“The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their 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.”
So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 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. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “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 20:7-12
After decades of leading a thankless, grumbling people through the wilderness, he’d had enough. When God told him to speak to the rock and bring forth water, Moses instead struck it twice in anger, shouting, “Must we bring you water out of this rock?” Water flowed—but so did consequence. God said, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy… you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
Moses’ anger wasn’t unjustified—his frustration had roots in years of faithful but burdensome service. Yet in a moment of anger and frustration, he made it about himself rather than God’s holiness. What might have been a sacred moment of trust became a display of temper.
Neither tenure as a Christian nor spiritual maturity makes us immune to outbursts. In fact, we can even be convinced we’re entitled to them and say things like, “I’ve got a looong fuse, but when I get to the end of it, BOOM!”. But Moses reminds us: no level of righteousness licenses us to dishonor God through anger.
“The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us.” A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
Ouch, Tozer. But isn’t this reality? There are times when we simply have to endure something, even embrace it as an opportunity to grow in our Christian faith.
To prayerfully consider: Has your anger ever come from a place of fatigue, wounded pride, or frustration like Moses’? Are there moments you’ve made it about your voice, not God’s? What would it look like to trust God enough to stay calm?
