrath resulted in God
being dishonored and the people didn’t come to a right attitude, either. In fact, all Moses
did was allow himself to be pulled out of God’s will.
So, in summary, what lessons can we learn from this passage of Scipture:
1) Don’t let Satan catch you off guard when you are emotionally or physically weak!
2) Don’t let unimportant peripheral issues overwhelm valid complaints and
problems.
3) Take criticism before the Lord.
4) Seek a Word from God BEFORE you Act.
5) Act on the Word you get from God and not from your emotions.
6) Recognize your own flaws, faults, and sins and don’t blame others when you miss
God’s blessing in your life.
7) Finally, recognize that when you allow your wrath to take over, you do not bring about righteousness in your life OR the lives of others.
