Good morning!
Text: Numbers 18-21; Psalm 33
A passage of Scripture that I have found baffling is the account of Moses losing His passport to the promised land. The people grumble for lack of water, and the Lord commands Moses to speak to the rock.
Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. (Numbers 20:8)
Instead, Moses crabs at the people and strikes the rock with his staff. The Lord delivers water in abundance, yet He is not pleased:
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. (Numbers 20:12)
The matter seems to me minor, Moses is just being human. But the Lord sees it differently. Moses demeans the Lord by failing to acknowledge that it is the Lord who brings forth the water, and Moses also does not do as he is told. He strikes the rock while the Lord had told him to speak to the rock. Here is my take-away: Never underestimate our role to always, always, always give glory to God instead of ourselves…. and pay attention to the details. Do things His way. Finally, this story also brings a powerful reminder of the seriousness of serving the Lord in the role of leader. In that light, please pray for all those in leadership in the Body of Christ – that they may always honor Him, and serve with diligence and obedience.
in Him, Mike