The End is Near
Numbers 20 is the
proof of the beginning of the end.
Miriam – the priestess who helped lead the people out of Egypt dies in
this chapter. Aaron dies in this
chapter. And here is where Moses smites
the rock and is told that he will not enter the Promised Land himself. It is the beginning of the end. Not “The End,” mind you. God will go on with a new generation. But for this current generation of Hebrew
people it is officially the beginning of the end.
Aaron’s Sin
The question has been
raised, what was Aaron’s sin and what prevents him from going into the Promised
Land? Well, Aaron pretty much is guilty
by association – but not in an unjust way.
You see, one of the things that Moses and Aaron are repeatedly lifted up
as possessing is meekness. Whenever trouble
rises against them, they pause to ask the Lord for guidance. Whenever a difficult question is asked of
them, they pause and ask for guidance.
And when they receive guidance, they go back to the people and give
God’s message in a way that brings glory to God.
But not so here. Look at this Water from the Rock Pt. II
story. They absolutely do pause and go
to the Lord. But when they get the
message from the Lord, there is no meekness about them. They return to the congregation and call the
people rebels – and they were, mind you.
But rather than leading meekly and humbly in such a way as it points the
congregation to God, Moses and Aaron lead angrily in a way that shows how they
despise the people. Moses – and by
association, Aaron – don’t have a meek attitude when they ask the question
“Shall we bring water for you out of
this rock?” They have a self-righteous
attitude. If there is anything that
self-righteousness does, it is not glorifying to God.
As far as I can tell,
if you are looking for a sin in Moses and Aaron, it is that they are
self-righteous. It is not that Moses
struck the rock instead of speaking to it – although he does that, too! But if I had to bet, Moses struck the rock
out of his – and again by association, Aaron’s – anger and self-righteous. These things blinded them both to their
calling from God to glorify God in their leadership.
I’m Not Altering the Past
Now, I know what you
are saying. “From youth I’ve always been
told that Moses’ sin was striking the rock and not speaking to it!” I’m not saying that teaching is wrong. Certainly Moses hit the rock rather than
speaking to it. Moses was certain
disobedient.
But think about it
for a minute. All throughout the Bible
the emphasis is seldom really put on the action. Emphasis is put upon the motivation for the
action. In Genesis the sin isn’t so much
eating of the fruit as it is in trusting Satan’s interpretation of God’s Word
over God’s interpretation. The sin of
the Garden of Eden isn’t so much the fruit as it is misplaced trust. Look to David – who is a murderer and
adulterer. God pardons David not because
he is innocent but because David confesses the motivation and repents of his
sinful nature. If the action was more
important than the motivation, forgiveness would not be possible because the
action cannot be undone. Think of Jesus
in the Sermon on the Mount (See Matthew 5 and following). Time and time again Jesus reinforces that
there are certain things that are wrong: murder, divorce, swearing oaths, etc. But the most dangerous aspect of is the
motivation for the behavior: anger, lust, lack of faith in God.
That is what I am
getting at. Certainly Moses’ action was
wrong. But the action of striking the
rock instead of speaking to it is a pittance when compared to the arrogance
with which Moses and Aaron approached the rock in the first place. Striking the rock was nothing when compared
to the self-righteousness they displayed before the Hebrew congregation. Look at what God says is their sin in Numbers
20:12. “Because you did not believe in
me and uphold me as holy before the
congregation.” God doesn’t say “because
you struck the rock instead of speaking to it.”
God is concerned with Moses’ and Aaron’s motivation first and foremost!
There’s your main
problem right there. Was Moses
guilty? In heart and deed:
absolutely. Was Aaron guilty? In heart at least: absolutely. This is why in Numbers 20:12 and Numbers
20:24 the “you” said in those sentences are plural. Moses and Aaron are both guilty of not
upholding God as holy at that particular time and they are punished for it.
A Short Conversation about Edom
So, I’ve spent all
this time on Moses and Aaron without looking to Edom. Remember that the Edomites are descendants of
Esau, Jacob’s brother. So they are kin –
although kin from many generations back.
The Hebrew people don’t desire to fight their kin, so they ask for
permission to pass through, paying for any resources that they use. When that is denied to them, the Hebrew
people still have no desire to fight their kin here, so they turn away and
approach the land from another direction.
I don’t have much to say about this other than to remind us who the
Edomites were and to point out that they chose a different route rather than
beginning the conquest of Canaan by shedding the blood of their kin.
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