Repeating Past Mistakes

 After more than thirty years in the wilderness, the Israelites again were in the wilderness of Sin or Zin, where they had been just a couple of months after leaving Egypt, as Numbers 20:1-5 describes.  “Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.  And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.  And the people chided with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!  And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?  And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.”

 

When Israel had come to the place the first time they had only been out of Egypt a few weeks, and were not used to depending on God for their food and water.  They accused Moses and Aaron of just bringing them out into the desert to die, as described in Exodus 17.   God had brought water from the rock for them.   Over thirty years later they had the same attitude, despite having seen God provide for them miraculously every day.   The only reason they were still in the desert was because they had refused to go into the land God had for them, but like most people today, they blamed someone else for their problems.  People can change their attitudes if they want to, but most are not willing to change. 

 

Just as they had the first time, Moses and Aaron sought the Lord’s guidance, in Numbers 20:6-8.  “And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 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.”

 

Knowing what God had told him, Moses gathered the people together, as to see God’s provision once again, in Numbers 20:9-11.  “And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?  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.”

 

Moses was frustrated that after more than thirty years, the people still didn’t trust God to provide for them.  In his frustration, he asked if they had to bring water from the rock again, hitting it twice.  His comments implied that is was he and Aaron who did the miracles rather than God.  Because they took the focus away from God, neither of them would be allowed to enter Canaan, according to Numbers 20:12-13.  “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.  This is the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.”

 

When people do not learn and make changes, they repeat the same old mistakes.  For almost forty years, Moses had faithfully served God, but in a moment of frustration because the people had not learned, he threw away his chance of going into the Promised Land.  We need to be careful that we stay focused on the Lord and do not allow frustration or discouragement by other people’s stubbornness in refusing to learn to cause us to sin.