FAITH CAPSULE: Regardless of who you are should not be an excuse for disobedient to God’s word.
Numbers 20
God is a God of order, and His command must be obeyed because they are not negotiable. Have you been commanded by God’s word and not be obedient to His word? It does not matter who you are but it does matter not to despise the word of God. To despise His word is to be destroyed. Proverbs 13:13 buttressed, “He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.” Evidently, to despise God’s word is lack of fear for God. Moses, as great as he was in the hand of God could not step on the Promised Land because he despised God’s command and there was no excuse to deliver him from the consequence of his error.
The Bible records the disobedience of Moses: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “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.” (Numbers 20:7-8) Moses was to respond to the request of the children of Israel for water when God commanded him to speak to the rock. Moses did not speak as God commanded him but he engaged God’s command in his own way. The Bible records in Numbers 20:11, “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.” Before he struck the rock, he called the children of Israel name which was not in God’s command for Moses. The move of Moses did not settle well with God. As a result, God responded 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.” (Numbers 20:12) Lifetime journey ended up in the wilderness for Moses when he struck in the place where he was to speak. Simple disobedience denied Moses from getting to the Promised Land. Moses pleaded to God, but God did not reverse His judgment towards Moses. With disobedient to God is the evidence not to fear God.
It is true that we are living in the time of dispensation of grace but it is not a reason to despise God’s command. The word questions: “…Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2) The sin of Moses was serious enough for us to learn not to despise God’s command.
Prayer for today: Ask God to deliver you from the spirit of disobedience.