The Jesus Bible Reading Plan / BANISHED FROM THE PROMISED LAND

The Jesus Bible Reading Plan

Day 234 of 365 BANISHED FROM THE PROMISED LAND The sin of ingratitude raised its ugly head again, as it did when the Israelite people first left Egypt forty years earlier (Ex 17). The same issue, a lack of water, provoked the people to blame God and their leadership. God was not angry with the hostile people; instead, he lovingly desired to provide the nurture they needed. In contrast to God's kindness, Moses responded in unrighteous anger and disobeyed by striking the rock (as God had instructed him to in Ex 17) and losing the opportunity to enter into the promised land. Similarly, Adam and Eve in the garden had a lapse of judgment and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This deliberate disobedience caused their ejection from the Garden of Eden. Their sin demanded that someone come and remedy the sinful state in which mankind was entrenched. God's providence and grace are evident in the gushing of the rock to provide for the people and the livestock in spite of Moses' actions. God demonstrated his benevolent nature to supply the needs of his people. This grace is manifested richly to all mankind, even while they were (and are) still sinners (Ro 5:8), through the death of Christ on the cross. Numbers 20:2-11 NASB 2 There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, "If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the L ord ! 4 Why then have you brought the L ord ' s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here? 5 Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink." 6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the L ord appeared to them; 7 and the L ord spoke to Moses, saying, The Water of Meribah 8 "Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink." 9 So Moses took the rod from before the L ord , just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.