“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. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” Numbers 20:8 (Chapters 20-21)
Thirty-eight years pass between chapters 19 and 20. One of the Bible’s greatest miracles is the untold story of this time. How did a desert wilderness support 3,000,000 people for forty years? Only by God’s intervening, miraculous help.
The desert had its purpose. It transformed a people of Egyptian idolatry into a nation who witnessed God’s presence daily. They grew a faith in The One True God to be the example for the rest of the world and to be the testimony that God can be trusted in all experiences of life.
Moses was the Holy, faithful leader that transported an entire nation, bodily, from one land to another. This alone is a miracle for the ages. For those who doubt this as fact, remember: Archeology supports this history and it is easier to believe God’s miraculous intervention rather than some of the strange theories that try to logically explain it.
Sadly, near the end of the journey, even Moses, faithful and true, sinned by letting his anger take credit for God’s gift. The LORD said to ‘speak’ and water would come from the rock, but Moses shouted grumblings at the people, then struck the rock twice. For this sin Moses was denied entry into the Promised Land.
When I look back over the more than 60 years of my life, it is evident that I have not come this far except by the miraculous, patient, grace and gifts of God. I am nothing but a sinner, saved by grace and the recipient of Heaven’s bounty. I am a miracle. Aren’t you?
Have a great weekend’s Eve!
Gretchen