Numbers 20:1-13

The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there.¹

Now there was no water for the congregation;² so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron. The people quarrelled with Moses and said, “Would that we had died when our kindred died before the Lord!³ Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here?⁴ Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place?⁵ It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.”⁶

Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting; they fell on their faces,⁷ and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.”⁸

So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he had commanded him.⁹ Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?”¹⁰ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff;¹¹ water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank.

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me,¹² to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”¹³ These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarrelled with the Lord,¹⁴ and by which he showed his holiness.¹⁵

1 Miriam's death gets only a brief mention. At least it's mentioned.

2 Why hadn't God provided water yet? To test them?

3 Yet another complaint!

4 It's like they just want to keep making it worse and worse.

5 Yet another positive remembrance of Egypt.

6 Even though they should these things are waiting in the promised land.

7 Yet again Moses and Aaron's first response is to go to God.

8 God provides for their complaint rather than condemning them.

9 Once again Moses is obedient.

10 Moses sounds mocking. This seems unfair to the people. Or perhaps Moses himself didn't trust God to provide?

11 Moses struck the rock rather than “commanding” it. Was that out of line with God's order?

12 How didn't he trust God? It seemed that he basically had followed what God had asked. Was the failure from before when they first had the lack of water, or afterwards because he failed to “command” it to come out in faith? My Study Bible is also uncertain on this question.

13 So Moses and Aaron will now not go as well. It is Caleb and Joshua alone who will represent the old generation.

14 One of many quarrels, in fact.

15 Interesting that his “holiness” was shown in this action.


Take-home: God provides miraculously yet again, after yet another Israelite complaint, yet Moses and Aaron are condemned for not trusting God.