We’re in the middle of a series looking at random moments in the Bible that feature individuals committing, what they would call, one “little” sin and then suffering the consequences thereof.
Yesterday we noticed Balaam’s love of money and how it got him into trouble. Today we go back in time a little bit and notice Moses making a mistake that seems minor. It seems like it’s no big deal and the punishment for his mistake seems excessive. Notice the text…
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.Numbers 20:7-12
God tells Moses to speak to a rock and from it would come water. Moses, however, strikes the rock.
“What’s the big deal?” you say, “God still gave the people water.”
Yes, because God is a provider for His people even when the leaders of the people mess up.
Moses didn’t argue the issue, but I can imagine many people today saying “What’s it matter, God? Speak/strike…it’s all the same; as long as the people end up with water, who cares how we get there?”
That’s good and basic human reasoning, except for one thing: God cares about the details…and that means I should too.
We live in a world of religious equivocation. Different people worship God in different ways yet all claim to have fellowship with God. “I do it my way, you do it your way, but that’s okay because we’re all going to the same place.”
That’s good and basic human reasoning, except for one thing: God cares about the details…and that means I should too.
If God tells me to do a thing a certain way you better believe He cares if I do it “my” way. I don’t get to decide how to get water from a rock. God decides. And if I try and take charge, if I act like I can make the rules, then I will miss out on my Promised Land (Heaven), just as Moses missed out on his (Canaan).
A lot of people think of Heaven as the destination at the end of a family vacation. We can go to Disney World by car or by plane. We can fly out of Dallas or Little Rock or we can drive on highway or interstate, etc. There’s a lot of different ways to reach the destination and no “way” is the wrong “way.”
That is not how one gets to Heaven.
The way to Heaven is a narrow path (Matthew 7:14) and there’s only one way there: God’s way. If we try and go our way, even a little bit, we’re sinning.
“But it’s just one little change! It’s just one little sin!”
There’s no such thing with God. It’s either His way or the highway (to hell). If you don’t think God cares about the little things, just ask Moses about the time he struck a rock.
Think about it,
have a great day!
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