These are my options . . .

Numbers 20; Psalms 58–59; Isaiah 9:8–10:4; James 3

Life boils down to two choices — God’s way or mine. This is the challenge of Christian living!

After the Israelites refused to go into the promised land, they began a wilderness wandering. Like those who reject God’s offer of a spiritual life filled with challenges and blessings, they were thirsty and unhappy with their lot in life. The image is clear to me — it depicts how I am when I’ve rejected something God wants. I’d like the blessings but not the challenges, but then become confused and unfocused, and began to be thirsty for the water of life. At this point, God reminds me of the words of Jesus:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” (John 7:37–38)

In the wilderness, the people had already had this thirst and Moses was told to strike the rock one time. The water flowed and the people drank. This time, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but he struck it again, not once but twice. This angered God. Most commentators say this was because Christ is the antitype of that rock and this event had a symbolic point: the Rock from whom life-giving water flows is struck once on the cross, not more. Moses disobeyed God and because of it, the symbol He intended was flawed.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. (1 Corinthians 10:1–5)

This seems a small thing in the narrative, but it is important to the bigger picture of God’s revelation to humanity. The events of the OT point to the need and promise of His saving work in His Son. Any sin is deserving of wrath, but when a leader of God’s people disobeys Him and the consequences mess with how we understand His salvation, it appears to be far more serious; Moses was not allowed to lead the people into the land God promised.

Even this is symbolic. Moses was the giver of the commands. He was God’s person regarding the Laws of God. In these events, no matter what Moses did to guide them, he was like that Law; he could not save or transform the people. Instead, they were taken into the promised land by Joshua whose name means “Jehovah-saves.” Joshua also points to Jesus, the only way in which any of us can come to the Father and experience grace and forgiveness. He gives His people new life in that land of promise.

This event and those rebels also point to the life of challenge in which the flesh and the spiritual life are at war. My old nature wants to run my life, complains when it does not go my way, and gripes about the rule of God, inwardly if not verbally. The new nature is the promised land, the place to be where I am blessed by the Lord and taken care of in every way. When I am filled with His Spirit, then I am in that ‘land’ and enjoying its fruits.

Today God speaks to me how one seemingly small disobedience is enough to hobble my feet so I cannot be filled with His Spirit and cannot experience His blessing. Moses died outside of the land, seeing it but not being there. The Law and obedience to the Law cannot get me there either. However, by the wonderful grace of God, Jesus does what the Law could never do; He changes my heart and fills me with Himself. By the grace and love of God, I can confess my sin, be forgiven and cleansed (1 John 1:9) and be filled with His Spirit so I’m free to walk right in!

APPLY: This is a daily thing. Keep short accounts. Even ‘little’ things that seem to not matter very much have purpose in the plan of God. I cannot play with the guidance He gives. Do what He says, without grumbling or the slightest hint that I doubt His wisdom. Lack of trust is a fleshy thing. Trusting Him is evidence of the riches He promised. It is all about choice!