Dear Family,
Today is Thursday, April 29, 2021. This is Day 5 of Week 5 in our Counting toward Pentecost. It is our 33rd day of Counting.
There are great lessons of eternal importance in looking at the subject of the Rock of the Old Testament. The ancient Israelites were given water to drink from the Rock on more than one occasion. We have just reviewed the FIRST time God gave them water from the Rock in Exodus 17.
Many years later, while Israel was still wandering in the wilderness, God gave them water from the Rock again. In Numbers 20 we find the story of the SECOND time God provided water this way.
The story in Numbers 20 contains much of the same detail as the story in Exodus 17; however, they are different in several ways. The story in Numbers 20 takes place 20 or more years after that of Exodus 17; and yet, Israel is still complaining and mistrusting.
God became very upset with Moses at this second incident because Moses struck the Rock, rather than speaking to it as God commanded him to do at that time. God told Moses he would not lead the congregation into the Promised Land because of this particular disobedience.
Numbers 20:8,11-12 (8) Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so, thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. (11) And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. (12) And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
An important question to ask is; “Why would God react so strongly to the fact that Moses struck the Rock a second time?”
Remember that the Rock that followed Israel was our Savior. Remember that God’s plan included our Savior giving His body and His life’s blood for our salvation. And, this was to happen ONLY ONCE!
There is one and only one payment for the sins of mankind; the sacrifice of our Savior. God will never require another sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice was too precious to God, and too costly to be treated lightly.
Here are 5 scriptural witnesses that show this statement is true.
Romans 6:10 For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.
Hebrews 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Hebrews 9:26 For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Moses had missed the symbolism of striking the Rock. He did not understand what God was doing for all of mankind; however, today we know. Let us treat the sacrifice of Jesus with all the honor it requires. Let us strive to understand its full implications for us.
May God bless us with eyes to see what He is doing.
Ben Faulkner, Pastor
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