Numbers Chapter 20:1-13

“Smitting The Rock”

 

Without a doubt, Moses is one of the greatest men who ever lived.

A)His AWESOME RESPONSIBILITY and GLORIOUS OPPORTUNITY made him one of the unique men of all history

 

B) He had the responsibility of leading 3,million people for 40 years in the wilderness{  That was NO easy task

 

C) He also had the glorious privilege and OPPORTUNITY of hearing        from God directly

1) Saw in Numbers 12 – God validates Moses by saying when I speak to prophet I do so thru a dream or a vision { Moses I speak directly

 

D) Moses did NOT have the struggle that we have of discerning the voice of the Lord

1) Awesome RESPONSIBILITY and Glorious OPPORTUNITY

 

Moses is ALSO one of the few men in all of Scripture that are called a man of God

a)We use that title almost flippantly - But God uses it very sparingly

But Moses was such a person

 

B) He is called by the Holy Spirit a man of God Deut. 33:1   Moses the man of God

 

C) As a Godly man he had a Godly Character / BUT - Like any man of God... He was a MAN

1) And As a man he was FALLIBLE & FLAWED & had FAILINGS

 

D) Now James declared: James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.

 

E) In our text Tonight we see an example of this/  His greatest failing / thru it Moses forfeited his Privilege of going into the Promised Land {Rd v.1-13

What was it about this sin that God considered it to be so great?

4 things I want us to take note of tonight – Prep for Communion

A)1st  The sin involved ANGER -Moses was ticked off

 

B) I don't blame Moses for being ticked off at these people always complaining – { Arizona – Desert – Denise I first group 

1) PSALM 106 gives us insight into this incident

 

Ps. 106:32-33   32The people also made the LORD angry at Meribah,

and Moses was in trouble because of them.33 The people turned against the Spirit of God,  so Moses spoke without stopping to think.

 

C) Moses had been putting up with these people for a long time now

1) It seems that He finally just ran out of gas - He was worn out / possible grief from sisters death

 

D) We can all relate to that position - NOTE: It was still inexcusable

 

 

What is interesting to me about this – is this was supposed to be Moses Strength - Remember, we were  told

Num. 12:3    (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

 

Meekness = Power under control

A)Because we are told that Moses was the meekest man on the face of the earth, his sin of anger showed up very blatantly

 

B) If you are a car mechanic and you have an oil spot on your work clothes, it isn't very noticeable { Grease Monkeys -

 

C) BUT - If you are President Bush and you have an oil spot on your white shirt on national TV... Everyone notices it

     1) To whom much is given, much is required

 

D) So This outburst was a blatant spot on his character- NOTE WELL Moses fell in the STRONGEST point of his     character

1) Pt. Our STRONGEST point is where we can most easily fail!!!! WHY?

 

Because where I am weak... I take great concern

A)I over-compensate and more quickly look to the Lord and depend upon the Lord

 

B) BUT - Where I  think I have it together, I forget to PRAY about them and TRUST God for them

1) Moses failed here in the area where he was strong

 

C) So there was ANGER involved in his sin

 

 

2ndly There was PRIDE in his sin

A)V. 10  Hear now, you rebels; must we bring you water out of this rock?        

B) Wait a minute Moses-  Must WHO? It isn't YOU that's getting the water out of the rock-  What are YOU taking credit for?

1) Isn’t that just like us at times – taking credit for something that the Lord has done !!!!

 

C) So PRIDE was involved in his sin { Taking some credit for the work that God was doing

 

D) SO Anger and Pride were a part of this sin but the biggest reasons that this so displeased the Lord / found in Reasons 3 & 4 

1) This is why I believe that the Judgment was so strong !!!!

 

 

The 3rd reason this so grieved the Lord is Moses was MISREPRESENTING God to the people of God

A)The people were complaining- Moses had it up to his eyeballs with their murmuring { Yells at them – Listen up You rebels

C) rebels  in the Septuagint is the word MOROS = Moron

That's it you "MORONS!! He has had it

1) He is mad at the people - But  God was NOT mad at the People

 

Ps. 103:13-14  13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.

    

God at this particular incident was sympathetic w/ the People

A)He did NOT instruct Moses to RAIL on the people or to SMITE the rock -  He knew that they were but dust

 

B) BUT - Moses portrayed God as angry – that is always a serious offense in the scriptures when Leaders misrepresent the Lord

1)   We see Jesus in the NT – coming against the religious leaders of His day for that same reason: { A God who lays burdens on His people

 

C) And Paul speaks of that being one of the judgments against spiritual leaders in the Last days – Misrepresenting the Lord

 

D) NOTE: The IMMEDIATE result v.12

 

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."

    

E) This was a heavy thing -  This is something that every servant of the Lord MUST guard against

 

         

So the 3rd Reason Moses misrepresented the Lord – 4th reason I think was the one that grieved the Lord the most :

A)Moses ruined the Prophetic picture : Note v.8 again – Moses was told to speak to the Rock – not to Strike it { Sig 1 Cor 10:4       

 

3  all ate the same spiritual food,4  and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

 

B)Rock is not Petros / but Petra huge Mt. / Mt. Horeb { Base of the Mountain

1)   It wasn’t a rock that followed them  but Christ was actually w/ them to Provide for them!

 

C) This is where the Prophetic picture was ruined – you see – early on in the wilderness experience – Exodus 17  thirsty in Horeb

1)   God told Moses to go strike the Rock – and water would come out

 

D) That striking of the Rock was a picture of the refreshment that was to come to People thru Jesus being Crucified

1)   All who were thirsty – dry spiritually – receive fulfillment – blessing Salvation Because Jesus the Rock – was Struck for them

 

But once he has been struck – there is no need for him to be Struck again – Once – he was crucified no need to be crucified again

A)We don’t come here tonight to participate in another crucifixion – we come here tonight – to remember the Rock that was struck

 

B) When we sin there is not a need for another Sacrifice – Jesus was Struck – Once for all – Now we just speak to Him

1)   We confess our Sin –

 

C) We need to be refreshed we speak to the Rock – Fill us Lord –

1) Turn to John 7:

 

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

 

John 4:12-15

13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."