Reflecting the Image

Scripture:

Numbers 27:12–14

12 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up this mountain of the Abarim range, and see the land that I have given to the Israelites. 13 When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled with me. You did not show my holiness before their eyes at the waters.” (These are the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.) (NRSVUE)

Observation:

Moses’ time on earth was coming to an end. He would not be crossing over into the Promised Land, but the Lord invited him to go up the mountain and see the land that He was giving to the Israelites. After seeing it, Moses would be gathered to his people.

Then God reminds Moses why he will not enter the land. His rebellion against God’s instruction at the waters in the wilderness of Zin was significant.

God had wanted the people to see His holiness.

That’s what strikes me in this passage. The incident wasn’t simply about Moses failing to follow instructions. Something about his actions had failed to reveal the holiness of God before the people.

Application:

I have to admit that in some ways, this just doesn’t seem fair. Moses had done so much in faithful service to the Lord and had led a very obstinate people. Yet because of his disobedience at Zin, where he struck the rock twice with the staff instead of commanding the rock to yield its water, Moses would not enter the Promised Land.

But maybe the reason it feels unfair to me is that I fail to truly understand the significance of the holiness of God.

God’s holiness is God’s character. At the waters, God wanted the people to know Him better. He wanted to reveal His holiness to them. The water was God’s provision. The power was God’s. Moses and Aaron had been invited to participate in what God was doing, but they were not the source.

Maybe that’s where this becomes uncomfortable for me.

God is still revealing His holiness today. He calls us to be holy as He is holy, and He invites us to participate in His holy life. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, God’s holiness becomes transformational in our lives and, through us, can touch the lives of others.

But sometimes I wonder whether we get in the way of what God wants to do.

I’m a fixer by nature. When I see a problem, I want to solve it. When someone I love is hurting, I want to make things better. When I see something going wrong, I want to do something about it. And sometimes doing something is exactly what God asks of us. We are called to love, serve, give, encourage, seek wise counsel, and help carry one another’s burdens.

But none of those things is the Source.

I wonder whether sometimes we become so focused on what we can do that we lose the holy expectation that God can actually transform a life. We offer all the help we know to give, but fail to point people toward the One whose holiness and holy love can reach into the deepest places of human need.

God wants His holiness to be revealed to the lost, the depressed, those caught in addiction, those overwhelmed by debt or circumstances, the discouraged, and those searching for meaning and purpose in life. He wants His holy love to reach our sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors. Our faithful participation may include very practical acts of help, but those acts should never become substitutes for pointing people toward God.

Maybe we become a blockage when we begin to act as though everything depends upon us. We can become so busy striking the rock that we fail to make space for people to see the holiness of God.

The people already have a Savior.

And it’s not me.

At Meribah, water still came from the rock. The people’s immediate need was met. But Moses had failed to reveal clearly the holiness of the One from whom the water came.

Maybe that’s the warning for me today.

Don’t confuse the water with the vessel through which it comes.

Don’t try to become the Source.

Listen. Obey. Participate.

And then expect God to reveal His holiness.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to listen to You and follow Your instructions. Remind me that people already have a Savior—and it’s not me. I’m a fixer by nature, so help me to know how to participate faithfully without trying to control the outcome. Give me a holy expectation that Your Spirit is still at work, transforming lives and revealing Your holy love. May Your holiness be revealed in and through my life. Amen.