Numbers 20:11-13 Amplified Bible

11 Then Moses raised his hand [in anger] and with his rod he struck the rock twice [instead of speaking to the rock as the Lord had commanded]. And the water poured out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank [fresh water]. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed (trusted) Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, you therefore [a]shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah (contention, strife), where the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He showed Himself holy among them.

Footnote

1. Numbers 20:12 Moses apparently allowed his anger and frustration with the Israelites to blind him to the significance of what God had instructed. Although thoroughly exasperated by the Israelites, Moses was still held accountable for his behavior.

Moses met with God face to face and in this moment disobeyed God. For that disobedience Moses was denied his leadership of Israel. The promise of God to see the promised land was denied Moses and Aaron.

I am no Moses. Why should you trust me? The answer is that you should not.

The promises of God are not dependent on my obedience, no more than Israel’s being given the Promised Land was dependent on Moses. God was still good for His Word and His promise.

All I can do, at my very best, is to announce His promises, but His promise is His promise, not mine to own. Everyone has to find it within themselves to discover if they trust God enough to follow God and discover for themselves which promises are to be realized in the time they have left for them.

A dear friend of mine finally trusted in God, believed Him and faith, and died shortly thereafter.

What promise did he achieve in that short time? If nothing else, eternal life.

What proof do I have? None, but my hope is based on my faith in His promise. I trust that God is good for His Word. John’s turning point was when he believed God was not a liar. That was enough for him.

What will it take for you?

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

This is a quote that comes to mind whenever we think about trust. It does not define trust and how to obtain it. It only declares that trusting God is a better option than trusting our own understanding.

Consider for a moment the issue of straight paths. The shortest distance between any two points is a straight line and taking any other path is nothing but a waste of time. Just how valuable is time? When we are young we take it for granted. At old age it means different things to different people. There are some who cling to it as something dear to them while others are worn and weary and look forward to an end. What time means to you is a personal matter and no one should tell you how to feel about it.

Genesis 12:1

The Call of Abram

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

Abram, who later became Abraham, is declared to be that father of faith for three major religions. This is the first communication between the Lord and Abram. He was told to leave his country, family, and his father’s house for a place that was not identified.

Who goes on a journey without knowing the destination?

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

The Lord made a promise to Abram and the hope of that promise was enough for Abram to take that first step of faith, to go when he was led by only a voice. There was no indication that the Lord showed His face to Abram.

So why did Abram trust this faceless voice?

His hope was in the promise.

Are the promises of God enough to cause us to trust God?

Now comes the dilemma for all the lost souls God is reaching out to save.

Who will tell them of His promises?