“Water From the Rock:” Unraveling Numbers 20

Below is a list of relevant scriptures from Numbers 20 that highlight key events and teachings from the chapter:

1. Numbers 20:1-2
   • “In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.”
2. Numbers 20:3-5
   • “The people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?'”
3. Numbers 20:6-8
   • “Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water.'”
4. Numbers 20:9-11
   • “So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, ‘Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?’ Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.”
5. Numbers 20:12
   • “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.'”
6. Numbers 20:13
   • “These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he was proved holy among them.”
7. Numbers 20:22-24
   • “The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.'”
8. Numbers 20:25-28
   • “‘Take Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron’s garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there.’ Moses did as the LORD commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community.”
9. Numbers 20:29
   • “When the whole community learned that Aaron had died, all the Israelites mourned for him thirty days.”

These scriptures capture the essence and critical moments of Numbers 20, outlining the events and divine communications that occur within the chapter.

Numbers 20 is a chapter rich with teachings, divine interactions, and human emotions. It presents a narrative that is as much about the inner spiritual journey as it is about the physical wanderings of the Israelites. The lessons from this chapter—on leadership, obedience, faith, and the consequences of our actions—resonate through time, offering timeless wisdom for readers to reflect upon and apply in their own lives. As we ponder the deep waters of faith illustrated in Numbers 20, we are reminded of the importance of trust, the seriousness of divine commands, and the enduring presence of divine support, even in our most challenging moments.