Continuing my trek through the Torah, I pick up where I’d left off–at Deuteronomy 3: 23-29. I found here a very touching and emotional passage. Despite what most scholars have to say about Deuteronomy not possibly being written by Moshe, my spirit tells me otherwise. Well, at the very least, the content of this Book was somehow relayed from Moshe to whomever for posterity sake and from there it made it to our Bibles. Obviously, we’ll never know who exactly physically penned this Book. Most scholars contend that the actual content was not codified until many centuries beyond Moshe’s death. But the Almighty’s hand was all over this particular situation and Moshe was the primary focus of this passage.
23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, 24 O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
25 I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. 26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. 27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see. 29 So we abode in the valley over against Bethpeor. (Deu 3:23-29 KJV)
At this point in the history of the Israelite’s wanderings of 40-years, Moshe had been told by Yehovah that He would not live to see the promised land with his fellow Israelites (cf. Deut. 1:37). The reason why Moshe was denied the privilege of entering in to the land of promise was recorded in Num. 20:12–And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. This “punishment” if you will, was confirmed later on in Num. 27:13.
So what was it that Moshe did that did “not…sanctify Yah in the eyes of the children of Israel?” The answer is found in Num. 27:13–For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.
The actual incident is recorded in detail in Numbers 20. Certain scholars place this and most of the events as recorded in Numbers around 1405 B.C. The story goes that the Children of Israel had entered the Wilderness of T’zin in the Month of Aviv. (Verse one of the chapter also cites Kadesh as possibly being the same referenced region.) According to bibleatlas.org, the desert or wilderness of T’zin bordered with Judah at the uttermost part of the south as documented in the Book of Joshua (sp. 15:1). The exact location is not truly known. Others have postulated that it lies between the Dead and the Red Seas and could be about 110 miles long and upwards of 15 miles wide. It would have been a region of “waste land, terrible heat in the summer and of great drought.” Verse one also records that Miryam died and was buried in this wasteland. Certainly verse two of this chapter supports the contention of the region existing in great drought and it was as a result of this critical situation that the “edah”(ay-daw) or congregation once again gathered together against Moshe and Aharon. Once again the people complained about their plight and this time instead of wishing they were back in Egypt, the desire was that they would have died as their former associates had died as a result of the Kohath (aka Korah), Dathan and Abiram incident (reference Num. 16:1). If you recall from that incident, Kohath and his cohorts (some 250 princes to be precise) lodged somewhat of an uprising against Moshe and Aharon. Their issue? They had issue with the Yehovah appointed leadership of Moshe and Aharon, citing “…it is enough (or aka: you have gone too far–ESV; you have gone far enough–NAS); for all the assembly, all of them are holy, and Yehovah is among them; and why do you lift up yourselves above the congregation of Yehovah?”
Okay–were these fools kidding? It hadn’t been that long since they were at the base of Mount Sinai and Yehovah showed the assembly His great might and wonders and gave them His commandments. It was this frightening event that prompted the assembly to go to Moshe and demand that he alone speak to Yehovah on the entire assembly’s behalf and never to talk to the assembly directly as they feared the terrible might of Yehovah (reference Exo. 19 & 20). So it goes without saying that this group was speaking out of both sides of their mouths and certainly as this story went, they would regret that demanding confrontation against Yehovah’s chosen and anointed. Well, that challenge did not end well for the challengers, for verses 31-33 of chapter 16 records that “the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men that belonged to Korah (aka Kohath) along with all their property so that they and everything they owned went down alive into Sheol (aka “pit) and the earth closed over them and their existence in the assembly ceased.” So it baffles me why a group of people who are so concerned with their well being would want to suffer the same plight as their former acquaintances. But then, we’ve all been exposed to individuals in our lives who seemingly exist only to complain and challenge the status quo. What comes out of these folks’ mouths at times is nothing short of astounding. Ultimately, nothing that is ever done to fix or address their complaints is good enough and the complaints and challenges simply take on another form.
Well, the community’s challenge was pretty much right in line with previous complaints about their wilderness plight (reference Exo. 14:11; 16:3; 17:3; Num. 16:13). However, this particular uprising focused more on there being no water to quench the thirst of the assembly. Certainly, being in that inferno without water would have prompted even the most disciplined of the assembly to wonder why they left their former abodes to endure their current situation. We are generally creatures of the here and now. We see only what’s in front of us at each moment of our existence and it is only the most disciplined and far-sighted of us who can persevere and muddle through hardship with an eye on the grander and future picture. What was Yehovah doing to and with these people? It would seem that He was fashioning for Himself a holy nation of priests (Exo. 19:6). Yehovah’s method in accomplishing this was to put this assembly through the crucible of the wilderness where their entire being was dependent upon the providence of the Almighty. Thus the people would become a nation of individuals who’s reliance was entirely upon Yehovah: Yehovah would provide; Yehovah would teach and lead; Yehovah would bless. There would be no uncertainties within the borders of this nation; no injustices; no lack; no hurt, harm or danger. No other nation had nor to date has ever had the fullness of this scenario played out in their borders and existence.
Well, Moshe consulted Yehovah as to how this situation of there being no water for the assembly should be handled. Yehovah instructed Moshe to take that same rod which Yehovah had given Moshe at the beginning of his ministry and service to Yehovah (Exo. 4:17) and assemble the community along with Aharon before what is likely a great rock that was positioned in the assembly’s midst. Moshe was then to speak to that rock and upon speaking to the rock, water would come forth and fulfill the thirst needs of the people.
Question: why did Yehovah instruct Moshe to take the staff (rod) with him when he went to speak to the rock? As the story goes, Moshe did not speak to the rock, but instead, spoke against the assembly as to their rebellious nature and behavior and then took the rod and struck the rock twice in apparent anger to bring forth water. The instructions of the Father were quite clear–Moshe was to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water. Yet Moshe defied that order, but instead struck the rock with the rod–not once but twice. Why? My guess is that Moshe’s emotions got the best of him. More so, why did Yehovah instruct Moshe to take the rod with him to verbally address the rock? Could it be that Yehovah sensed the anger and frustration that was welling up within Moshe and thus Yehovah was testing Moshe? This would seem to be the case since we find in verse 12 of chapter 20 of Numbers that Yehovah addressed the incident in this matter–“Because you did not trust in me, so as to cause me to be regarded as holy by the people of Isra’el, you will not bring this community into the land I have given them.” “Because you did not trust in me.” If indeed this was the case, Yehovah seemed to have been testing Moshe’s trust in him. Sadly, Moshe failed that test.
Part of me empathizes with Moshe. Here is a man who was thrust in to the most impossible situation that any man could ever find himself. He was leading a stiff-necked people who had no other care in the known world other than for themselves and most likely had never fully bought in to the covenant that was made between the people and Yehovah at the foot of Sinai as recorded back in Exodus 19. Certainly the people were being pushed to the limits of their physical and emotional endurance as Yehovah sought to create for Himself that holy nation of priests He so much desired. Moshe was always before the people whenever the community faced adversity and lack and it was Moshe that had to endure the brunt of the complaints and challenges. How many times did he go through the roller coaster of lack and full and lack and full as he led this crazy bunch of thankless souls? Moshe was chosen by Yehovah to fill this key position in the history of the Children of Promise. He would be the example set before the people to imitate–sort of a forerunner of Yeshua–one who was holy and a priest to Yehovah. Being such a leader is not at all easy. Despite the difficulty of Moshe’s position, Yehovah’s standards remained high and unchangeable. Yehovah required total and unyielding trust from Moshe, and any personal emotions, biases, perceptions, opinions, thoughts and the like have no place in the true service of the Father. As a consequence, Moshe lost his opportunity to lead the assembly in to the land of promise as I would imagine Moshe desperately desired to do. Of any in that group of desert wanderers, Moshe should have been afforded the blessing of entering the promised land. But that was not to be. Moshe would only see the land from a distance.
The realization of this punishment obviously troubled Moshe to no end. He blamed the Children of Promise for his punishment, at least in part he did. Despite Moshe’s constant pleas to Yehovah to allow Moshe to enter the promised land, Yehovah remained unrepentant and unyielding in His decision. Clearly, Yehovah can be swayed in some things, but in others He may not. I can’t blame Moshe for trying to sway the heart and mind of the Father. I likely would have done the same thing. Ultimately, Moshe plead with Yehovah over this matter one too many times and Yehovah had to finally say to Moshe: “Enough from you! Don’t say another word to me about this matter!” Oh how it must have crushed this man…this man who gave up everything to lead such a jacked-up people who could care little to nothing for him. But sometime, being in the service of the Almighty is a loner’s game–a solitary endeavor–and somehow, like Moshe, we have to find sufficiency in our relationship with Yehovah alone and not worry about anything or any body else. We can’t let emotions then rule us and cloud our judgment and actions when it comes to the service of Yah. Besides, it’s not about us…it’s all about Him. Be most blessed, fellow Saints in training. Shalom.