March 13 - A Critical Mistake
We all make mistakes but some of our mistakes could potentially cause us to lose God’s inheritance. None of us can understand why God forbade Moses from entering the Promised Land. After all, he was the great prophet of God, talked with the Lord face to face like a friend, brought His people out of Egypt and was greatly used by the Lord in performing signs and wonders. For forty years, Moses was faithful in God’s house, never wavered despite of repeated rebellions of his people. He prayed for his people and God answered his prayers. How could this happen to him?
Moses must have made a very serious mistake in order for God to overlook all his previous ministries and deprived him of the reward of going into the land of milk and honey. The Lord made sure that Moses understood why he was being punished. It was at the waters of Meribah when the congregation argued with Moses and Aaron when there was no water for them to drink. They made death wishes and vows, putting the blame ultimately on Jehovah Himself. Horrible words came out from their mouths and they challenged the leadership.
God again intervened and His glory appeared to Moses and Aaron. He told Moses to take up his staff of authority, assemble the congregation with Aaron, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Moses took the staff and did what the Lord told him to. However, he did two things the Lord did not tell him to do. First, he scolded the congregation by calling them rebels. He actually got angry and as a result of his anger, he struck the rock instead of telling the rock to yield water. Water did come out, the end result was the same, but Moses used his way and in a moment of anger, he gave it to the people.
When the Lord spoke to him later, the Lord told them about their mistake: “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” God showed Himself holy by bringing water out of the rock and by preventing Moses and Aaron from entering into the Promised Land. The critical mistake Moses made was not to honor God’s instructions, striking the rock in anger.
In the New Testament, we learn that this rock followed the Israelites in the wilderness and is a type of Christ who can give us the living water. By not honoring God’s instruction, by getting mad at the people, and by striking the symbol of Christ, Moses did make a critical mistake and cost him his inheritance. We would make many mistakes if we do not honor the Lord, if we are self-centered and despise the Lord. Do you have a fear of the Lord? Are you making any critical mistake today?
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any such mistake in your life now.
Ps 38:13-22 Num 19:1-20:29 Luke 1:1-25 Prov 11:8