Let’s talk about Moses bringing salvation, and then offering a drink.
It happens over and over again.
Like ridiculous.
The shepherds and Jethro’s daughters. Then a drink for the sheep.
The Red Sea rescue and then the waters of Mariah.
Because that is in his origin story. He’s drawn out of the Nile and Pharoah’s daughter says “Who can give this baby some milk?”
I heard about this from the guys over at Aleph Beta and now I can’t get enough of it. There are patterns all over the Bible and once somebody points them out, you see them everywhere!
Something about salvation and drink relief is linked with Moses.
Until it isn’t.
One time everyone grumbled against Moses. Ok, a zillion times everyone grumbled against Moses, but one of the times, God showed the authority of Moses and Aaron by making Aaron’s staff miraculously come back to life and grow. It was awesome.
This is back in Numbers 17. Then you get 2 chapters of various laws. Laws that are perfect and wonderful and helpful. Laws that the refugees from Egypt needed both in the wilderness and once they enter the promised land. Laws that would be a way for the people who had faith in a God who saves could follow to show their faith in Him.
And then, Moses is supposed to give them water from a rock.
If you follow the pattern, salvation has happened and now it’s time for a drink. But reverse engineer it a little bit. If this is a spot where Moses is giving a drink, a salvation must have happened, right?
The salvation was a combo of 2 things.
- Establishing Aaron’s authority as their priest
- Giving them laws for a way of life for their own good and God’s glory
There are a lot of reasons why God is mad that Moses struck the rock at this point. That’s not totally what I’m focusing on here, but a little bit. The salvations and the drink-giving were great and by grace every time up until this point. Each instance of salvation worked by Moses was undeserved. The people were always grumbling against him and God or both. They never deserved the salvation they got.
Kind of like me.
So when Moses gives the water this time, it’s the same. It’s grace. It’s mercy. It’s God acting out on His name that He proclaimed to Moses while Moses was tucked away in a rock.
Exodus 34:5–7 (ESV)
5 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
If Moses strikes that rock and he’s angry, it’s not just disobeying God and God’s patience, it’s painting the last few events as something other than salvation.
Jacob dug wells, Joshua stacked up stones, and Moses gave drinks. Salvation has just happened, and God wants everyone to know it’s His kesed-compassion showing off again. It’s not out of anger.
Patterns.
Bible reading is fun.
