Meribah (Bickering)

Once again, the Israelites complain to Moses and Aaron that they don't want to be in the wilderness and that they had it better off in Egypt. This time, it's mostly because they don't have any water.

Moses and Aaron fall before God asking for help. God tells them to speak to a rock and it will give them water. This is the second time God has instructed them to command water from a rock. But Moses and Aaron don't do exactly what God commands, and they're punished because of it.

The passage doesn't spell out exactly what they did wrong, but it seems clear that their sin was at least two-fold. First, Moses went out to the people and declared that he and Aaron would bring water out of the rock, giving no credit to God whatsoever. Second, and what may seem more trivial, God had instructed them to merely speak to the rock, but Moses decided instead to be a bit more flamboyant and strike it with his staff.

Remember that when God gives us instructions we are to follow them closely and specifically. And when God does work through us, we need to make sure to give credit where it is due.

Created almost 2 years ago