Sermon: February 17, 2008
"Even the Best Fall Down"
(scripture references are clickable)
We’re continuing in our sermon series on the stories we find in the book of Numbers. And with today’s Scripture passages, we enter into a new phase of our story of Israel in the desert – we are now dealing with the next generation. You’ll remember from two weeks ago that after Israel rebelled, after they refused to enter into the Promised Land because of the spies’ bad report, God condemned them, saying that they would wander in the desert until all of the old generation died. Well, now about forty years has passed, with relatively little comment from Scripture. Not much is recorded of that intervening time; it is a time of purposeless wandering because Israel has rejected its reason to be, the purpose for which God brought them up out of Egypt. But now the next generation has returned to Kadesh, on the border of the Promised Land, the scene of Israel’s previous rebellion. And sadly, we see history repeat itself.
The problem here is that there is no water for the people. Those of you who know your Scripture (or who have been following the “Through the Bible in a Year” plan from the newsletter) know that Israel has had this problem before. Forty years earlier, before they even reached Mount Sinai, before they received the Ten Commandments, shortly after the parting of the Red Sea as they left Egypt, the people rebelled against Moses because they had no water. This generation is repeating the sins of their parents – rebelling because they have no water, rebelling on the border of the Promised Land at Kadesh. Previously, God had ordered Moses to strike a rock with his staff, causing water to gush out for the people. That previous place was called “Massah and Meribah”, meaning “Testing and Quarrelling”. The people’s faith was tested and they failed, instead quarrelling and rebelling against the Lord and against Moses.
Now, with this history, not to mention the countless other times God has proven His power and provision – the parting the Red Sea, the manna which fell from heaven every day, the miraculous provision of quail – you would think that by now, after forty years, Israel would have a little faith in their God when they find themselves in a bad situation, when they find themselves in need. But of course, you would be wrong. Listen to what happens: “Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, ‘If only we have died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!’” (Numbers 20:2-5, NIV). Here we go again. Israel has no faith, no foundation, no inner resources. Instead, they instantly begin to whine, to grumble, to long for the “good old days” in Egypt. Whenever hardship comes, they immediately lose faith, they lose perspective, they lose sight of the purpose for which God brought them into the desert. This generation has learned this lesson well from their parents! And so, yet again, Moses and Aaron must fall facedown before the Lord and ask for His help.
And the Lord tells Moses “‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before your eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink’” (Numbers 20:8, NIV). But Moses didn’t obey the Lord. I’m sure we all find that surprising; we’ve come to think of Moses as some kind of super-human, a perfect man who is always meek, always humble, always obedient to the Lord. And to be sure, he has certainly grown a lot since his days in Egypt, when in anger he murdered an Egyptian for abusing an Israelite slave. But his temper is still there; he’s still a human being like the rest of us. And here at Kadesh, that temper gets the best of him. Perhaps he’s still grieving for his sister Miriam, who died just before this episode. Perhaps after forty years, he’s had enough of this grumbling, complaining, whining, rebellious people. Perhaps those forty years have taken it out of him, and at the age of 120, he’s just plain tired. But whatever the reason, Moses bawls his people out. Psalm 106, one of the history psalms, tells us that Moses spoke “rash words” (Psalm 106:33, NIV). For “He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out and the community and their livestock drank” (Numbers 20:10-11, NIV).
Moses let his anger get the best of him. He lashed out; he had a meltdown. And in his anger, he sinned. He didn’t honor God. He didn’t listen to God. He acted impetuously. Rather than speaking to the rock, as God instructed him, he struck the rock with his staff as he had before. And God was gracious – in spite of Moses’ sin, He still provided water for the people. But He also still rebuked Moses, saying “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12, NIV). Now, striking a rock rather than speaking to it sounds like a small offense to us – especially considering the punishment. But what happened here was not just some small, niggling mistake. What is condemned here is Moses’ attitude – the thoughts, feelings and mindset behind his actions. And for his anger, for his distrust, for his disobedience, for his lack of honor for God, Moses lost his chance to enter into the Promised Land. He lost what he had wanted and dreamed of for forty years. It’s all gone because he put himself, his own desires, his own anger before the Lord, before the Lord’s Word, before the Lord’s honor. Even the best fall down. Even Moses falls off of his pedestal now and again.
And so, we have another Meribah – a place of quarrelling and rebellion. Moses was tested, and Moses failed. And yet again, we see the need for a Savior – for not even Moses is good enough to save God’s people. The book of Hebrews talks about this in chapter three, quoting from our Call to Worship from Psalm 95, saying that Jesus Christ is superior even to Moses, even to the great Law-giver, even to the greatest of the Old Testament saints. And indeed, all three of Israel’s leaders – Moses, Aaron and Miriam – fail here in Numbers 20. They all fall prey to their shortcomings, Moses to his sinful nature, and Aaron and Miriam to their own mortality. None of them are able to lead Israel into the Promised Land. All three of them die before they see the inheritance God has promised. Moses’ leadership is passed along to Joshua, just as Aaron’s high priestly duties are passed on to his son Eleazar. But all three leaders fail; all three die. And none of them are able to save their people.
Again, that is our great problem – we cannot save ourselves. Even our best and brightest, our most righteous, our wisest, our smartest – no matter how great a human being may be, we all fail. Our political leaders, our scientists, our intellectuals, our celebrities, even our pastors and spiritual leaders (yes, even me! Especially me!) – we all sin, and we all die. We need someone greater to lead us into the Promise Land, one who will conquer our sins, one who will never fail us like Moses, Aaron and Miriam. And praise the Lord, as we remember in this season of Lent, we do have such a Savior in Jesus Christ. He is fully human, so He can be our representative, but He is more than human, greater than human – He is also fully God. And He never fails. Though He did die, He rose again from the dead, something Moses, Aaron and Miriam could never do. And in this death and resurrection, He conquered all our sins, all our rebellion, all our grumbling and idolatry. And He brings us into the Promised Land, into our promised inheritance, into the Kingdom of God. And He gives us Living Water, such that we shall never thirst again.
That’s the Good News, my friends! That’s what we celebrate here each and every week. For no matter who we are, we fall prey to sin. Even the greatest fall down. Even Moses occasionally gives in to his worst inclinations. That’s no defense, of course – our sins are still an offense to God, and the fact that we all sin doesn’t excuse it away. For sin still brings so much pain, so much heartache, so many terrible consequences. Moses lost his opportunity to enter the Promised Land because of his sins. What all do we lose? But in spite of all this, we are not left without hope – God does not abandon us to our sins. He sent His own Son, Jesus the Christ, to save us, to deliver us to the Promised Land, to usher us into His glorious Kingdom. So come, let us worship and bow down! Let us kneel before the Lord, our God, our Maker. Let us give thanks and praise to His Name and accept His authority over our lives. And let us all strive to live a life worthy of Him, ofour Savior, Jesus Christ – to Him alone be the glory!