But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me to demonstrate my holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them.” These are the Waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord, and he demonstrated his holiness to them (Numbers 20:12-13 CSB).

In Numbers 20 the Israelites were nearing the end of their 40-year wilderness wandering. They encamped near the southern border of the land of Canaan at Kadesh, the same place they encamped when they sent the spies in to reconnoiter the Promised Land 40 years earlier.

Due to the scarcity of water, the Israelites assembled against Moses and protested their return to Kadesh: “Why have you led us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place?” (vs. 5).

Faced with escalating tensions over the water shortage, Moses and Aaron hurried away from the agitated crowd and took refuge in the tent of meeting (tabernacle). Inside the tabernacle they fell face down to intercede before the Lord on behalf of the people.

In response to Moses’ and Aaron’s intercession, the glory of God appeared to them. God told them to take the staff from the tent of meeting, assemble the people at the rock (probably rock face of the side of a hill or mountain). Then, speak to the rock while the people watch and the rock will yield its water (vs. 7-8).

So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence (the tent of meeting) and summoned the assembly of Israelites in front of the rock. Instead of commanding the rock to produce water, Moses angrily confronted the Israelites about their rebellion and struck the rock twice with the staff. Although Moses didn’t follow God’s instructions, water gushed out of the rock anyway and the Israelites and their livestock got all the water they needed.

Moses (and Aaron) was reprimanded by God for his lack of discretion and not demonstrating God’s holiness to the people of Israel. And, the penalty for this lapse in judgement was that Moses (and Aaron) would not enter the Promised Land with the people of Israel (vs. 12).

This judgment on Moses has always seemed a little harsh to me just because Moses lost his temper with the people of Israel. Unfortunately, impatience with whiny people is something I can relate to. And, the Israelites could be quite infuriating. They were exceedingly contentious and even God became impatient with them at times and destroyed thousands of them for their acts of rebellion during their wilderness wandering.

But, after reading a Sunday School lesson from Numbers 20, I realized that there’s more to the story than God banned Moses from the Promised Land for losing his temper. Rather, God’s sanction was because Moses (and Aaron) didn’t demonstrate God’s holiness to the Israelites!

So, how was Moses supposed to do that? Remember the staff or rod in the tent of meeting that God instructed Moses to take with him when he confronted the Israelites? The Hebrew word for “staff” can also mean “rod” and various texts and translations refer to the rod of Moses, the rod of God, or the rod of Aaron (Exodus 4:2,20; 14:16; 17:9; Numbers 17:8-10) The passages that refer to the staff or rod of Moses and the staff or rod of God seem to refer to the same apparatus.

There are several instances where God called on Aaron to use his staff for His bidding including calling down a number of plagues on the Egyptians (Exodus 7:19; 8:5). In Numbers 17 God used the staff of Aaron to quell a rebellion of Levites against the spiritual leadership of Moses and Aaron. God had each tribe bring a staff for Moses to place in the tent of meeting. The next day Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence (in the tent of meeting) and “Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds!” (vs. 17:8). Then, God told Moses to put Aaron’s staff back in front of the tent of meeting as a symbol and sign of God’s authority to put an end to the rebels’ complaints (vs. 17:10-11).

So, with this latest rebellion, God told Moses and Aaron to retrieve the staff from the tabernacle that had been placed there after the last rebellion as a sign that Moses and Aaron were the mediators of God’s authority. Moses was to take this staff that was the symbol of God’s holiness–His sacred separateness — and holding it, command the rock to produce water in the name of the Lord!

Instead, Moses used this sacred rod to vent his frustration with the rebellious Israelites by striking the rock–twice. In vs. 10 when Moses lamented to the Israelites, “Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?” it implied that Moses and Aaron themselves had the power to perform the miracle and not necessarily by God’s power. By striking the rock twice in anger Moses disgracefully used the sign of God’s authority to behave like an imperious ruler instead of using it to demonstrate God’s favor toward His chosen people. 

God instructed Moses and Aaron to act in a way that would publicly demonstrate His divine nature to the Israelites. But, by striking the rock with the staff, the symbol of God’s authority, they took matters into their own hands instead of trusting and obeying God’s command. Their disobedience undermined the faith of the Israelites by publicly demonstrating their disregard for God’s authority. Their misbehavior was an act of rebellion that was particularly egregious because it was played out in public and misled God’s people. Thus, their actions merited the harsh consequence that they would not lead the people into the Promised Land.

The sin and consequences of public disobedience to God’s instructions is just as relevant for Christians today, and particularly Church leaders, as it was for Moses and Aaron. When you mislead people predicated on God’s authority, it’s not only disobedience, it’s rebellion! And the consequence may be that you are no longer fit to lead people to the Promised Land.

I am against those who prophesy false dreams”—the Lord’s declaration—“telling them and leading my people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people”—this is the Lord’s declaration. (Jeremiah 23:32, CSB)