April 2, 2009

Numbers 18-20
Surprise, surprise...look who's complaining again. Sometimes I must admit, I am guilty of reading through the Bible and not really comprehending and taking time to really consider the miracle actually taking place. Here God provides water for them from a rock. Not just a small trickle of water to quench the thirst of 4 or 5 children as if they're at a public water fountain. The Bible says clearly:

20:11
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].

I haven't tried to figure the exact number but have always heard there were 1/2 a million jews that wondered in the wilderness. A few chapter before, God had killed off a few thousand because of their belly-aching, but let's say conservatively there were 300,000 people plus all their animals! Would if there was one animal for each person? That's a lot of water! Okay, I'm going to do a little extra math here---the Bible says it came out abundantly, so let's say it took each person/animal 10 sec to get a drink (that's what we would count to when I taught Kindergarten :) ) That would take over 69 days for everyone to drink. Now, that's a long line!! Of course, there could have been multiple spouts, who knows? But it is still an amazing thought.

Now, let's talk about Moses and Aaron. I always heard that Moses didn't get to go to the promiseland because he lost his temper in this situation, but I find in this passage..

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.

It was their unbelief. Maybe by him smoting the rock twice, this proved his unbelief. I only see in the scriptures that God told him to take the rod and speak unto the rock. No instruction to smite it. Perhaps, Moses thought the only way it could possibly bring forth water was to smite it and that God couldn't just make it flow out on His own? Who knows...well God and Moses do, I guess I add that to my list of questions when I get to Heaven.

Personal application:
1. Though I don't say a word, how often do my actions display my unbelief in what God promised He will do. Do I try to "help" God to do what He has obviously revealed He will do?
2. I should take time to understand the bigness of the miracles in the Bible---true happenings, not just mere words on a page to make a cute story.