At Kadesh on the borders of the promised land, after Moses and Aaron left the murmuring congregation, fell on their faces at the door of the tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord appeared, the Lord spoke to Moses directing him to take the rod and gather the assembly with Aaron and speak to the rock before their eyes with the promise that it would give water for the people and their beasts. The living stream that had followed Israel for years had been deliberately stopped just before Canaan as a test of whether they would trust God's providence and walk by faith, and should have been read as a token that the wandering was ended. The direction was a merciful display of God's long-suffering and tender pity, for He often brings His people into strait places and then delivers them that they may remember His love and glorify Him, while their murmuring against Moses and Aaron was really sin against God their invisible leader. Wearied and provoked, Moses failed to sanctify God before Israel but struck the rock twice in passion and claimed its power to himself, and because he believed not and dishonored God at this golden opportunity he was judged not to bring the congregation into the land. The fall exposes Satan's policy of assailing in weakness to break the hold on God, warns all and especially those in responsibility to give God alone the glory, and yet encourages desponding hearts, for Moses repented in humility and faith in the Promised One and shows that through grace the fallen may rise and conquer.
Setting and Command
The Lord spoke to Moses at the door of the tabernacle after Moses and Aaron had left the congregation that was murmuring for lack of water, had fallen on their faces, and had seen the glory of the Lord appear in answer to their intercession. The thirst had come upon Israel when the stream failed, and the leaders withdrew from the angry people to seek God where His glory was revealed.
The place was Kadesh, called the waters of Meribah, on the borders of the promised land in sight of the hills of Canaan, only a few days' march away and a little distance from Edom, after forty years of wandering. It was the same place where Israel had been proved soon after leaving Egypt nearly forty years before, now reached again at the close of the wilderness journey. The congregation stood just before entering Canaan, with the appointed route lying through Edom under God's promise of unmolested passage.
For many years a living stream had flowed wherever Israel encamped and had gushed beside them, but it had suddenly ceased just before entering Canaan. Its deliberate cessation was God's test to prove whether they would trust His providence, believe His promise, and walk by faith instead of sight. The ending of the miraculous flow should have been understood as a token that the wilderness wandering was ended and a cause for rejoicing in the fulfillment of the promise, with opportunity before them to buy food and water for money in a fertile, well-watered country.
Instead of trusting, the thirsty people forgot the hand that had supplied their wants for years, gave up hope of possessing Canaan, and murmured with the same turbulent, unthankful unbelief as their fathers. They murmured against God and against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of bringing them from Egypt into an evil wilderness place with no seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, or water, to perish with their children and cattle. They wished they had died with their brethren who died before the Lord in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and clamored for the blessings of the wilderness.
The speaking gave God's direction to take the rod and gather the assembly together with Aaron and to speak to the rock before the eyes of the people. The promise joined to the command was that the rock would give forth its water and bring forth water out of the rock for them. That water was to provide drink for the congregation and their beasts.
Purpose, Failure, and Judgment
The word spoken to Moses was a merciful direction to meet Israel's need by a display of divine glory that would honor and magnify God before the people, showing His long-suffering and tender pity in order to soften and subdue their hearts and lead them to repentance. It belonged to God's plan often to bring His people into strait places and then in their necessity to prove them and exhibit His power in deliverance, that they might realize His love and care, keep Him in memory, and be led to serve, honor, and glorify Him. The people's murmuring for water and charging their calamities upon Moses and Aaron was not against men appointed to carry out His purpose but was grieving, sinning against, dishonoring, and murmuring at God and His providence. They were insulting their best Friend and invisible leader, for Christ was Israel's invisible leader, and He felt the full depth of their transgression against Himself, suffered most intensely from it, and would bear their iniquities.
Wearied, perplexed, and provoked by continual complaining, Moses and Aaron took the murmurings as a trial and dishonor to themselves instead of remembering how much the Lord had borne with Israel and showing the people their guilt before God. Moses was wearied by unceasing murmuring over lack of water, and for the moment his faith let go its hold upon infinite power, so that when strength failed and will power weakened and faith ceased to repose in God, he who had stood long and valiantly for the right was overcome just upon the borders of the promised land. In thus focusing on their own grievance they failed to sanctify, honor, and magnify God as His representatives before the people at this golden opportunity. Instead of speaking to the rock before the eyes of the people as directed, Moses struck it twice in wrath, irritation, and anger, and spoke in human passion rather than holy indignation, crying, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock. In doing so he gave prominence to self and claimed the power of opening the rock for the people, appropriating to himself the glory that belonged to God and taking to himself murmuring that was really against God.
His sin was not premeditated but a surprise of yielding to the natural feelings of the heart, thinking only of himself, how deeply he was wronged, and how little gratitude they manifested for his deep love for them after their continual waywardness had caused him keenest sorrow. Even a true accusation must not be spoken in passion or impatience, and his irritated words grieved the Spirit of God, harmed the people, and gave them an excuse to question his past leadership and reject God's reproofs. Because they believed God not and did not sanctify Him in the eyes of Israel, God's reproof fell on these greatly exalted and honored leaders, whose sin was great though their lives might otherwise have been illustrious to the close. They were judged not to bring the congregation into the land He had given them but to die with rebellious Israel before crossing the Jordan, for that yielding to natural feeling and taking to himself the honor due to God brought the Lord's displeasure and barred Moses from Canaan, showing that God does not excuse sin in exalted position any sooner than in the humble, and their disobedient act offended the Lord. Moses mourned his deviation from the right and felt he had caused Israel to sin, though their murmuring was their own sin that led him to sin, and he confessed his sin in humility and faith and asked pardon in the name of Jesus, for repentance, humility, and faith in the Promised One who would die as humanity's sacrifice were what God required.
Though God provided water abundantly despite the complaints, Israel's unbelief brought punishment on the people as well, for they had to continue through the desert and depend on the miraculous spring they would no longer have needed had they trusted Him. Their later hardship in journeying around Edom followed from their own sin in murmuring at Kadesh when the water stopped, though they blamed God for it.
Warning and Encouragement Today
The word spoken to Moses on the borders of the promised land after the forty years' wandering exposes how the adversary prevails by assailing in the time of greatest weakness. When strength failed and will power weakened and faith ceased to repose in God, he who had stood long and valiantly for the right was overcome and failed just upon the borders of the land, his faith for the moment letting go its hold upon infinite power. It is his policy to attack weak points of character, seeking to shake confidence in God and break the hold upon Him, and he gains advantage whenever the soul parleys instead of meeting him as Jesus did. In this case he stirred the hosts of Israel to murmur and rebel against God until Moses lost command of himself, transgressed the instruction by appropriating to himself the glory that belonged to God, and took to himself murmuring that was really against God. His sin was not premeditated but a surprise, yet by yielding to temptation in this way he placed himself on Satan's side and in Satan's dominion and power, giving Satan a claim to control him and to contend earnestly for his body.
From this, those in positions of responsibility must learn not to do what gives prominence to self. The supply of water had ceased so Israel must show they believed God's promise and walk by faith instead of by sight, but they forgot the hand that had supplied their wants for years and murmured against Moses and Aaron for bringing them from Egypt into a wilderness with no seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, or water to drink. Moses, though very meek above all men and long patient with rebellion, let patience give way and instead of speaking to the rock as directed smote the rock angrily, crying, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock, giving prominence to self. Because they believed God not, to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel, Moses and Aaron were judged not to bring the congregation into the land God had given them, but to die with rebellious Israel before crossing the Jordan. When those entrusted, especially presidents of schools, do what gives prominence to self God's work is neglected and He is dishonored, God will work counter to those who work counter to Him, and His name and His alone is to be magnified on the earth.
The faithful narration of his fall, even though he was favored of God and entrusted with great responsibility, is given for the benefit and warning of all who read it. It shows that great men strive, waver, and fall into error even as people do now, and its record shows divine justice in telling the truth about human frailty. It is given to teach obedience to the law of God and avoidance of unbelief and disobedience. In the matter of the water from the rock he sinned by deviating from the right when Israel murmured and complained, committing a wrong act that marred his life and kept him out of the Promised Land. He mourned his sin and felt he had caused Israel to sin, but the murmuring and complaining was their own sin and it led him to sin, for Christ was Israel's invisible leader so their transgression was against Christ, not Moses, and Christ felt the full depth of their sin, suffered most intensely from it, and would bear their iniquities.
He confessed his sin in humility and faith and asked pardon in the name of Jesus, and repentance, humility, and faith in the Promised One, who would die as humanity's sacrifice, were what God required. The same record encourages desponding hearts by showing that through God's grace those who fall can gain fresh vigor, rise above their evil nature, take heart again, and conquer. Lest those who see such faultless lives would despair of ever reaching excellence, the fall is told to lift the fallen to hope again.
At Kadesh on the borders of the promised land, after Moses and Aaron left the murmuring congregation, fell on their faces at the door of the tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord appeared, the Lord spoke to Moses directing him to take the rod and gather the assembly with Aaron and speak to the rock before their eyes with the promise that it would give water for the people and their beasts. The living stream that had followed Israel for years had been deliberately stopped just before Canaan as a test of whether they would trust God's providence and walk by faith, and should have been read as a token that the wandering was ended. The direction was a merciful display of God's long-suffering and tender pity, for He often brings His people into strait places and then delivers them that they may remember His love and glorify Him, while their murmuring against Moses and Aaron was really sin against God their invisible leader. Wearied and provoked, Moses failed to sanctify God before Israel but struck the rock twice in passion and claimed its power to himself, and because he believed not and dishonored God at this golden opportunity he was judged not to bring the congregation into the land. The fall exposes Satan's policy of assailing in weakness to break the hold on God, warns all and especially those in responsibility to give God alone the glory, and yet encourages desponding hearts, for Moses repented in humility and faith in the Promised One and shows that through grace the fallen may rise and conquer.
Setting and Command
The Lord spoke to Moses at the door of the tabernacle after Moses and Aaron had left the congregation that was murmuring for lack of water, had fallen on their faces, and had seen the glory of the Lord appear in answer to their intercession. The thirst had come upon Israel when the stream failed, and the leaders withdrew from the angry people to seek God where His glory was revealed.
The place was Kadesh, called the waters of Meribah, on the borders of the promised land in sight of the hills of Canaan, only a few days' march away and a little distance from Edom, after forty years of wandering. It was the same place where Israel had been proved soon after leaving Egypt nearly forty years before, now reached again at the close of the wilderness journey. The congregation stood just before entering Canaan, with the appointed route lying through Edom under God's promise of unmolested passage.
For many years a living stream had flowed wherever Israel encamped and had gushed beside them, but it had suddenly ceased just before entering Canaan. Its deliberate cessation was God's test to prove whether they would trust His providence, believe His promise, and walk by faith instead of sight. The ending of the miraculous flow should have been understood as a token that the wilderness wandering was ended and a cause for rejoicing in the fulfillment of the promise, with opportunity before them to buy food and water for money in a fertile, well-watered country.
Instead of trusting, the thirsty people forgot the hand that had supplied their wants for years, gave up hope of possessing Canaan, and murmured with the same turbulent, unthankful unbelief as their fathers. They murmured against God and against Moses and Aaron, accusing them of bringing them from Egypt into an evil wilderness place with no seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, or water, to perish with their children and cattle. They wished they had died with their brethren who died before the Lord in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and clamored for the blessings of the wilderness.
The speaking gave God's direction to take the rod and gather the assembly together with Aaron and to speak to the rock before the eyes of the people. The promise joined to the command was that the rock would give forth its water and bring forth water out of the rock for them. That water was to provide drink for the congregation and their beasts.
Purpose, Failure, and Judgment
The word spoken to Moses was a merciful direction to meet Israel's need by a display of divine glory that would honor and magnify God before the people, showing His long-suffering and tender pity in order to soften and subdue their hearts and lead them to repentance. It belonged to God's plan often to bring His people into strait places and then in their necessity to prove them and exhibit His power in deliverance, that they might realize His love and care, keep Him in memory, and be led to serve, honor, and glorify Him. The people's murmuring for water and charging their calamities upon Moses and Aaron was not against men appointed to carry out His purpose but was grieving, sinning against, dishonoring, and murmuring at God and His providence. They were insulting their best Friend and invisible leader, for Christ was Israel's invisible leader, and He felt the full depth of their transgression against Himself, suffered most intensely from it, and would bear their iniquities.
Wearied, perplexed, and provoked by continual complaining, Moses and Aaron took the murmurings as a trial and dishonor to themselves instead of remembering how much the Lord had borne with Israel and showing the people their guilt before God. Moses was wearied by unceasing murmuring over lack of water, and for the moment his faith let go its hold upon infinite power, so that when strength failed and will power weakened and faith ceased to repose in God, he who had stood long and valiantly for the right was overcome just upon the borders of the promised land. In thus focusing on their own grievance they failed to sanctify, honor, and magnify God as His representatives before the people at this golden opportunity. Instead of speaking to the rock before the eyes of the people as directed, Moses struck it twice in wrath, irritation, and anger, and spoke in human passion rather than holy indignation, crying, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock. In doing so he gave prominence to self and claimed the power of opening the rock for the people, appropriating to himself the glory that belonged to God and taking to himself murmuring that was really against God.
His sin was not premeditated but a surprise of yielding to the natural feelings of the heart, thinking only of himself, how deeply he was wronged, and how little gratitude they manifested for his deep love for them after their continual waywardness had caused him keenest sorrow. Even a true accusation must not be spoken in passion or impatience, and his irritated words grieved the Spirit of God, harmed the people, and gave them an excuse to question his past leadership and reject God's reproofs. Because they believed God not and did not sanctify Him in the eyes of Israel, God's reproof fell on these greatly exalted and honored leaders, whose sin was great though their lives might otherwise have been illustrious to the close. They were judged not to bring the congregation into the land He had given them but to die with rebellious Israel before crossing the Jordan, for that yielding to natural feeling and taking to himself the honor due to God brought the Lord's displeasure and barred Moses from Canaan, showing that God does not excuse sin in exalted position any sooner than in the humble, and their disobedient act offended the Lord. Moses mourned his deviation from the right and felt he had caused Israel to sin, though their murmuring was their own sin that led him to sin, and he confessed his sin in humility and faith and asked pardon in the name of Jesus, for repentance, humility, and faith in the Promised One who would die as humanity's sacrifice were what God required.
Though God provided water abundantly despite the complaints, Israel's unbelief brought punishment on the people as well, for they had to continue through the desert and depend on the miraculous spring they would no longer have needed had they trusted Him. Their later hardship in journeying around Edom followed from their own sin in murmuring at Kadesh when the water stopped, though they blamed God for it.
Warning and Encouragement Today
The word spoken to Moses on the borders of the promised land after the forty years' wandering exposes how the adversary prevails by assailing in the time of greatest weakness. When strength failed and will power weakened and faith ceased to repose in God, he who had stood long and valiantly for the right was overcome and failed just upon the borders of the land, his faith for the moment letting go its hold upon infinite power. It is his policy to attack weak points of character, seeking to shake confidence in God and break the hold upon Him, and he gains advantage whenever the soul parleys instead of meeting him as Jesus did. In this case he stirred the hosts of Israel to murmur and rebel against God until Moses lost command of himself, transgressed the instruction by appropriating to himself the glory that belonged to God, and took to himself murmuring that was really against God. His sin was not premeditated but a surprise, yet by yielding to temptation in this way he placed himself on Satan's side and in Satan's dominion and power, giving Satan a claim to control him and to contend earnestly for his body.
From this, those in positions of responsibility must learn not to do what gives prominence to self. The supply of water had ceased so Israel must show they believed God's promise and walk by faith instead of by sight, but they forgot the hand that had supplied their wants for years and murmured against Moses and Aaron for bringing them from Egypt into a wilderness with no seed, figs, vines, pomegranates, or water to drink. Moses, though very meek above all men and long patient with rebellion, let patience give way and instead of speaking to the rock as directed smote the rock angrily, crying, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock, giving prominence to self. Because they believed God not, to sanctify Him in the eyes of the children of Israel, Moses and Aaron were judged not to bring the congregation into the land God had given them, but to die with rebellious Israel before crossing the Jordan. When those entrusted, especially presidents of schools, do what gives prominence to self God's work is neglected and He is dishonored, God will work counter to those who work counter to Him, and His name and His alone is to be magnified on the earth.
The faithful narration of his fall, even though he was favored of God and entrusted with great responsibility, is given for the benefit and warning of all who read it. It shows that great men strive, waver, and fall into error even as people do now, and its record shows divine justice in telling the truth about human frailty. It is given to teach obedience to the law of God and avoidance of unbelief and disobedience. In the matter of the water from the rock he sinned by deviating from the right when Israel murmured and complained, committing a wrong act that marred his life and kept him out of the Promised Land. He mourned his sin and felt he had caused Israel to sin, but the murmuring and complaining was their own sin and it led him to sin, for Christ was Israel's invisible leader so their transgression was against Christ, not Moses, and Christ felt the full depth of their sin, suffered most intensely from it, and would bear their iniquities.
He confessed his sin in humility and faith and asked pardon in the name of Jesus, and repentance, humility, and faith in the Promised One, who would die as humanity's sacrifice, were what God required. The same record encourages desponding hearts by showing that through God's grace those who fall can gain fresh vigor, rise above their evil nature, take heart again, and conquer. Lest those who see such faultless lives would despair of ever reaching excellence, the fall is told to lift the fallen to hope again.