What’s Wrong with this *&$%^!# * Rock?
“The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff…speak to the rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water…then Moses struck the rock twice with his staff…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.” Selected excerpts from Numbers 20: 7-12
This story takes place in the last year of wandering for the Israelites. Forty or so years earlier God had brought water out of a rock (Ex. 17). This is the second time God commanded Moses to take his staff to a rock. This is the same staff that God caused to bud as proof of who He had chosen to lead the Israelites (Num. 17). This is also the same staff that is “to be kept as a sign to the rebellious.” Its purpose was to “put an end to their grumbling against” God so that the Israelites wouldn’t die.
At first glance it seems a bit harsh that God would ban Moses and Aaron from entering the Promised Land. In fact, tucked away in this second story of the gushing rock is the phrase “So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as He commanded him.” But, this was only partial obedience and partial obedience is disobedience. Moses relied on his traditionalism when he thought he was standing on tradition established by God* (see below). Another way to say it is that he was practicing religion of God when he needed to trust his relationship with God.
I’m not sure if Moses and Aaron panicked. They probably did to some extent. I would have. They were coming to the end of their bizarre odyssey. The end was in sight, the Promised Land was just over the horizon. But, the whining, petty, ingrate Israelites were about to blow the whole deal…again. They needed to be put in their place or another sentence of forty years would be handed down.
All Moses and Aaron had to do was point to the budding staff and say, “hush up, now!” That staff was given by God for specifically this type of situation. I don’t know if they forgot about it or if they didn’t believe it would work or what…but, they didn’t use the tool God had given them. I could write about what happens when leaders don’t use the tools God give them, but that’s not where I’m going. I could also spend several paragraphs writing about what happens when leaders work out of their frustration. But, what I want to explore is how we, as leaders, try to recreate what only God can create.
The first gushing rock was a great success to be sure. The Isrealites were faced with overwhelming odds: starvation, dehydration, an impending battle. God specifically told Moses to strike the rock and, voila, it gushed water. This was immediately followed by a great victory of the Amalekites. Why wouldn’t Moses think the same formula would work again? So, he woops up on the rock. In fact, he hits it a second time. Maybe it was out of anger that Moses took his wind up and went, “wap-wap” in quick succession. But, I suspect it went more like this…
Back when God spoke to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting all Moses heard was, “Take the staff…to the rock.” In his heart Moses most likely said, “OK, God, I remember what we did last time. I’ve got it from here.”
Whoa…wait just a minute. “What we did last time? There was no we there, Lone Ranger.” Back in “Gushing Rock I” God said, “I will stand there before you by the rock.” God was already at the rock…He had already primed it…He had already done the work. Moses could have tripped and fell with the staff hitting the rock and it would have gushed water.
Now at “Gushing Rock: The Sequel” I suspect Moses stormed over to the rock and took a hefty whack driven by his frustration with the Isrealites. He probably heaved his chest, raised his arms in triumph and waited for his moment of glory for recreating the wonderful climax of Gushing Rock I.
Nothing happens…cue crickets chirping in the silence of the dessert.
Not even a bubble of water seeped to the surface of the rock. But, maybe Moses’ frustration with God was starting to bubble. “I did exactly what we did last time! Why don’t you have my back, Mr. Burning Bush Great I Am!!! I’ll show you all!” There may have even been a torrent of “bowling words” as Mr. I’m Slow of Tongue spit on his hands and, just like Mighty Casey at the Bat, took his back swing and whooped up on the rock a second time. It was probably out of pity for the poor rock “that never did nothin’ to nobody” that God brought forth water.
Before we look down our noses at the pitiful sight of Moses getting the tongue lashing he deserves from God (Num. 20:12) we need to take a look in the mirror. As leaders how many times have we witnessed God do something great in our ministry? It might have been a spiritual breakthrough. For me, as a worship leader, it most often takes the form of a great moment in a worship service; one of those moments when you can feel the Spirit of God sweep over the room like a hurricane and the pastor comes to the pulpit to go straight to the invitation/alter call/decision moment without a sermon. People rush the altar. Repentance breaks through; revival breaks out. It was probably even during one of those otherwise mundane moments in the service when only God can split open the rock and let His spirit gush all over the people. We relish the moment giving Him the glory for doing something only He could have done.
Until the next time we think we’re in a similar situation. Then we get all full of ourselves and try to formulate it. “What was it I said to create that moment, what song did we sing that spoke to people, what did we do to convict people like that, what was it about us that encouraged so many?” we search frantically for the formula. Then we get frustrated with ourselves, the people and God when the formula doesn’t work. For goodness, sake! What are we thinking? We’re trying to do what only God can do. We’re trying to be God! For reasons we can never understand, because our thoughts are selfish and, therefore, are not God’s thoughts, He created that moment for that time for His purpose and His glory. It’s not our business, right or even privilege to recreate it. But, God is doing a new thing…not old things.
It’s what I call “glory hijacking.” And we all try it. We need to stop. We’re not God and He’s not just a great big us. Our job is simply to stand next to The Rock and let Him be God. We need to learn to obey; do what He says…nothing more, nothing less.
Then watch the water gush. It’ll be like drinking water from a fire hydrant…um, more like Niagra Falls.
*”Traditionalisms are the dead faith of the living. Traditions are the living faith of the dead.” The first half of this quote is attributed to Jaroslav Pelikan in his book “The Melody of Theology”. However, only the first have can be attributed directly to him. The second half remains attributed to my favorite quotist, anonymous.
Tags: aaron, jaroslav pelikan, moses, niagra falls