Numbers 20:1-13 - Gushing Grace
- Chad Werkhoven
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
God's grace flows despite our ongoing sin.
Numbers 20:1–13 (NIV)
20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam [Moses' sister] died and was buried.
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 wilderness, 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!”
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.”
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.
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 was proved holy among them.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 4: The Danger of True Believers’ Falling into Serious Sins
The power of God strengthening and preserving true believers in grace is more than a match for the flesh.
Yet those converted are not always so activated and motivated by God
that in certain specific actions they - by their own fault - depart from the leading of grace,
and are led astray by the desires of the flesh,
and give in to them.
For this reason they must constantly watch and pray that they may not be led into temptations.
When they fail to do this, not only can they be carried away by
the flesh,
the world,
and Satan
into sins,
even serious and outrageous ones,
They sometimes are carried away by God’s just permission!
Witness the sad cases, described in Scripture, of David, Peter, and other saints falling into sins.
Summary
It's easy to see the Israelite's sin in today's passage. They'd already been sentenced by the LORD to wander in the desert for decades until the previous generation was dead and gone as a result of their previous perpetual complaints. They'd seen firsthand, over and over again, the miracles the LORD had wrought on their behalf, and had even heard God's voice call down to them from Sinai. And yet, here they are again, whining that their life of slavery in Egypt was preferable to God's almighty provision.
But it's Moses who's the primary villain in this passage, not the sniveling population. And although his sin is obvious, in that once again his temper got the best of him as it had so often before, God's punishment of restricting his entry into the Promised Land initially seems overly harsh.
In 1848, English preacher Robert Rawnsley unpacked the true severity of Moses' sin:
Moses had failed in his duty towards God, and that in three particulars. (1) He had failed in strict obedience. God had bidden him speak to the rock, and he had smitten it, smitten it twice. (2) He had shown temper, used hard language. “Hear now, ye rebels.” (3) He had taken to himself the credit of supplying the Israelites with water. “Must we fetch water for you out of the rock?”
This week we're being reminded that even the greatest of the Biblical saints had tremendous weakness and often failed miserably, as Moses did at Meribah. So it is that the Canons warn you of your weakness: when you fail to watch and pray that you not be lead into temptation, you can be carried away by the flesh, the world, and Satan into sins, even serious and outrageous ones.
But don't miss that God gracefully caused water to gush out of a rock in the desert despite the egregious sins of His people and their leaders. So as you stumble through life, complaining like the Israelites and losing your cool like Moses, be sure to cling to God's amazing grace, which is far stronger than you are.
Dig Deeper
Commentator Rousas Rushdoony sees the rock in today's passage serving as two separate analogies:
The rock represents Christ, the water of life. At the same time, it represents mankind in its hardness of heart. It is as unlikely for water to gush out of a dry rock in a desert as it is for unregenerate men to hear and believe. The command, however, is, “Speak to the rock.” It may seem an absurdity to do so. Isaiah was commanded to speak to people who would hear, but understand not, and see, but perceive not (Isa. 6:9). Our task is not as difficult, but, in any case, the command is clear: “Speak to the rock.” God’s word shall not return unto Him void, “but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). Therefore, go, “Speak to the rock.” Discourage-ment is wrong. We must speak to the rock, and, if they will not hear, “shake off the dust of your feet” and move on (Matt. 10:14).
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, whose glory appeared to Moses and Aaron, and who provided water for His sinful people;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you would trust in the LORD enough to honor Him as holy;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
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