Walking In The Way My Way

“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,’” – Numbers 20:7-11

You know who Moses was of course.  Called by God to be the leader of the nation of Israel. He led the nation of Israel out of Egypt from bondage to the land of Canaan and freedom. Yet for one thing, God would not let him finish what he had started. Because he struck the rock twice and did not speak to it as the Lord had told him, Moses was not allowed to enter the Land.   

“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.’” – Numbers 20:12

If you notice in the previous verses, not only did Moses not obey the directions God gave him, but he did not give God the credit for the water – indirectly giving credit to Aaron and himself.  A big price to pay – after all the acts of faith demonstrated by Moses in the past.  Does that mean the Moses missed heaven? What would you conclude from the following verses.

“Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’” – Matthew 17:1-4

God did not tell Moses that he would never be in the land, but that he would not be the one to lead them into the land.  And if Moses was with Jesus and Elijah then Moses had not been rejected by God, the Father.  The point here is that there may be consequences for our disobedience even if we are forgiven of our sin. Another example I can think of is King Saul. The Lord, through Samuel, gave King Saul specific direction, but King Saul listened to the people and his own heart. For that King Saul lost his anointing as king.

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.” – 1 Samuel 15:22

We are faced with the same choices every day. Walking and doing in God’s way or my way. Do I listen to God or to the world. Do I think I know what is better than the Creator God? Do we really imagine that there will be no consequence for our disobedience or do we think that we can sin so that grace can abound?  (Romans 6:1-2)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.’” – Proverbs 3:5-8

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone