Numbers (Part 13)
Bible Study Time 4-6-08
(From James Roberts 4-25-99)
Bible Study Time 4-6-08
(From James Roberts 4-25-99)
We’re going to be looking at Numbers, Chapter 20, again this morning as we continue our journey through the scripture. Last week we saw the significance of Miriam’s death in the wilderness. Then in verses 2 through 6, we found the children of Israel complaining about the fact that they had no water. They were truly afraid that they would die of thirst.
First, the children of Israel blamed the Lord. The Lord had severely judged some of the people in previous rebellions, and now those who had survived were saying that it would have been better if they had also died.
Then, the people accused Moses and Aaron, saying that Moses and Aaron had not lived up to their promises. They pointed out that the wilderness had no pomegranates, no grain, no vines, and it didn’t even have water.
Well, the fact is that Moses and Aaron were not responsible for the fact that the children of Israel were still in the wilderness. It was the children of Israel who had refused to go into the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea. Because they had refused to go in by faith, God had shut up the gate, as it were, and had turned them back. God had sentenced them to wonder in the wilderness for forty years.
Blaming others for our own failures is a characteristic of the old Adamic nature, and it is very displeasing to God. God wants us to acknowledge our sin so that we can confess it to the Lord and be forgiven.
In our study today, we are going to begin reading with verse 7 of Numbers, Chapter 20, where we read:
Numbers 20:7-10 NKJV
7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
8 "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals."
9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock . . .
So far, Moses and Aaron were doing exactly as God had instructed them to do. They took the rod and gathered all the people around the rock. But notice what happened next:
Numbers 20:10-13 NKJV
10 . . . (Moses) said to them,"Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?"
11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.
As we study this passage, we need to recognize first of all that Moses and Aaron are representatives of the Law. The Law came by Moses, and Aaron was the first High Priest under the Law.
Moses was a great man. He was one of only two people whom God referred to as “my servant.” God called Moses, “My servant, Moses.” But as great as Moses was, even he failed under the Law. He was weak in the flesh and did not obey the Lord.
This is a picture of all people who try to come to God by keeping the Law. They all fail to live up to the perfect righteousness of the Law. No one has kept the Law perfectly except the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Christ came to fulfill the righteousness of the Law so that we might be made righteous in Him.
Romans 8:3-4 NKJV
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of his disobedience, but that does not mean that Moses was lost for all of eternity. His life is simply a picture of those who are lost because of their misplaced confidence in the Law. The fact is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and therefore, faith in Christ is the only way to gain the approval and acceptance of God.
The second point that we need understand as we study this passage is that when Moses struck the rock, he was operating in the flesh. He was frustrated with the children of Israel because they were blaming him for all of their problems. As a result, he was not fully relying on the Lord, so he said, must we bring water out of this rock for you?
Previously, the people had accused Moses of taking too much upon Himself. They thought he was grabbing too much glory for himself. However, God said that of all the people that were living on the earth at that time no one was as meek as Moses.
One of Moses’ strengths had been that he was humble. For the most part, He had recognized his own weaknesses, and he had recognized that his strength came from the Lord. However, it does seem at this point that Moses became overconfident in his own strength. He said, must we bring water out of this rock for you?
Moses and Aaron had no power to bring a drop of water out of that rock. Only the Lord could do that. Moses was operating in the flesh, so rather than speaking to the rock as God had told him to do, he struck the rock. However, God revealed His faithfulness and His mercy by allowing water to flow from the rock in spite of Moses’ disobedience.
God had a plan and a purpose for the children of Israel, and Moses’ disobedience could not derail that plan. Israel got their water, but Moses was told that he would not be allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land.
The third thing that I want us to keep in mind as we study this passage is that this was not the first time Moses had come to the rock for water. On a previous occasion, when the people were out of water, God had brought the people to the rock and had instructed Moses to smite the rock. When Moses obeyed God and struck the rock, water came rushing out.
It would appear that as Moses came to the rock the second time, he was relying too heavily on his previous experience because he simply struck the rock as he had done before. There is a danger in trusting too much in past experiences. What a wonderful experience that was the first time, when Moses struck the rock and water came gushing out. But this time, God’s instructions were different. This time Moses was to speak to the rock.
As we serve the Lord, we need to look at the past and learn from the past, but we should not expect God to work today in exactly the same manner that He has worked in the past. We need to recognize this principle particularly as we study the scriptures.
II Timothy 2:15 says that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen who need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. God does not do everything today as He did in the past, and He expects us to make Biblical distinctions based on this principle. Making these distinctions will make it possible for us to serve the Lord with confidence, knowing what things are for us and what things are for the people of other ages.
During the few moments that we have left this morning, I would like to ask if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as the Rock who was smitten for you on the cross so that you could then speak to the Rock? Do you know Him as the one who was buried and then raised from the dead so that you could have fellowship with Him throughout eternity? I trust that you do.
It’s been good to be with you this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.
Church links:
First, the children of Israel blamed the Lord. The Lord had severely judged some of the people in previous rebellions, and now those who had survived were saying that it would have been better if they had also died.
Then, the people accused Moses and Aaron, saying that Moses and Aaron had not lived up to their promises. They pointed out that the wilderness had no pomegranates, no grain, no vines, and it didn’t even have water.
Well, the fact is that Moses and Aaron were not responsible for the fact that the children of Israel were still in the wilderness. It was the children of Israel who had refused to go into the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea. Because they had refused to go in by faith, God had shut up the gate, as it were, and had turned them back. God had sentenced them to wonder in the wilderness for forty years.
Blaming others for our own failures is a characteristic of the old Adamic nature, and it is very displeasing to God. God wants us to acknowledge our sin so that we can confess it to the Lord and be forgiven.
In our study today, we are going to begin reading with verse 7 of Numbers, Chapter 20, where we read:
Numbers 20:7-10 NKJV
7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
8 "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals."
9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock . . .
So far, Moses and Aaron were doing exactly as God had instructed them to do. They took the rod and gathered all the people around the rock. But notice what happened next:
Numbers 20:10-13 NKJV
10 . . . (Moses) said to them,"Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?"
11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.
As we study this passage, we need to recognize first of all that Moses and Aaron are representatives of the Law. The Law came by Moses, and Aaron was the first High Priest under the Law.
Moses was a great man. He was one of only two people whom God referred to as “my servant.” God called Moses, “My servant, Moses.” But as great as Moses was, even he failed under the Law. He was weak in the flesh and did not obey the Lord.
This is a picture of all people who try to come to God by keeping the Law. They all fail to live up to the perfect righteousness of the Law. No one has kept the Law perfectly except the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Christ came to fulfill the righteousness of the Law so that we might be made righteous in Him.
Romans 8:3-4 NKJV
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of his disobedience, but that does not mean that Moses was lost for all of eternity. His life is simply a picture of those who are lost because of their misplaced confidence in the Law. The fact is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and therefore, faith in Christ is the only way to gain the approval and acceptance of God.
The second point that we need understand as we study this passage is that when Moses struck the rock, he was operating in the flesh. He was frustrated with the children of Israel because they were blaming him for all of their problems. As a result, he was not fully relying on the Lord, so he said, must we bring water out of this rock for you?
Previously, the people had accused Moses of taking too much upon Himself. They thought he was grabbing too much glory for himself. However, God said that of all the people that were living on the earth at that time no one was as meek as Moses.
One of Moses’ strengths had been that he was humble. For the most part, He had recognized his own weaknesses, and he had recognized that his strength came from the Lord. However, it does seem at this point that Moses became overconfident in his own strength. He said, must we bring water out of this rock for you?
Moses and Aaron had no power to bring a drop of water out of that rock. Only the Lord could do that. Moses was operating in the flesh, so rather than speaking to the rock as God had told him to do, he struck the rock. However, God revealed His faithfulness and His mercy by allowing water to flow from the rock in spite of Moses’ disobedience.
God had a plan and a purpose for the children of Israel, and Moses’ disobedience could not derail that plan. Israel got their water, but Moses was told that he would not be allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land.
The third thing that I want us to keep in mind as we study this passage is that this was not the first time Moses had come to the rock for water. On a previous occasion, when the people were out of water, God had brought the people to the rock and had instructed Moses to smite the rock. When Moses obeyed God and struck the rock, water came rushing out.
It would appear that as Moses came to the rock the second time, he was relying too heavily on his previous experience because he simply struck the rock as he had done before. There is a danger in trusting too much in past experiences. What a wonderful experience that was the first time, when Moses struck the rock and water came gushing out. But this time, God’s instructions were different. This time Moses was to speak to the rock.
As we serve the Lord, we need to look at the past and learn from the past, but we should not expect God to work today in exactly the same manner that He has worked in the past. We need to recognize this principle particularly as we study the scriptures.
II Timothy 2:15 says that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen who need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. God does not do everything today as He did in the past, and He expects us to make Biblical distinctions based on this principle. Making these distinctions will make it possible for us to serve the Lord with confidence, knowing what things are for us and what things are for the people of other ages.
During the few moments that we have left this morning, I would like to ask if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as the Rock who was smitten for you on the cross so that you could then speak to the Rock? Do you know Him as the one who was buried and then raised from the dead so that you could have fellowship with Him throughout eternity? I trust that you do.
It’s been good to be with you this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.
Church links:
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