The fact that Moses struck the rock with his staff instead of simply speaking to it seems like a minor detail in this story, but the Lord considered it a severe enough error that Moses lost the privilege of being the one who would lead God’s people into the promised land when the day came.

We have already read about the importance of the staff or rod in the ancient world. These were a symbol of the authority of the heads of households. Moses’ staff was perhaps even more significant as it had previously been used in miracles. Perhaps Moses struck the rock because he was so frustrated with the people, or perhaps he didn’t believe that simply speaking to the rock, as God had told him to do, would work.

But, when Moses struck the rock, he used a symbol of his own authority. He did not use the authority that God had given him. He did not obey the Lord. He did things his own way, with his own staff, instead of the Lord’s way. He acted as though he was the one performing the miracle, instead of the representative of a miracle-working God. For a leader of God’s people, this was not an insignificant error, but a serious act of disobedience and a very poor example to the people.

It is perhaps easy to have faith in God’s promises, but faith in God’s commands may be a little more difficult, especially if we don’t understand or think we would have done things differently. All Moses had to do was to speak to the rock. He needed to have faith that even though God’s command was simple, obedience would bear fruit.

Despite all of this, God still provided the people with water. Moses’ disobedience and sin was not trivial, and it did have serious consequences for him, but it did not stop God providing for his people in a miraculous way. Although we may stumble and struggle, our God is forever faithful and merciful.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH