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So… do you want the bad news or the worse news? Well, the bad news is that in Numbers 20 we, unfortunately, witness a sobering truth – complaining and unbelief go hand-in-hand. Where you find one, you will most likely find the other.
But the worse news to be discovered was that the people who were complaining this time around were not the old, stubborn generation. It was the new younger generation beginning to complain and doubt just like their fathers had. The people were hungry and thirsty and they let Moses and Aaron know about it. So, God gave instructions.
“Take the stick that is in front of the Covenant Box, and then you and Aaron assemble the whole community. There in front of them all speak to that rock over there, and water will gush out of it. In this way you will bring water out of the rock for the people, for them and their animals to drink.”
Numbers 20:8 GNB
Earlier at Mt Sinai, God had commanded Moses to strike the rock in order to receive water. However, that was not the commandment here. He was told to speak to the rock and water would gush out of it. But Moses, probably frustrated and angered, struck the rock twice. David Guzik gives an excellent synopsis of Moses’ boneheaded decision.
“Moses, after doing what God had told him to do, then did something God had not told him to do: He lectured the nation.
Worse, he lectured the nation with an attitude of heart he had not shown before – one of anger and contempt for the people of God, with a bitter heart. Before, Moses fell on his face before God when the people rebelled (Num 16:4). At Meribah, when the people contended with Moses because there was no water, Moses cried out to the LORD, not against the people (Exo 15:22-25).
When the people did need to be boldly confronted, Moses did it; but without the edge of anger, contempt, and bitterness we see here (as in Exo 17:1-7). There are a hundred explanations for Moses’ frustration here (Psa 106:32-33 describes how the people provoked Moses here), but not a single excuse.
Worse yet, Moses not only took the rebellion of the people against the LORD too personally, he also over-magnified his own partnership with God: Must we bring water for you out of this rock? Moses spoke as if he and God would do the job, as if they divided the work fifty-fifty; as if God couldn’t bring water unless he was around to speak to the rock. His lapse into contempt for the people led him into a lapse of subtle pride.”
David Guzik
Ah, subtle pride. I was in a meeting one time talking about sin struggles with an individual who professed to be a Christian. They were proud to inform me that they don’t really struggle with anything. Furthermore, the one area that they might struggle in, they know they have victory because their own self-control is able to take care of it. Hmmm…
We can’t really fault Moses for finally snapping on the people. All of us have been there. But the inexcusable offense was how he elevated himself over them as a leader. He not only took credit for providing the water but he didn’t even execute the command the way God had asked him to. His response to the stressful conditions was no different than the people’s.
So, as you think about your leadership, where are you allowing pride to take root? Actually, most of us probably don’t know. And most will read this question and gloss over it with an excuse. “I don’t have a pride problem.” Take a moment in prayer and ask God to reveal where pride is slithering closer to your heart.