07-02-2023 - When things don't go my way

Striking the Rock

Intro:

This past week has been a busy one for me, not much of the week went as planned. I don’t share this with you to complain. But I want you to know that I too go through some of these times in life when you just have to go with the flow.

Tell about:

2 families w/ us last weekend

Alice Passing Away

Camp, update: 28 kids, 3 days, 3 salvations...

Coming home, all funeral prep and serving the family, all within 24 hour period

Jewel passing & funeral prep there

Family Day

Wake up to needing help with water leak

Sermon prep yesterday

GOD PROVIDED… We must rely on his strength and help. Philippians 4:13 “13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Link:

Thinking of the water leak, it wasn’t in my timing, it wasn’t how I would have done it, nor the Blatchfords, but as we sat around talking about it afterward it brought to mind a story in the Bible, the story of Moses asking God how to get water to the Jews water in the wilderness. Some similarities: When we want or need water, it should come through the faucet. God intended the water to be delivered to the Jews through the smiting of the rock the first time. And through speaking to it the second time. With the Blatchfords water, it decided to come out a hole it made on its own. When it was done incorrectly, it damaged the wall and changed their plans for the day. Likewise when Moses got water his way instead of God’s way, it changed the outcome of things. Moses & Aaron were not allowed to enter into the promise land. God was gracious and still provided water but the damage was done.

Let’s look at these two accounts in the Bible, looking at what happened, their similarities and differences, also the outcome of being faithful and disobedient. Also what you and I can learn from Moses sin.

I want to compare two passages today, Exodus 17:1-7 “1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?” 3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

&

Numbers 20:1-13 “1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” 13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.”

So what are the differences?

In Both the Exodus & Numbers account we see:

Exodus 17:2 & Numbers 20:2-5 Moses was approached by the Israelites and they were upset with him, to the point of wanting to kill him.

In both Exodus & Numbers the word used there for “contended” comes from the Greek Word Riyb (Reeb), meaning to toss, grapple, wrangle...

They were challenging God to provide, and they were challenging the leadership of Moses to the point that he was actually afraid for his life (17:4). While the Lord did provide, and He did vindicate Moses’ leadership, the sorry event was memorialized in two names imposed on this the location, Massah and Meribah (lit., “testing” and “quarreling”), to remind the people that their behavior was inappropriate and proved that they had a long way to go before they passed His test. - Kevin D. Zuber, “Exodus,” in The Moody Bible Commentary, ed. Michael A. Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2014), 138.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 17:1–7

This “staff of God” (4:20; 17:9) was a symbol of power; holding it was a sign of dependence and trust in God.

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Chapter 17

not to smite the rebels, but the rock; not to bring a stream of blood from the breast of the offenders, but a stream of water from the granite cliffs.

Moses went before the Lord and sought out what God was wanting Him to do

Application 1: When we go through tough situations in our lives, like moses did here, even when God’s children wanted to kill Him, we must go to the Lord to seek out His will and how to deal with it.

Remember our timing and plans don’t always go the way we want them to. We must be flexible and in tune with God, otherwise we can get:

Upset

Sad

Hurt

Angry

Do something for God instead of doing something with God, doing what God wants us to do. James 4:13-16 “13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

Exodus 17:5-6a & Numbers 20:7-9 Moses got his instructions from God & went to the rock

Here, we see Moses got his instructions and did as the Lord commanded up to this point, but were going to soon see that Moses messed up, he got frustrated and it caused him to sin.

Application 2: As a Christian, you to will come to a point in your life where you get frustrated for whatever reason. Like moses, you’ll go to God and seek His will out. But remember when you go through tough situations in your life, weather the death of a loved one, a plan doesn’t go as you want, someone in your church, family or co-worker doesn’t do soemthign the way you like, stop and realize this may be part of God’s plan, or that in their free will they may mess up too… But never, never take the control from the Holy Spirit, from God. Allow him to keep it our you’ll end up like what were going to see that happened to Moses.

Exodus 17:6b & Numbers 20:10-11 here we see the contrast.

Exodus account we see that Moses did something with God, within God’s plan & boundaries

Numbers account we see that Moses changed up a few things, rather then speaking to the rock this time, he struck it and he struck it twice, but also he said “Must we” instead of God.

We must be careful to not take God’s credit

We must be careful to do God’s work God’s way, never God’s work, our way.

When we look at what Moses & Aaron did wrong here we several things:

They didn’t have faith

They did it in anger

Moses called them Morons, the word rebels here comes from the root word that we get Moron from.

I think the worst is this though: They smote the rock & didn't talk to it. Why was this so wrong? But no matter what mitigating causes we might produce, the fact still remains that Moses didn’t honor the Lord or obey His orders. By striking the rock, he ruined a type of the Messiah who gives living water to His people (Ex. 17:1–7; John 7:37–39). Our Lord gave Himself for us on the cross only once and doesn’t have to be crucified (smitten) again (Heb. 9:26–28). Now all that believers need do is ask, and God gives His Spirit to them. - Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Counted, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 84.

Challenge: We all might feel stressed and overwhelmed when we come to God, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to calm our souls, so that we can act instead of reacting to the situation. Making sure we represent Jesus well. So when someone frustrates us, keep calm, pray, asking God to take control. Deliver or do what God has invited you to do, don’t over react. God will deal with the rest of the situation, you don’t need to do that or you may end up in trouble with God like Moses was.

Unsaved: A, B, C. John 1:12, But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe on His name.

Closing Song: It’s Just Like His Great Love - 393 Blue Hymnal Sing To The Lord