“Then Moshe raised his hand and hit the rock twice with his staff. Water flowed out in abundance, and the community and their livestock drank.”
Numbers 20:11 CJB
Though the desired outcome was attained (water came forth), Moses failed to obey God in this instance. God had commanded him to simply speak to the rock, telling it “to produce its water” for the people and livestock to drink but instead Moses struck the rock, twice. And yet God, in His graciousness, made water spill out from the rock anyway, and not just a trickle, but an abundance poured forth and the thirst of the people and their livestock was sated.
However the consequence that Moses and Aaron received for their disobedience was that they would not be allowed to go with the people of Israel into the Promised Land. They would die before the nation realized this goal.
So what was the root of the sin that these men committed here? Moses’ anger at the people certainly seems warranted! The answer however, is found in the next verse. God speaks to them and says it is “because you did not trust in me, so as to cause me to be regarded as holy by the people of Israel…”. Perhaps, in his anger, Moses misrepresented God to the people. We see God’s graciousness and generosity towards the people shine through in the abundant provision of water that He causes to pour out from the rock in order to satisfy their thirst. The anger that Moses seems to have been exhibiting by addressing the people harshly and striking the rock (“Listen here you rebels!”; “[he] hit the rock twice with his staff”) along with taking undue credit for bringing forth the water (“are we supposed to bring you water from this rock?”) was presumably not the face that God wanted displayed to the people at this time. Previously, Moses had been instructed to strike a rock in Horeb and out of that rock flowed water that had similarly satisfied the thirst of the parched people: “I will stand in front of you there on the rock in Horev. You are to strike the rock , and water will come out of it, so the people can drink.” Exodus 17:6 CJB
So why the change in method? Paul seems to teach in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rocks from which the water came during the Israelites’ wandering in the desert symbolized Christ: “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” (God often represents in the physical realm what is happening in the greater reality of the spiritual realm–such seems to be the case here as well. “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” Colossians 2:17 ESV) Indeed in the Exodus passage God (and from a Trinitarian view this would include Christ) is even said to be standing on the rock Moses was to strike. Some bible teachers speculate that the great affront that Moses and Aaron committed by striking the rock on the second occasion was the distorting of the picture of Christ as the Rock. The first striking of the rock (as a picture of crucifixion of Jesus) was ordained by God so that salvation could be offered to all on his behalf: “…he was struck down for the rebellion of my people…But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants.” Isaiah 53:8b, 10a NLT But to strike or crucify Christ again would be absurd: “…by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame…For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy…And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.” Hebrews 6:6; 10:14, 18 NLT
The second time that God desired to pour forth water from the rock by having Moses merely speak to it, might be likened to the requirements for salvation Paul and John set forth in Romans and 1 John: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 NLT “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.” 1 John 4:15 NLT
This may have been the picture that God wanted to present to the people and the reason that Moses and Aaron were dealt such a severe consequence when they deviated from His instruction. While God intended to deal gently and mercifully with the rebellious and complaining Israelites to show us a picture of how He comes and deals with us in our “while we were yet sinners” state, Moses may have inadvertently painted a picture of an angry God, out of which could grow an unhealthy fear. Meanwhile, God intended the following: “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” 1 John 4:16-18 NLT
The life application that I draw from this comes in the form of a question: How might I be misrepresenting God to those around me? To my children?
Father, grant me the mercy to say like Balaam said to Balak (but with a pure heart): “Here, I’ve come to you! But I have no power of my own to say anything. The word God puts in my mouth is what I will say.” Numbers 22:38 CJB
And to leave it at that…