"Remember how the Lord led you all the way in the desert these 40 years," Moses wrote in the Book of Deuteronomy, "in order to teach you that you do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. 

The Hebrew people had lived in Egypt for centuries. They had experienced power, the power of Pharaoh, which often came with a stake. But God wanted to teach them that that wasn't his way. His way was the way of the shepherd, the way of speaking and leading by word. And slowly but surely, over 40 years, God trained Moses and, then, through Moses, God began to shape his people to learn to follow his Word. 

And at the end of that 40-year time, one more opportunity God gave Moses and Israel to learn the power of following God's leading, the power of word. Come. Let's join them one more time.

It's been an amazing journey, I think, following those Hebrews around in this desert. I don't know about you, but it's been compelling for me. And it's amazing how often I find myself in the story, but even more amazing to me is how often I find the story goes to Jesus. And it helps me to remember God has really only one story. So, though each part is important, it all points, it all moves, it all leads us in the direction of the Greater Shepherd. And I think that's really exciting. 

I also was thinking as I came around the corner, Moses is here in the desert somewhere for 40 years probably thinking he's in a dead-end shepherding career, and God sits in the heavenlies and that smile on his face of knowing, "If only you knew your next flock." But isn't it also intriguing that when God trains Moses to lead by word-- remember, because the word, leader, and the word, word, come from the same-- that he chooses a person to lead by word who has a speech impediment? That's so God to make sure that you know, "It's my strength in your weakness." Like Paul. 

So Moses learned well. Boy, I've come, we've come to admire Moses a lot. But Moses, too, had to continue to learn. I'd like to set the story here like this. Moses has, now, led Israel for 40 years in the desert. They've made some serious mistakes. They've sinned. They've been punished many times. And yet, the prophets will recall it as a honeymoon. And so, there must have been some unbelievably sweet moments of believing and trusting and learning and growing, and it pleased God enough to say, "Remember when you followed me like a bride." And that's really beautiful.

Now, they've come to the end of 40 years. And here's where the story picks up that we want to focus on. Up until now, Miriam was a significant part of the process; though, she has to learn too. And she has just died.

Now, there are two things you might like to think about. One, there's no reference to mourning her. When Moses died, they mourned him. When Aaron died, they mourned him. When Miriam died, it doesn't say a word. It doesn't say they didn't. But it doesn't say they did either. And there are some who think this story we're going to look at comes out of Moses' frustration that nobody mourned his sister. It's a guess. But it is intriguing it isn't mentioned. 

The other thing is, there is a Jewish tradition that Miriam was often responsible for provision of water on their journey. In fact, there's a strange story in the Jewish Midrash that when they left Egypt, there was a big rock that had provided water for the Hebrews in Goshen. So, Miriam said to Moses, "We've got to take that rock with us." So, they put it on a big cart, and they dragged it along with them. And when they came to the desert, if Moses would strike it or speak to it, water would come out of it. 

And then, when Miriam died, it stopped. Now, I used to think that was the silliest Midrash I had ever heard. And then, one day, I came across Paul in I Corinthians (10) who says, "We were all baptized into Moses in the Red Sea, and the rock that followed us was Christ."

And I thought, "Hmmm. I don't know if there's any connection there or not. But it sort of sounds like Paul could have heard that story too. I don't know that for sure. But at least this, 40 years they've been here. Because when the spies came back and brought a bad story, people didn't have the trust in God. So, he said, "Okay. 40 more years of training.

Now, it's ready to continue on to the Promised Land. And just before they start out, their water runs out, and they begin to grumble and complain. And the Hebrew word implies a grumbling, a complaining. It's not here exactly. We're in a place called Timnah. It's north at a place called Kadesh Barnea. But we've chosen to think about it here. So, it's some distance away, but it's a good place to remember it.

So, Miriam has died. They haven't mourned her. And they've spent 40 years now in this desert. They're ready to begin the last journey to the Promised Land. And the water runs out. 

Now, there's a couple more pieces that lie behind this. I need to take you back in your mind to two other water incidents. Do you remember Marah? Three days from the Red Sea, Moses brought them to a well. It turned out the water was marah. That may be where the place got its name. Maybe it had that name already. But do you remember what marah meant? 

Marah meant deliberately, defiantly disobedient. It's an act of shaking your fist and saying, "No. I won't," or "Yes, I will." Maybe there's a hint, remember, in that story - that that was the attitude of the people at Marah when they ran out of water. It doesn't say that, but it sort of hints at that if that's what the water is named. They had a very defiant attitude. 

In fact, that's not a nice word to call someone. In the Bible, if you have a son who's marah, you have to stone him. In the Book of Joshua 1, the Israelites say, "Joshua, we'll go wherever you go. We'll follow you anywhere. And if anybody is marah, they must be put to death. Be strong and courageous."

Marah is not a nice thing. That was the first water episode. The second one, if you remember was the one at Rephidim, where God said, "Take your stick and walk to the mountain of God at Horeb." We said, there, that probably meant Sinai.

And God said, "Strike the rock at Horeb." And the implication of the Hebrew word there is that the rock he was striking was actually the rock of Horeb. At least, it's a rock that's connected, in their minds, to Horeb. In other words, when they complained this time, God said, "Strike the mountain or the rock by the mountain that represents me." 

Now, I'm not sure, but it's almost a picture there that God is saying, "They're sinning with their complaining. I'll take this one." It's something he would do on a much bigger scale later. At least, again, notice the hitting is the rock that seems to symbolize the presence of God. 

Now, we come to this last water incident. And God says, "Take the stick - the one you hit the rock with, the one you spread over the Red Sea - that one. Take the stick and go stand before the people at the rock." It's sort of like this.

Now, it clearly wasn't this rock. We're not in the right place. We're not that far, but it's not this rock. But it makes a dramatic picture. I wonder why God told him to take the stick? Because God clearly says, "When you get there with your stick, speak to the rock." (Numbers 20) He doesn't say, "Hit it." "Speak to it." Which is what you expect remember from a shepherd. You lead by word. Not with your stick.

I wonder if we see a picture that God is saying, "Take the stick. It will remind the people of where they came from." They were in Egypt where they knew that stick of Pharaoh's. And they saw the stick used against the mountain of God 40 years earlier - or at least, they heard about it from their parents. "They'll remember the stick. But don't use it. Because they've learned to follow your words. That's what you've been training them. So show them the power of word. Speak."

Now, for whatever reason, Moses walked to the rock, maybe thinking about his sister who had died, maybe thinking about, "I've been teaching you for 40 years. When will you ever learn?" 

The first words out of his mouth are, "You marah!" And then he turns and twice hits the rock.

God came and said, "Moses, you are a man after my heart." That's my way of looking at it. "But that's over the edge. You will not enter the land."

When you first look at it, honestly, respectfully, Lord, you say, "Isn't that a little bit of overreaction?" I mean, it's a sin. But what about the golden calf? He wasn't going to keep Aaron out. Why God deals with this so severely.

But if you look at the Jewish sources, you find they found several reasons. In fact, one Rabbi writes, "Moses committed one sin, and scholars have found 20 more to accuse him of."

But I know two things for sure, God said, "Speak to it," and he disobeyed.

Two, he said, "You marah," to the people. (Numbers 20) "Shall we [Aaron and Moses] bring water out of this rock?" What do you mean, "we"? I thought this was God's doing. Maybe for one moment, he forgot. It's word, not stick. But it's God.

But I'm sorry. I believe those are serious sins. But I just can't see insufficient reason to keep him out after 40-- no-- 80 years of preparation. Maybe in those Jewish sources, there's one more. You see, in the Bible, not often, but on occasion, Israel is a rock. "Jerusalem will be like a rock to the nations." (Zechariah 12)

"Each one will be the shadow of a mighty rock." (Isaiah 32) 

Peter will write, "You are living stones." (1 Peter 2)

And I think when Moses turned and said, "Marah," an accusation God had not made-- it's not the word used for them-- that God looked down and said, "Wait a minute, Moses. That's my flock you're talking to. Be careful." And when Moses hit that rock twice after screaming, "Marah," at them, I wonder if God didn't say, "Moses, 40 years of training you in leadership. It's word. You're a shepherd, not Pharaoh." 

And this is the second time in the Torah that that word strike, smite is used. The first time was the Egyptian. The last time, at the end of his career. It's as if God said to Moses, "You missed your opportunity. You could have shown them that the word will bring water out of a rock." Any idea what it would do to a people that Moses hit?

And I think in the story, in addition to the sins that are clearly mentioned, God said, "Moses, if that's your leadership, you cannot be my leader."

So, what about us? I don't think God has changed. And especially since Jesus came with a stick - metaphorically - of power that's unbelievable but chose not to use it. Instead, touched and spoke, shepherded. Leadership in God's community must be the gentle leadership of shepherd and word. We crave and love power. We want to have the strength to make it happen the way we think it should. We want to change the world with power.

God says, "No. Word. Like a shepherd." Be careful how you lead. Don't ever forget the power of word. By every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." The 10 words, "Thus says the Lord." The power of word. 

When Deuteronomy describes a king that God wants, he says, "When you get to the land and you want a king, make sure it's my kind of king." (Deuteronomy 17) Do you know what the king had to do? Make a copy for himself of the Torah. What would happen if, before your pastor could become the pastor of your church, he had to write, for himself, the Bible?

And then, it says, "And he must read the words of this book," - I assume all of them - "every day of his life. Because a king rules by word in my Kingdom, not by power." Or maybe better, by the power of word.

Jesus will come. What do we call him? The Word. And he gives us his word. Someone said to me recently, "You ought to be able to defend your faith without using the Scripture." I understand what they're doing, and we certainly want to use our minds, but that makes me nervous. We better make very sure that when we defend what we believe and speak of what we believe, that every word that comes out of our mouth is his. 

We don't have to be Bible thumpers and quoters. But it better shape our words. As Isaiah (55) said, "As the rain and the snow fall from Heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth, causing it to bud and flourish, providing seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so it is with the word of my mouth. It never returns to me empty. It will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." When you speak his words, they will always do exactly what he wants them to. When they're mine, he may bless them. He may not. But I do not have that guarantee. 

So, now maybe I understand Paul in Ephesians (6). "Be equipped for the struggle you face." You remember the breast plate, the shield, the helmet, all of it. "And be sure you have the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God." Our sword is this sword [Bible], not this one [stick]. This one! [Bible] 

"Not by might nor by power but by your spirit." (Zechariah 4) And what's the form God's Spirit takes in our arsenal? This Word and this Word alone [Bible]. And when our faith gets caught up into the demonstration of power, we run the risk of hitting the rock. 

Two P.S.'s. One, God deals very harshly with shepherds who don't care appropriately for his flock. Think of what Moses lost by that one act, whatever the sin was. I think it had to do with the word as well as the others. 120 years of life and he doesn't get to enter. Be careful when you are called to be God's shepherd as his flock. The bar is high. Because that flock is precious. He expects you to shepherd like he does - and me too. Whether that's your children, your students, your church, your business, your ministry. Be careful with power.

The second P.S. And this one, I feel down here as well as up here. So, was Moses a failure? I think we tend to think so. And do you know what else? I tend to think we think Israel was a failure too. 40 years in the desert and they all die. They failed often, as I do. Moses failed at least once. Maybe more. Let's acknowledge that. Does this please God? And there was punishment. He's a God of justice. He expects obedience. He's also a God of mercy. 

Is Moses a failure? God wrote his epitaph. Do you want to hear it? This is at the end. Moses is dead, so he can't write this. "Since then, no prophet has ever risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt to Pharaoh and all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel." (Deuteronomy 34)

Do you want that on your gravestone? You wouldn't call that person a failure. Flawed, yes. Failure, no. Maybe God's point is like you, "I can use you. I used them." 

And what about Israel? Did they fail? Many failures. Most of them in the Bible, I guess. And they're criticized pretty severely for the rest of the Bible. But remember, it was also their honeymoon. So, how did they succeed? They all died here. But the children they raised were prepared to go and take the land. It wasn't all them, of course. It was Moses and God. But there was a community they had helped to prepare. 

Listen to me. None of us, unless the Messiah comes again, is ever going to see the Kingdom come in its fullness. Every one of you has a Jordan you will not cross. It may be because of your sin. It may be just God's will. Do you want to see your grandkids marry? You may get to see that, and you may not. Do you want to see your great-grandchildren graduate? He may let you see it. He may not. Every one of you has a Jordan you will not cross.

But he uses us anyway. He says, "Do your part. Be like Moses and leave behind a Joshua." Do you have a Joshua to leave when you go? "Be like those parents and raise up a generation of children who will carry on what you can't finish." 

They're not failures. They failed, yes. They're not failures. Through them, God raised up a generation of people led by Joshua who entered the land. They failed too. No, there were failures there too. But eventually, the Messiah came to that people. And we stand here today because of them.

So, was Moses a great leader? Without question. How did he lead? With the gentle heart of a shepherd - by word. That's your mission. And may his Kingdom come as his will is done. 

Come. Let's go.




Last modified: Thursday, August 27, 2020, 10:46 AM