Do you ever wish God gave you a second chance? He does. What if you don’t do better the second time around? This devotion looks at when God gave the Wilderness Wanderers a second chance.
Nuggets
- The Wilderness Wanderers are about done with their wandering, but it was a new generation, same old complaint.
- God will always provide what is in His Will for His people.
- Moses not only took his anger out on the rock, but he also let it fly toward the Wilderness Wanderers, too.
- Moses didn’t get a second chance, and there is an argument that Aaron blew his second chance.
The Wilderness Wanderers have been wandering around for 40 years because they blew their first chance at entering the Promised Land. They ended up where they were when the wanderings started – Kadesh. Let’s see if they get a second chance and if things went better this time.
Let's Put It into Context
A couple of devotions ago, we talked about how the Wilderness Wanderers became the Wilderness Wanderers. God had told Moses to send in men to take a gander at the promised land. Ten of the spies said they couldn’t take the land. Joshua and Caleb told the Israelites that, whoever God was with, they would win.
The Israelites didn’t believe God was Who He said He was, so, they didn’t believe His promises. They were going to stone Joshua and Caleb, but God intervened. Instead, God wanted to destroy the Israelites. Moses intervened there.
So instead of killing all of them, God forced them to wander around the wilderness for 40 years. The purpose was so that all adults who had been in Egypt — except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb — would die. Only Egypt Kids and Wilderness Kids would enter.
Same Soundtrack, Different Day
“The entire Israelite community entered the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam died and was buried there. There was no water for the community, so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord. Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It’s not a place of grain, figs, vines, and pomegranates, and there is no water to drink!” (Num. 20: 1-5 CSB)
Oh, this is interesting. The Wilderness Wanderers are about done with their wandering. They are back to where they were when they were sentenced to wander.
So, that means they are made up of only Egypt Kids and Wilderness Kids.
However, new generation, same old complaint. “Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place? …” (Num. 20: 5 CSB). Did they record their parents and are just playing it back?
Wasn’t one of the points of the wandering that those who remembered Egypt died? If these are the kids, they didn’t know Egypt firsthand — really know Egypt.
But here are the complaints. And it is a familiar complaint. Did you bring us here to die because there is no food or water?
Had not God been providing them with manna and quail (Ex. 16: 12)? Aren’t they going into the land flowing with milk and honey (Num. 14: 8)?
What is their problem?
But they just wanted water. That is a basic necessity.
Is it better is we murmur or just downright argue? I am sure the Wilderness Wanderers has their share of both.
The bottom line is — after 40 years — they just didn’t trust God. Are they going to blow their second chance?
Still, God Provides
“Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting. They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Take the staff and assemble the community. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will yield its water. You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock’” (Num. 20: 6-8 CSB)
The next verses don’t say what Moses told God. Yes, God knew, but He makes us talk to Him and ask.
Had Moses’ frustration with the people already started to build?
Either way, Moses and Aaron did what they should have done. “… They fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them” (Num. 20: 6 CSB).
God provided — again. God will always provide what is in His Will for His people. And it will be enough: “You will bring out water for them from the rock and provide drink for the community and their livestock” (Num. 20: 8 CSB).
Moses was told to speak to the rock, not hit it. We’ve talked about this rock before. Jesus is the rock.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
Moses, You Blew It
“So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence just as he had commanded him. Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock, and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?’ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that abundant water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank” (Num. 20: 9-11 CSB)
We’ve talked before about how Moses didn’t follow directions. There was to be no hitting involved. It was just supposed to be speaking. But, because he was rash (and angry), he didn’t follow directions.
We’ve also talked about how specific God can be sometimes. There are times when He gives us point blank instructions. We need to follow those to the letter. Cross all the t’s. Dot all the i’s. Don’t add or subtract.
Moses not only took his anger out on the rock, but he also let it fly toward the Wilderness Wanderers, too. He called them names.
But did you see something else? “… Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” (Num. 20: 10 CSB).
Were Moses and Aaron taking credit for God’s miracles?
Oh, no wonder God was ticked. Yes, violence instead of asking nicely is a big thing. But not giving the credit to God is huge.
Harsh Punishment
“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.’” (Num. 20: 12 CSB)
We’ve talked about Moses not being allowed to cross over into the Promised Land. Let’s talk about Aaron.
Aaron was also banned from crossing over into the Promised Land because of this incident. It is easy to see why Moses got this sentence because he was the speaker (Num. 20: 10) and the hitter (Num. 20: 11). Aaron, not so much.
If you look back at verse 10, it says, “Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock …” (Num. 20: 10 CSB). Everything else from that point just says Moses.
Aaron did not get punished for Moses’ sin. Aaron’s access to the Promised Land denied because Moses said, “… Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” (Num. 20: 10 CSB). They both thought it was them providing the water, not God.
God judged them — and quickly. “But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them’” (Num. 20: 12 CSB).
Moses didn’t get a second chance. There is an argument that Aaron blew his second chance.
Making the Connections
Since these are the Egypt Kids and the Wilderness Kids, we have a couple of questions to ask ourselves.
Did the Wilderness Wanderers’ attitudes form their Kids’ attitudes? If the Kid’s were non-existent while in or too young to remember Egypt, how could they have this complaint?
Or are they thinking the last time in this place didn’t turn out so well — is this time really going to be different?
God is going to provide for us. Yes, it may not always be what we demand or think we deserve. But God is going to provide.
We don’t want to be constantly sinning against God. Yes, God will give us multiple chances – on some things. He will forgive us when we ask, but we are supposed to be living for Him.
It makes me think of the song Holy Water. There is a line in there about not abusing God’s grace.
Don’t we do that sometimes? Abuse His grace.
God is supposed to be this loving God, so He should forgive us no matter what. We think He should give us multiple chances. Or He is this loving God so He should give us everything for which we ask.
Doesn’t the Bible tell us that last one? “Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Mt. 7: 7-8 CSB). We can really jump on that bandwagon!
When things aren’t going the way we think they should, don’t we get unreasonable sometimes? Unfortunately, sometimes downright nasty?
Sometimes, we aren’t any different than the Wilderness Wanderers.
Moses has been told to strike the rock before, but he wasn’t this time. We have to do what a God tells us when He tells us.
Part of us might be asking, “Isn’t that a harsh punishment for Moses. Now, Aaron probably deserved it because of the golden calf (Ex. 32: 1-6). But Moses?
God gets to call the shots. He gets to mete out the punishment.
Yes, these were the two leaders of the Israelites. But they were humans. They still had the capacity to sin.
How Do We Apply This?
- Watch our attitude around others. I started to write kids but remembered we are a witness to some without even realizing it.
- Listen carefully to God’s instructions and then carry them out to the letter.
- Trust in His provision.
- Watch our words.
- Watch our anger.
- Don’t try to hijack God’s miracle.
Moses didn’t get his second chance. He was not allowed into the Promised Land. But he was allowed at the transfiguration (Mt. 17: 3). As the song says, he didn’t go one sin too far.
It Was Enough
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
We have to make sure we are obedient — and reverent — to God. He deserves our highest praise. We just need to listen and trust.
Father. You deserve our praise and our reverence — not because of who we are, but because of Who You are. Thank you for all the ways in which You provide us. Forgive us when we steal Your glory. Forgive us when we disobey Your commands and react in ways that do not imitate You. Grow us to be more like You. Amen.
What do you think?
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