29: The Failure of the Leadership (Num 20:1-29)

The Lord’s discipline in the wilderness seemed not to work for them. Even though their journey nears the end, they still complain to Moses for lack of water.

πŸ‘‰ Read Numbers 20:1-13

The Lord spoke to Moses, "Assemble the community and (           ) to the rock to gush out water before their (          ). But, in his anger, Moses (              ) the rock (           ) with the staff. However, the (            ) made the rock give out the water abundantly.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not (            ) me enough to show me as (           ) before the Israelites, therefore, you will not (           ) this community into the land.”

(            ) was Israel’s brother. But he didn’t allow Israel to pass through his land.

The Lord didn’t allow Moses and Aaron to enter the land because they rebelled against (               ). Aaron died, and his son (              ) became the priest.


Answers and Meditations

Speak, eyes, struck, twice, Lord

Indeed, Moses did not obey God’s word.

However, the Lord didn’t get angry at Moses but gave them water through the rock.

 

Trust, holy, bring

Moses was sick and tired of their complaining and rebellious attitude and thought God must be angry at them. He thought they didn’t deserve water. Moses didn’t believe God would accept their weakness and willingly give water to them, not reluctantly.

Before the Israelites, Moses was representing the Lord. His anger might be interpreted as the Lord’s anger. The Lord was not angry at them, but Moses burst out. Such an attitude is not allowed for a representative of God. Moses’ failure is not a failure as His people but as a leader of God’s people.

Human leadership was not righteous and faithful enough to lead sinners to righteousness.  


Edom

They were rejected by their brother nation. Now, they had no one to trust but the Lord.

 

The Lord’s word, Eleazar

The first failure of Moses and Aaron was disobedience to the Lord’s word. The second, by bursting out of human anger, they failed to represent God’s holiness. God is holy in that He is faithful regardless of human failures and merciful to everyone, good or evil.

 

This chapter records the demise of the exodus leadership: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Then, the Lord started to raise the second-generation leadership, firstly Eleazar.

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