Water From the Rock

The Israelites had roamed in the desert for forty years and were now back at the scene of their earlier rebellion. When they first came to Kadesh, they had refused to trust God, and now the whole Israelite community arrived once again at the Desert of Zin. As expected, there was no water in the desert. Perhaps this is why Miriam died during this time and was buried at Kadesh. Yet the Israelite community had not learned their lesson over the course of their forty-year detour. They once again returned to their usual rebellious attitude, grumbling about the lack of water and claiming that their lives had been better back in Egypt as slaves.

Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink! ” – Numbers 20:4-5 (NIV)

No matter how many years went by, the Israelites kept longing to return to Egypt. It wasn’t that they missed Egypt itself—they had come to resent the very God who had delivered them from bondage. In a way, it was the opposite of Stockholm syndrome: fear of God, not love, kept them from turning back. They believed He would punish them if they tried. Yet, in truth, their hearts had never really left Egypt.

Moses Ignores God’s Command

The LORD said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” – Numbers 20:7-8 (NIV)

God wanted Moses to speak to the rock to demonstrate His absolute authority—that even a lifeless, unhearing object like a rock would obey His command. By speaking rather than striking, God was showing that His power is so great that creation itself responds to His word alone. It was meant to be a clear display that when God speaks, it is done. This was meant to be a sign to the Israelites, reassuring them that they need not fear anything they would face as they began to enter the Promised Land.

So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. – Numbers 20:9-11 (NIV)

Moses struck the rock because he relied on his past experience rather than following God’s new instruction. The last time God had told him to strike the rock, water came out—so this time, he acted out of habit, assuming that was still what God wanted. He forgot that God had now commanded him to speak to the rock instead. In the same way, we often fall into patterns of doing things out of muscle memory, forgetting to seek and obey what God is actually asking of us in the present moment.

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” – Numbers 20:12 (NIV)

Moses did not honour God because he ignored God’s specific instruction to speak to the rock and instead struck it, taking credit for the water that came out. By doing so, he failed to give God the glory for providing. Moses’ actions reflected a sense of self-reliance, as he didn’t trust God’s command fully and instead took matters into his own hands. The Israelites had grumbled for water, and Moses felt he needed to rebuke them and show them the power of his staff. He acted based on his past experience rather than honouring God’s current command.

Similarly, we do the same when we forget that it is God who supports and empowers us. We may think we’ve accomplished something on our own, attributing our success solely to our efforts, rather than acknowledging that it was God who made it possible all along. We take the credit and fail to honour God for His role in our lives.

At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. – Numbers 20:23-24 (NIV)

The Life of Aaron and Miriam

In this account, we witness a series of dramatic events: Miriam’s death, Moses being punished by God and denied entry into the Promised Land, and Aaron being suddenly called by God, with his son Eleazar taking up his responsibilities in a swift and forceful transition. After all the years of leading the Israelites, these three siblings, who had started the Exodus journey together, would not see the Promised Land to its end. The proximity to their goal only underscores the gravity of their circumstances and the consequences of their actions.

From the lives of Miriam and Aaron, we can learn valuable lessons. They represent the “lukewarm” Christians—those who know about God and experience positive moments but are not deeply invested in their relationship with Him. For much of their lives, they lived without the direct leading of God, wandering through the wilderness of their own making. They spent their lives without fully embracing God’s guidance, and as a result, their leadership lacked the deep, transformative connection with God that would have empowered them to lead others more effectively.

Similarly, we can sometimes focus more on ministering to others than nurturing our own spiritual growth. We may feel as though we earn credit for every person we bring to church, like a finder’s fee, but that approach misses the point. For every day we proclaim the message of God, we must dedicate even more time in His presence, learning from Him and growing in our own faith.

Discussion Questions

1. Had the Israelites truly learned nothing during their forty years of wandering in the desert?
2. Why did God instruct Moses to speak to the rock in order to bring forth water?
3. What led Moses to disobey God and strike the rock instead of speaking to it?
4. In what ways did Moses fail to honour God? Do we do the same?
5. What can we learn from the lives of Miriam and Aaron?

Map