Deuteronomy 3:26, commentary and pictures

Moses earnestly pleaded to cross the Jordan and share Israel's inheritance in the promised land, but the Lord would not hear him and firmly told him to ask no more, leaving the sentence to die without entering to stand. He was barred because of his fault at Meribah, where provoked by Israel's continual murmuring he angrily struck the rock he was commanded only to speak to, failing to give God the glory and leaving the people to think he had brought them water. God was wroth with him for the people's sake because their rebellion and unbelief had provoked him, yet Moses remained responsible as their teacher and example and was allowed only to view the land from Pisgah while Joshua was appointed to lead Israel in. He grieved, confessed, and deeply repented, yet humbly accepted the decree without complaint and openly explained it to Israel. His judgment shows that exalted position and past faithfulness do not shield even a greatly honored leader from punishment, for God requires exact obedience and shows no favoritism, and even sincere repentance did not reverse the earthly penalty.

Plea and Its Refusal

Moses earnestly pleaded to cross the Jordan, to enter the promised land he longed to see, and to share his people's inheritance. The plea was barred because of his fault at Meribah at Kadesh at the smitten rock. In impatience and anger under the people's continual murmuring he was commanded to speak to the rock but struck it instead and turned angrily toward the people. Though Israel's complaints and unbelief provoked him to anger, he remained responsible before God as their teacher and example.

By that act he failed to give God the glory for the miracle. He made God's word seem of little account, and left Israel with the mistaken impression that he rather than God had brought them water from the rock. God was wroth and angry with Moses for the people's sake and because of Israel. Their rebellion, murmuring, complaints and unbelief provoked him, yet the sentence came because he had failed to give God glory.

The Lord would not hear Moses and firmly refused to change or rescind the judgment. He told him it must suffice and the matter must not be raised again. Moses would die and would not cross the Jordan or lead Israel in. Instead he was allowed to view the land from Pisgah from afar without entering, and was instructed to prepare Joshua to lead Israel across the Jordan.

Moses deeply grieved the loss, confessed his sin, mourned his transgression, asked for pardon and deeply repented. Yet he humbly accepted God's decree without complaint and openly explained it to Israel. He still earnestly wanted to enter Canaan, and he did not regard death as an immediate entrance into eternal bliss with Canaan merely a dim type of that reward.

Lessons From the Judgment

The refusal to let Moses enter the promised land and the command not to ask again was imposed for the people's sake as a lesson not to blame a human leader for judgments their own sins had brought upon them, for Moses himself explained that the sentence came because he had failed to give God glory. An honored position does not shield an offender from punishment, but the more exalted the position the firmer the decree and the more certain the punishment, as shown when his plea to enter Canaan was firmly refused after his public transgression at Kadesh. His great privileges and closeness to God made that error especially serious, since greater light brings greater responsibility, and his exclusion corrected Israel's mistaken impression that he rather than God had brought them water from the rock.

His sin had publicly reflected on God before Israel, and barring him and Aaron from Canaan makes clear that God shows no favoritism but will punish transgression, including in leaders entrusted with responsibility. God requires exact obedience and a leader's example matters, for Moses disobeyed the command to speak to the rock and struck it instead, making God's word seem of little account before Israel. That serious public transgression before all Israel could not be treated as though obedience had been given, and his faithfulness, past service and much suffering did not make it right to excuse it or to allow him to enter the land he longed to see.

Even though Moses mourned his transgression and deeply repented, God's word stood and he had to suffer the penalty for his sin and was not permitted to enter Canaan, showing that repentance did not secure reversal of the earthly judgment. The Lord would not grant his plea to change or rescind that judgment for his mistake at the rock, though Israel's complaints, rebellion and unbelief had provoked him to anger, because as the people's teacher and example he remained responsible before God when, commanded to speak to the rock, he struck it and turned angrily toward the people, and that mistake cost him the right to enter the land. His telling Israel that the Lord was angry with him on their account and connecting the refusal of his earnest request to cross the Jordan with their rebellion and murmuring shows his love for Israel in pleading with God for them, while God directed Israel through it to remember their transgressions and His unappreciated mercy so they would humble themselves before Him.