🎯 STRIKE THE ROCK
Years back (some scholar says 40 years) at Rephidim, the Israelites do not have water to drink, and so they quarelled with Moses, demanding him to give water (Exodus 17:1-7) , The Lord had instructed Moses to take his staff (once he had used to strike the river Nile) and to STRIKE THE ROCK to initiate a flow of water. The irony is that the Lord will stand by the rock at Horeb (v 6) , STRIKE THE ROCK (LORD) AND THE WATER (GRACE) WILL POUR OUT FOR THE PEOPLE (THIRSTY SOULS) ✝️
📌 Moses obeyed and did exactly what the Lord had commanded him,

🎯 SPEAK TO THE ROCK
In Numbers 20:2-13, today’s reading portion, people cried out to Moses for water and continued to blame him for bringing them out of Egypt, But this time the Lord had instructed Moses to take his staff, gather all the people and SPEAK TO THE ROCK and the whole community and their livestock would drink the water.
📌 Moses obeyed (took his staff, gathered the people and stood before the rock) but :
☑️ He did not speak to the rock.
☑️ He rebuked the people as “rebels”.
☑️ He struck the rock “twice”.
📌 Even then the Lord was merciful by bringing out the water for the people and their livestock.

💫 That rock was our Lord Jesus Christ, who was STRUCK ONCE on the Calvary Cross and He will not go in that process again (📕 Hebrews 9:28)

Paul writes that Jesus Christ was that rock and by whom the people drank water (📕 1Corinthians 10:4) and from him “the spring of water flows”, and “whoever drinks this water will never thirst” (📕 John 4:14)

💕 Beloved Church, let us ponder upon the passage again, Moses was instructed to speak so that “spring of water will flow to quench the thirsty people”, Instead he rebuked the people as “rebels”,

HELLO, PREACHER :

How is your PULPIT MINISTRY❓
Are you SPEAKING (preaching) with love to quench the thirsty souls❓
OR
Are you REBUKING the congregation with contempt❓

🙏 May the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts flow gently and softly to please Him and to be a blessing to the congregation 🛐

Glory to God 🙌
✍🏽 Mark Boje
Arunachal Pradesh, India 🇮🇳

Keep your cool Number 20:1-13

After so many displays of loyalty and courage, Moses faltered. The lord had told Moses to speak to the rock, to make the water gush out. But Moses screams at the people, saying, listen you rebels, must we bring you water out of the rock?
Then Moses raises his arm and strikes the rock twice with his staff.v10_11

Moses has turned himself and Aaron into gods. He says Must we bring you water Therefore God says to Moses Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites you will not bring the community into the land I give them v12:losing his cool, Moses lost his privelege to enter Canaan.

God gave Israelites 9 chances and denied them entry into Canaan only when they rebelled the 10 th time. But Moses was not given even one chance. The very first time he failed, he was denied entry into Canaan. Because God expects more from leaders than from ordinary believers. To whom more is given, more is required

But God was merciful to Moses. 1500 years later, God allowed him to enter the promised land, when he stood with our lord on the Mount of transfiguration. God honored His servant by giving him a very much better entry into Canaan

Cynthia Sathiaraj
Chennai