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Out of the Abundance of the Heart
God’s Oath Against
Moses The LORD was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land.—Deuteronomy 4:21 Russell Wojcik As mentioned in earlier articles, the word sware (Hebrew: shaba; Strong’s #7650) is defined as a solemn oath. This oath is complete, uncompromising, and absolute. It conveys the thought of a declaration being repeated seven times that gives it official, or sanctioned status. Deuteronomy 4:21 is taken from a chapter that finds Moses exhorting a new generation of Israelites to hold fast to the statutes and judgments of their covenant with God as they were getting ready to enter Canaan. Moses also gives the people a short history lesson about their past forty years of wandering in the wilderness and how the unbelief and disobedience of the previous generation brought this sentence upon themselves at Kadesh-barnea. Moses tells them that if the new generation follows in the footsteps of their parents (all of whom died in the wilderness) they, as a nation, will come to ruin. In verse 21 we read that Moses himself fell under God’s displeasure because of a hasty word and action which occurred after the Israelites provoked him. His sentence, from God’s lips to Moses’ ear, was a solemn oath that he would be denied crossing the Jordan River and entering the promised land of Canaan. How could something like this happen to the “meekest man in all the earth,” a faithful friend and servant of God? The Scriptures give us insight by the account recorded in Numbers 20:7-13. It is known as the second smiting of the rock at Meribah. There are two biblical accounts of the smiting of the rock at Meribah. The first is recorded in Exodus 17:1-7; it took place as the Israelites were journeying from Egypt to the Promised Land, and is known as the first smiting. It was here that under God’s direction and in the presence of the congregation’s elders, Moses smote the rock with his rod (a symbol of authority) and the waters gushed forth. The second incident occurred later, further east, near the end of their forty-year sojourn in the wilderness (Numbers 20:2-12). Again, the waters gushed out, but Moses had gone contrary to God’s instructions. Jehovah told Moses, “Speak unto the rock,” but Moses smote the rock, twice. This is called the second smiting of the rock. The accounts in Exodus and Numbers are nearly identical when describing what precipitated the situation: the people whined and complained against God and Moses. The difference comes in the instructions God gives to Moses to bring forth waters from the rock. In the first smiting, God tells Moses to take his rod and strike the rock once. Moses does exactly what God tells him to do, in the presence of the elders of the congregation, and water appears. In the second smiting, the instructions are that Moses is to take Aaron’s rod and, in the presence of the whole congregation, speak to the rock and ask it to bring forth water in Jehovah’s name. Instead, Moses precedes by saying, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water from this rock?” Then he strikes the rock not once, but twice. Although the waters gushed out as promised, God expresses his displeasure (verse 12) with Moses and Aaron by their lack of belief and pronounces the consequence of their actions by banning them from bringing the congregation into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12; 27:14; Deuteronomy 32:51,52; Psalm 106:32,33). They would die in the wilderness. Not being able to enter the Promised Land would have been a severe penalty to Moses, because in faith he had looked forward to that day. Sobering Lessons for the Practicing Christian What lessons can be learned from the second smiting of the rock and how can these be applied to our daily walk in the narrow way? 1. Nobody is above God’s requirements of faith and obedience to His will. God is not a respecter of persons—he does not play favorites in any way, shape, or form. All those who desire to come into covenant relationship with God are treated equally; the requirements are the same. In Moses’ case, he rightly lacked faith in his people. But in an exasperated moment he also lost his meekness, despite long years of training and experience. The constant whining, complaining, and provocations of the people towards Moses and Jehovah took a toll on Moses. As such, his heart became more hardened. It culminated that day with the second smiting of the rock, where Moses exalted himself before the congregation and accredited the fetching of the water to himself and Aaron, instead of asking (with humility) the rock to bring forth water in Jehovah’s name. This condemnation does not signify divine reprobation to eternal torment or to any lasting dishonor. Moses received his entire punishment then and there, not after death, as do all of God’s saintly ones. 2. Ecclesia leaders, elders, ministers in the church of Christ, will do well to remember that the blessings which God has arranged shall flow to His people from the smitten Jesus and will come for the asking. They are not authorized either to smite the “rock” or pose dramatically before the people of God, as necessary to receive the streams of grace and truth. On the other hand, the Lord’s people, Spiritual Israel, thirsting for grace and truth now due, should feel sympathy for those who occupy teaching positions. “There never was a time surely when the honesty and the faithfulness of the Lord’s servants were more severely tested than now. What all need is meekness, patience, longsuffering, brotherly-kindness, love—loyalty to God—faithfulness to their covenant.”—Reprints, p. 5315 3. Moses’ smiting of the rock was contrary to God’s instructions. He was to speak to the rock and by doing so, give God the glory before the people as he should have done. However, by smiting the rock, Moses spoiled one type while making another. Christ Jesus, the true Rock, was to be smitten but once for our sins, and as a result of that one smiting at Calvary the water of life would be obtained for all true Israelites to all time. And if for a reason the flow was stopped, it was only necessary that the Rock should be invoked in the name of the Lord, that the waters might again flow forth. Christ dieth no more; death has no dominion over him. That’s why in the type the Rock should not have been smitten a second time. But the second smiting, nevertheless, makes a new type because, as the apostle explains (in Hebrews 6:4-6), there are some now who would crucify Christ afresh, putting him to an open shame. Some of his professed followers, denying or ignoring the value of the original sacrifice, denying the blood that bought them, are counted as committing the sin unto death—second death. Of these Moses became a type of a class having to do with the antitype of the rock by being debarred from Canaan. “But even aside from the making of this type, Moses would not have gone into the land of Canaan; because, from another point of view, he … [represented] the Law Covenant, which must end before the people can enter into their rest. As Moses … [represented] the Law Covenant, so Joshua … [represented] the New Covenant and its mediator, Jesus, the Deliverer. ‘The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.’ The law was a pedagogue or guide to prepare and bring the Israelites along to the borders of Canaan, but the law could never give them rest, could never take them into the land of promise.”—Reprints, p. 3077 May the lessons learned from the study of this account and God’s subsequent oath to Moses provide a greater insight into His divine plans and purposes. May we ever remind ourselves of the words of the psalmist: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). |