The Sin of Moses
Introduction. Sometimes, in the midst of the account of the lives of some of God’s most faithful servants, they commit a sin and God chose to record it. While we expect God to record the sins of those who ultimately perish in order to warn us (1Cor. 10:1-13), it is startling when He records sins in the lives of His faithful servants. Yet if we look at Saul of Tarsus, who after persecuting the church to the death, became the apostle Paul, we learn one of the reasons God has revealed the sins of His servants. Paul revealed that in his own view of himself he was “less than the least of all the saints,” “the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle,” and “formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man.” (Eph. 3:8; 1Cor. 15:9; 1Tim. 1:13-16). His sins were so grievous that through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he called himself “chief” or “foremost” “among sinners.” The Spirit then revealed a very important purpose, both for the mercy given to him and why it was recorded: “for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.”
God recorded the sins of His faithful servants to give us an example - not an example to follow, but an example to comfort and give us hope when we too have stumbled into sin. Jesus is a Savior so perfect in patience and love that He can forgive and use even the chief of sinners like Paul if they repent and are willing to serve Him. In exactly the same way Paul was forgiven, we can also be, and are thus forgiven. Even though we may not feel any better about ourselves than Paul, we don’t have to “be swallowed up with too much sorrow.” (1Cor. 2:7). When God recorded the sins of Abraham, Job, David, and Moses, it was with similar intent. Their sins were forgiven and they were still considered righteous and faithful after that forgiveness just as we will be. Their lives, the good and the evil, the seemly and the ugly were recorded in full so we could have hope.
Moses’ sin occurred in the final years of his life. After faithfully leading Israel out of Egypt, and after their rebellion in the matter of the 12 spies, he also faithfully led them during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Yet near the very end of that wandering, in a moment of anger and a lapse of judgment, Moses sinned, and God recorded that it led Him to refuse to allow Moses to enter the promised land. It is difficult to imagine the anguish and remorse Moses must have felt when God revealed this punishment. His failure to give God the proper respect and reverence, though provoked by the wicked rebellion and faithless murmurings of Israel, was a public sin and God chose to publicly and openly punish him for it.
Yet this is the same Moses who was allowed to come and speak to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was the same Moses who received the wonderful testimony that “Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant.” So, it is abundantly clear that God forgave him of this sin and still considered him to be among His greatest servants (Lk. 9:30-31; Heb. 3:5). This makes this event very important as it can bring hope and comfort to us when we have fallen short, and after repentance feel that we are no longer worthy and might still be cast away forever. This event reveals that this cannot happen as long as we repent and seek forgiveness in confession.
The events leading up to and ending in his sin are recorded in Numbers 20:1-13. The children of Israel were bitterly angry about not having enough water, so “they gathered together against Moses and Aaron,” and “contended with Moses.” They cast all the blame on him. “Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness,” “why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place?” This was part of the murmuring that we are strictly charged not to imitate (1Cor. 10:10). Israel blamed Moses and Aaron for all their problems and bitterly complained and grumbled about it. They were so bitter and angry they wished they were dead. In all previous acts of rebellion, Moses had always conducted himself in a holy and godly manner. He had warned Israel that their murmuring was against God and never took it personally before.
It appears that Moses was still in complete control of himself when he went to God for instructions. “Moses and Aaron went ... to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces.” “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,” “take the rod; ... gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” Clearly there was nothing difficult to understand and Moses wanted to be as faithful to this command as he had been to all the other commands God had given him.
Yet somehow this time something was different and Moses became very angry. Unfortunately for him, as is so often the case, “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (Jas. 1:20). Moses went too far. “Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock; and he said to them, Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock? Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.”
Did Moses realize immediately what he had done? At some point after this event, “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” Their conduct had publicly displayed a lack faith, reverence and respect. God determined that this needed an equally public punishment. The punishment for this sin was grievous. God gave to them a punishment so similar to the one given to all Israel at Kadesh that it was a heart-breaking moment for Moses. Both he and Aaron would die in the wilderness and not be allowed to enter the promised land. What a bitter pill for Moses to swallow. Like David with Bathsheba, God forgave the sin, but did not remove the consequences. The consequences for Moses’ momentary lapse in reverence and respect under the terrible emotion of anger was to be barred from entrance into the promised land.
When God said Moses “failed to sanctify me in the eyes of the people,” He did not specify exactly what this failure was. God had told Moses to “speak to the rock,” but the account stated that “Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice.” Clearly, in that act, Moses went beyond what God had commanded him to do. God had told Moses to take the staff, but not use it. He was directly commanded only to speak to the rock. He went beyond what was written when struck that rock. It was similar to Nadab and Abihu who offered “strange fire which He had not commanded them.” At that time Moses saw that such behavior did not “treat God as holy or glorify him among the people” (Lev. 10:1-3). Yet Moses, in anger, failed to hallow God when he struck that rock instead of speaking to it. He had failed to learn “not to go beyond what is written,” (1Cor. 4:6). He was told to speak to the rock (and he did not do that), but struck the rock (which he had no authority to do). God later charged Moses with this sin: “you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah” (Num 20:24; 27:13).
There was a second sin that was also committed in that same event. It was not revealed until The Psalmist described it: “it went ill with Moses” because “he spoke rashly with his lips” (Psa 106:33). When we look at what Moses said, we can see exactly how rash he was! “Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?” This was a serious lapse in judgment. Moses was not going to bring water out of that rock. So, there was a big problem with that “we.” Hence, first by striking the rock, and second by using a pronoun that elevated them, Moses “believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
Conclusion. Though the water came, Moses was severely punished. He was punished in a way that no amount of repentance could remove. As noted above, the sin was forgiven, but the consequences of the sin could not be. Because Moses had sinned publicly and God wanting Israel to understand His righteousness, He would not relent. “Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time... I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon ... the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.’ ... you shall not cross over this Jordan.” (Deut. 3:23-27). There is a lot of important lessons we can learn from Moses. This sin is one of them. Though Moses had fallen short of God’s glory here, God forgave him. Yet the consequences of the sin were deeply distressing. So it was with David, Paul and Job. So will it be with us. We need to hate sin and realize that the consequences can sometimes be severe.
God recorded the sins of His faithful servants to give us an example - not an example to follow, but an example to comfort and give us hope when we too have stumbled into sin. Jesus is a Savior so perfect in patience and love that He can forgive and use even the chief of sinners like Paul if they repent and are willing to serve Him. In exactly the same way Paul was forgiven, we can also be, and are thus forgiven. Even though we may not feel any better about ourselves than Paul, we don’t have to “be swallowed up with too much sorrow.” (1Cor. 2:7). When God recorded the sins of Abraham, Job, David, and Moses, it was with similar intent. Their sins were forgiven and they were still considered righteous and faithful after that forgiveness just as we will be. Their lives, the good and the evil, the seemly and the ugly were recorded in full so we could have hope.
Moses’ sin occurred in the final years of his life. After faithfully leading Israel out of Egypt, and after their rebellion in the matter of the 12 spies, he also faithfully led them during the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Yet near the very end of that wandering, in a moment of anger and a lapse of judgment, Moses sinned, and God recorded that it led Him to refuse to allow Moses to enter the promised land. It is difficult to imagine the anguish and remorse Moses must have felt when God revealed this punishment. His failure to give God the proper respect and reverence, though provoked by the wicked rebellion and faithless murmurings of Israel, was a public sin and God chose to publicly and openly punish him for it.
Yet this is the same Moses who was allowed to come and speak to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was the same Moses who received the wonderful testimony that “Moses indeed was faithful in all his house as a servant.” So, it is abundantly clear that God forgave him of this sin and still considered him to be among His greatest servants (Lk. 9:30-31; Heb. 3:5). This makes this event very important as it can bring hope and comfort to us when we have fallen short, and after repentance feel that we are no longer worthy and might still be cast away forever. This event reveals that this cannot happen as long as we repent and seek forgiveness in confession.
The events leading up to and ending in his sin are recorded in Numbers 20:1-13. The children of Israel were bitterly angry about not having enough water, so “they gathered together against Moses and Aaron,” and “contended with Moses.” They cast all the blame on him. “Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness,” “why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place?” This was part of the murmuring that we are strictly charged not to imitate (1Cor. 10:10). Israel blamed Moses and Aaron for all their problems and bitterly complained and grumbled about it. They were so bitter and angry they wished they were dead. In all previous acts of rebellion, Moses had always conducted himself in a holy and godly manner. He had warned Israel that their murmuring was against God and never took it personally before.
It appears that Moses was still in complete control of himself when he went to God for instructions. “Moses and Aaron went ... to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell upon their faces.” “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,” “take the rod; ... gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” Clearly there was nothing difficult to understand and Moses wanted to be as faithful to this command as he had been to all the other commands God had given him.
Yet somehow this time something was different and Moses became very angry. Unfortunately for him, as is so often the case, “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (Jas. 1:20). Moses went too far. “Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock; and he said to them, Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock? Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.”
Did Moses realize immediately what he had done? At some point after this event, “the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.’” Their conduct had publicly displayed a lack faith, reverence and respect. God determined that this needed an equally public punishment. The punishment for this sin was grievous. God gave to them a punishment so similar to the one given to all Israel at Kadesh that it was a heart-breaking moment for Moses. Both he and Aaron would die in the wilderness and not be allowed to enter the promised land. What a bitter pill for Moses to swallow. Like David with Bathsheba, God forgave the sin, but did not remove the consequences. The consequences for Moses’ momentary lapse in reverence and respect under the terrible emotion of anger was to be barred from entrance into the promised land.
When God said Moses “failed to sanctify me in the eyes of the people,” He did not specify exactly what this failure was. God had told Moses to “speak to the rock,” but the account stated that “Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice.” Clearly, in that act, Moses went beyond what God had commanded him to do. God had told Moses to take the staff, but not use it. He was directly commanded only to speak to the rock. He went beyond what was written when struck that rock. It was similar to Nadab and Abihu who offered “strange fire which He had not commanded them.” At that time Moses saw that such behavior did not “treat God as holy or glorify him among the people” (Lev. 10:1-3). Yet Moses, in anger, failed to hallow God when he struck that rock instead of speaking to it. He had failed to learn “not to go beyond what is written,” (1Cor. 4:6). He was told to speak to the rock (and he did not do that), but struck the rock (which he had no authority to do). God later charged Moses with this sin: “you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah” (Num 20:24; 27:13).
There was a second sin that was also committed in that same event. It was not revealed until The Psalmist described it: “it went ill with Moses” because “he spoke rashly with his lips” (Psa 106:33). When we look at what Moses said, we can see exactly how rash he was! “Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?” This was a serious lapse in judgment. Moses was not going to bring water out of that rock. So, there was a big problem with that “we.” Hence, first by striking the rock, and second by using a pronoun that elevated them, Moses “believed not in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel.”
Conclusion. Though the water came, Moses was severely punished. He was punished in a way that no amount of repentance could remove. As noted above, the sin was forgiven, but the consequences of the sin could not be. Because Moses had sinned publicly and God wanting Israel to understand His righteousness, He would not relent. “Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time... I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon ... the Lord said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.’ ... you shall not cross over this Jordan.” (Deut. 3:23-27). There is a lot of important lessons we can learn from Moses. This sin is one of them. Though Moses had fallen short of God’s glory here, God forgave him. Yet the consequences of the sin were deeply distressing. So it was with David, Paul and Job. So will it be with us. We need to hate sin and realize that the consequences can sometimes be severe.
- “And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor by the border of the land of Edom, saying: 24 "Aaron shall be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against My word at the water of Meribah.” (Num. 20:23-25).
- “And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered. 14 For in the Wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against My command to hallow Me at the waters before their eyes.” (Num. 27:13-14).
- “They angered Him also at the waters of strife, So that it went ill with Moses on account of them; 33 Because they rebelled against His Spirit, So that he spoke rashly with his lips.” (Ps. 106:32-33).
- “Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying: 24 'O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds? 25 I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.' 26 "But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the Lord said to me: 'Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south, and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.” (Deut. 3:23-27)