In Numbers 20:8 God told Moses “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.” The people of God were complaining yet again to Moses and Aaron that they were better off in Egypt that that bone dry wilderness. So Moses and Aaron went to talk with God about it and God graciously tells the two brothers that he would provide in and impossible way. He tells Moses to do 4 things. Take your staff, assemble the congregation, include your BROTHER Aaron (so not to confuse him with another Aaron), and lastly speak to a rock. So what does Moses do?
Moses actually seems to do a great job obeying the Lord. Think about this. He did take his staff, he did assemble the congregation, he did include Aaron, and he did do something with a rock. Think about how much Moses did actually obey. It would take a lot to gather the congregation and do anything with a rock expecting water to come fourth. He did so much of what God asked him to do. But… Instead of fully obeying God the Father he only obeyed 90% or so. Actually isn’t that 90% obedience to God quite impressive? I probably would have gone out and done a test run on that rock before I gathered anyone to come and drink. I would have picked up the rock and looked for a hidden spring, but not Moses. He got right to work. All he did was hit the rock. Instead of talking to that rock he hit the rock (Num 20:11).
So what does God do? He says to Moses and Aaron “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” If I was Moses and Aaron I would have been quite frustrated “What do you mean I did not uphold you as Holy? They saw water come from a Rock! But that is how it is with God, He requires perfect obedience not 90% obedience.
Enter Jesus! Jesus comes and obeys the Father 100%. You see 1 Cor 10:4 tells us that Jesus Himself was that Rock that Israel drank water from and not only was he that Rock but He is the better Moses who not just gathers and intercedes for the assembly but Jesus actually obeys God on behalf of the assembly He Himself gathers. He is the one who says to the Father “Yes Father I will speak to that Rock, I am that Rock, Ill be that one who gives water to your weary ones, Ill be the one who brings all your assembly into the true promise land with my very obedience counted as their own”. How glorious indeed is Jesus our Lord!
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