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?