Don't Strike the Rock!

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” ~Number 20:7-12
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Obedience is a big deal to God. The details of our obedience are also a big thing. In the above passage God told Moses to speak to the rock to bring forth water. Moses chose to strike the rock instead. When he did water still gushed forth, but his lack of attention to detail cost him his place in the Promised Land.

Why did the water still gush when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it? The scripture does not say but a couple of thoughts are:
-the people still had a need for water and God met that need.
-God honored Moses' faith despite his twist on what God had told him to do.

Attitude is everyting. The people of Israel had been contending with Moses just before, complaining against him. Moses sought the Lord, received his instructions but then proceeded to add his own twist to the instructions. Instead of speaking to rock he struck it.

Maybe Moses was angry with the people and their poor attititudes and their constant complaining. Maybe he thought, "What difference does it make whether I speak to the rock or strike it?"

The difference was life altering. Moses still got to lead the people to the Promised Land. He got to keep his job, but he lost his right to enjoy the blessing of that land for himself.

How often do we do the same thing? The Lord puts us in a place to lead others to Him and His instructions are simple, yet we find ourselves wanting to strike when He wants us to speak. We need to be so careful to pay attention to the details of what He wants us to do.

Attitude is everything. What attitude are we bringing into the assignments God has given us? If we are bringing anything more than love and simple obedience, then let us check to see if our rod is raised in the air, ready to strike.

Speak. It seemed so simple. Just speak to the rock. Surely he needed to do more than just speak. Surely we need to do more than just love. Speak. Lay down your rod. Lay down your way of providing for the people and just speak.

It is amazing how diffifcult it can be to just speak. Maybe, like Moses, we just want to strike. It has more flair than speaking. If we strike we show our strength. If we strike we might feel better, especially if the people are contentious and we think we've had enough. What difference does it make if we speak or if we strike? Speak. Just speak.

Don't lose the land that God wants to give you. Pay attention to the details. Don't strike the rock.