Why Moses missed the Promised Land—Timeless Lessons from His Discipline
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Moses is undoubtedly one of the most revered figures in the Old Testament. He wrote the first five books of the Bible. He gave the Nation of Israel the ten commandments. And through him, God performed more miracles than any other Biblical figure, save Jesus. Yet, amidst all of his accomplishments and accolades, there's a surprising and significant event that often goes unnoticed: Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land. The reason for this might surprise you as this unexpected twist highlights the importance of faith, obedience, and God's redemptive plan. Join me as we explore the shocking story of Moses’ discipline and uncover timeless lessons that we can apply in our lives today.
Hello everyone, my name is David Erhart and welcome to another Christianity Engaged video. In Exodus chapter 17, after the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and even receiving bread from heaven, the Nation of Israel continually complained saying, “Why did you deliver us from Egypt to this place so that our children and livestock will die of thirst?” In response, the Lord instructed Moses to assemble the people at the rock at Horeb. He told Moses to strike the rock with this staff—the same staff he used to strike the Nile river—and water streamed out of the rock for people to drink.
Many years later, a similar situation occurs in Numbers chapter 20. The Nation of Israel is again complaining about the lack of water and again wishing they had never been delivered from Egypt. Moses and Aaron are beyond frustrated. They fall facedown before the Lord, and the glory of the Lord appears to them. The Lord spoke to Moses and instructed him to take his staff and assemble the people. However, this time, he was commanded to speak to the rock and it will pour out its water.
So Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock just as the Lord had commanded. However, instead of bringing his staff and speaking to the rock, Moses spoke to the people in anger and struck the rock twice with his staff. God is faithful, and He still provided water from the rock for the people to drink. However, for not following the Lord’s instructions, Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land.
Now, at first glance, this consequence might seem a bit severe… but we need to remember that Moses had a special relationship with God and calling on His life. As a prophet and leader of the people, he was called to a higher standard of faith and obedience. Friends, even more than this, his entire life is a foreshadow of Jesus Christ. Behold:
- Pharaoh tried to kill Moses as a child; King Herod tried to kill Jesus.
- Moses was a shepherd in Midian; Jesus is the Good Shepherd.
- God spoke to Moses at the burning bush; the Father spoke to Jesus at His baptism.
- Moses spent 40 days fasting on Mount Sinai; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness.
- Moses parted the Red Sea; Jesus calmed the Sea of Galilee.
- Moses was a mediator between God and the Nation of Israel; Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man, the only mediator between God and mankind.
- The Old Covenant was established through Moses; the New Covenant through Jesus Christ.
- Moses delivered Israel from physical slavery; Jesus delivers humanity from slavery to sin.
- Moses instituted the Passover; Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
- All who put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts were saved from the tenth plague; all who believe in Jesus Christ are saved from sin and death.
- Moses fed the Israelites with manna and quail; Jesus fed the 5,000 and 4,000 with bread and fish.
- Moses talked face to face with God and was illuminated; Jesus was transfigured on the mountain and the Father spoke from the cloud.
- Moses lifted up a bronze serpent in the wilderness and all who looked at it were healed; Jesus was lifted up on the cross and all who believe in Him are saved.
With this in mind, Moses not only lost his temper and disobeyed the Lord’s instructions, his actions in Numbers 20 completely ruined yet another profound picture of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. You see, Jesus is our Rock and Deliverer. He alone provides living water welling up to eternal life. He was to be struck once, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God. He was not to be struck twice. By doing this, Moses corrupted the foreshadowing of Christ’s single sacrifice on the cross, which the author of Hebrews says atoned for our sins once for all time. And now, we receive God’s grace by confessing our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. This is why Moses was commanded to speak to the rock the second time and why his actions went beyond mere disobedience, and tarnished this beautiful depiction of Jesus Christ.
Now that we understand why Moses was prevented from entering the Promised Land, let’s turn our attentions to application and discern, “What can we learn from his discipline and apply in our lives today?”
I think it is imperative that we first recognize God’s grace and faithfulness throughout this account. Even though Moses disobeyed the Lord, God still miraculously provided a fountain of water from a rock in the desert for the people to drink. Friends, God is faithful even when we are not.
Now, as the story continues, Moses dies in the wilderness before the Israelites enter the Promised Land. However, God doesn’t let this be the last time we see him in the Scriptures. When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, Moses was there along with Elijah, representing the Law and the Prophets. The Bible says they appeared with the Lord in glorious splendor and spoke with Him about His exodus from this world. Friends, our God is gracious even when we are disobedient.
Years later, when the New Testament was written, the author of Hebrews reveals an astonishing fact: God remembers Moses for his faithfulness, not his disobedience. And the same is true for you and me. If you are covered in the blood of Jesus, your acts of disobedience are erased and God remembers your sins no more.
Not entering the Promised Land was a form of discipline for Moses, yet it was recorded in the Scriptures for our sake as well, so that we wouldn’t take God’s commands lightly. Friends, God disciplines those He loves, those He regards as beloved children. His discipline may seem painful at the time, but it produces peace and righteousness for those who have been trained by it. God uses discipline—and even a wide variety of trials and suffering that are not a result of disobedience—to test our faith, increase our patience and hope, and build our character. We need to believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. And the good that the Father desires is that all of His children would be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus.
I’ve heard many other interesting connections such as Moses striking the rock represents our old way of doing things or perhaps what is comfortable to us while speaking to the rock represents new and uncharted territories to which God is calling us. Regardless of how we apply the specific details within the story, we cannot overstate the obvious importance of obedience in this passage. Jesus says, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” and, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin.” Therefore, whenever we disobey God, three things are happening: 1) we are believing a lie that some other way is better than God’s way, 2) we are demonstrating that our love for God is in conflict with our love for something (or someone) else, and 3) knowingly or unknowingly, we are choosing slavery to sin over freedom in Christ. Friends, I promise you, if Moses knew his actions would deface a picture of the promised Mesiah, he would have obeyed the Lord’s instructions. The same is true for us: If we knew everything God knows, we would obey Him every time.
Your life may not be a foreshadow of Christ’s the way Moses’s was, however, if you are a Christian, you are a child of God, a temple for the Holy Spirit, an ambassador for the Kingdom of Heaven, and you represent the Body of Christ every single day of your life. May our lives be marked by the obedience that stems from love and faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, not self-righteousness or legalism in the power of the flesh. As you grow in knowledge of God’s will, may you live a life that is pleasing to Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work.
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