Hebrews 3:7-11

V. 7 – Notice that the author writes, "the Holy Spirit says." This is an awesome reminder of the true author of Scripture. Some of the first five books of the Bible were not fully written down for official record until the time of Ezra. They had strong oral traditions and some written accounts – especially the chronicles of the kings and the prophets. However, all Scripture is God breathed and reliable

This quote is actually from Psalm 95:7-11 which is interesting because the actual story is from Exodus 17. Now, there are at least three times that the nation of Israel complained about water. We are going to discuss two of them because they teach us something unique about God, Moses, and Israel that we can learn from. However, this particular Psalm is specifically addressing the first instance recorded in Exodus. The author of Psalm 95 was David, according to Hebrews 4:7. The Psalm is discussing the greatness of God, that Israel was his uniquely chosen people, and that he is the Creator.

So, the original story -

Exodus 17 – In chapter 14 they cross through the Red Sea, in chapter 15, they praise God for his deliverance and complain when the water is undrinkable. Chapter 16, they complain, and God provides them with mana. God has consistently provided for their needs. Yet, we get to chapter 17, and they are going to gripe and complain again. They make some key mistakes as they progress through this problem:

They quarreled with Moses – instead of going to the source that could solve their problems, and had been providing for their needs. They sought an earthly solution – v. 2
They ignored Moses’ challenge that explained they were ultimately complaining against God and came right back to accuse Moses of failure – v. 3
God was not in their thoughts at all. Their eyes were only on the temporal

V. 6 – Encouragingly, God promised to stand before Moses. He would be his shield and deliverer. The stones and accusations would not work. He instructed Moses to strike the rock and water would come out. This was not only provision for the needs of the Jewish nation, but it also represented the deliverance that would come from Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation and Living Water, being struck – just as he would be on the Cross more than a thousand years later. The first account was at the waters of Massah, (testing) and Meribah (quarreling). The first time, Moses obeyed perfectly. The reason I think the first account is primarily what David had in mind is because he mentions both names and because (as we are getting ready to discuss in more detail) it specifically notes that they tested God/looked for proof from him. It also says he loathed that generation. That was not true of the generation that went into the promised land. Granted, God was frustrated with them, but he judged the generation that complained at Massah/Meribah and refused to let them enter the promised land. Instead, they had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years everyone 20 and older died.

The second account with similarities is Numbers 20 – Miriam has just died. As you can imagine, there are some very strong emotions that Moses is dealing with. I have always thought it was interesting and tragic in a way that Moses’ sin – the thing that kept him from going into the promised land, happened when he was incredibly vulnerable. The enemy wants nothing more than to use our trials to prey upon us. When we are tired, struggling, dealing with something that is incredibly challenging, seek God’s face. Be ready to face warfare. This seems unfair, but we are not fighting an enemy that is kind. When Scripture says, he is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour it is not overselling the way he preys upon the vulnerable. However, I think this is also why the Bible says God is “Close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in Spirit” Ps. 34:18. Our Heavenly Father is never nearer than when we are broken, but we have to make a deliberate choice regarding if we will find our strength in him or if we will try to live in our own strength and understanding.

In the Numbers account, they are encamped at Kadesh (significantly to the north). This time, the waters are only called Meribah, which means quarrelling. This is an important difference. These names, Meribah and Massah were given by Moses and/or the people of Israel to explain what happened. The geographical names of the locations has already been listed. At Massah, the people were specifically testing God. They didn't believe he would do what he said. As we said, in Exodus 17, there is nothing there about God. In Numbers 20, they acknowledge they are God’s people. They know the truth!!! Now, we understand that even if they had somewhat “good” intentions, they were ultimately still complaining against God’s plan because God had appointed Moses as the leader. This second time, they are quarrelling – they are complaining. They now know the truth of whose they are, but they are not living in the daily contentment that truth provides.

Still, Moses understood that this encounter was different, and I think it is telling, especially because of the choices he makes in this passage, that he only called it Meribah. It is almost an acknowledgement that he messed up. Yes, they were quarrelling/complaining, but Moses was angry in his response. This second testing is very close to the end of their wilderness wanderings. We’re talking about a time difference of nearly 40 years. It is terrible to think that while there were some key differences in their attitudes between Exodus 17 and Numbers 20, there were also some important similarities. They wished they could have died already instead of facing hardship. Still even more, many of these people may not have even fully remembered Egypt. This means that their parents/grandparents must have told stories about Egypt that were positive. Genuinely – think about that. God has delivered these people. Your children are no longer being fed to crocodiles or killed by midwives. They aren’t enslaved. They are getting ready to inherit a land of their own – and yet someone had been painting Egypt (the world) through rose colored glasses. Granted, some of the complainers might have been a few of the remaining older people, but it is pretty clear that this is the congregation. This is the collective group. They say almost exactly the same thing as their ancestors 40 years earlier. They have been wandering around the wilderness with the very presence of God guiding them and his constant provision – but the world is ending because they don’t have water. They could have asked – but instead they complained.

God wanted to reveal himself as holy through his provision here at Meribah. He specifically instructed Moses and Aaron to “tell” the rock before their eyes to yield its water (v. 8). There’s a lot happening in this brief statement. Take the staff – the instrument that God used to do miracles, but don’t use it. The thing that facilitated many miracles. And speak to the rock. Don’t hit it. You have already struck the rock once. If the rock represents Jesus, then he will only die once. He will only be “struck” once. So, talk to the rock. That is the instruction we have for today as well. Once we are saved, we don’t need to be saved again – we simply talk to our Savior. And then notice that that they are going to ask the rock to yield its water. The water was already there. God had already given them the provision they needed. They didn’t know where to find it because they hadn’t asked. Their complaining and perceived lack did not negate the truth that there was water available. Too often, we complain and focus on what we don’t have while not actually asking God for what we need. He may have a non-traditional source. He may ask us to talk to a rock. He may not give us exactly what we want, but he does provide for our needs.

You will bring the water out of the rock. This is how to proceed.

Moses starts well. He takes the staff and goes to the rock as he was instructed. However, it goes downhill quickly. "Hear now you rebels." I mean this would probably be me too, but you can almost hear the frustration. He struck the rock twice. Now, God provided them with water. However, almost immediately God said to Moses, because you did not believe in me – to uphold me as holy – you are not going to be the ones who bring the people into the promised land.

A couple of things to consider here. First, he said Moses and Aaron did not believe in him. This is interesting because there had to be a measure of belief in something. You don’t wander around hitting rocks and expecting water. So, there are a couple of options:

They were trusting in the process of what they had done before – not God’s provision
They did not trust that God would work in the way he said
They did not rely on God to be sufficient for their needs and to deal with their emotions. Their feelings and frustrations became the barometer of truth and the thing that dictated their behavior.

Then, they did not uphold him as holy. One of the biggest jobs of a spiritual leader is to present a high view of God – a holy view of God that will help people understand their need for Jesus. Yes, we want to tell them about his love, but we need to not shy away from the truth of the greatness of God. Moses and Aaron did not present God in the way he had specifically instructed them to. They did not reveal the new aspect of God’s character and provision to the people they were leading.

It may seem very harsh that after a lifetime of faithfulness, God would not let them lead the people into the land. However, if the rock represents Jesus and striking it is his death that brings about salvation then striking it again is actually a denial of the entire doctrine of salvation. It is the very thing that will never happen. Jesus will never die again. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. This was blasphemy even though I would imagine that was not at all what Moses meant.

Notice, however, that God’s will is still accomplished. Through them he showed himself holy. He wanted to show that he was holy by his provision. However, instead, he showed that he was holy through his judgment on Moses and Aaron. He reminded the people that he was the leader. He was the one in charge. He was the one leading them – not Moses. He would provide, but there would be consequences. The actions of the people – no matter how terrible, were not excuses for their behavior.

So that is the story. The background that these people would have been so incredibly familiar with. Can you imagine how vivid this story loomed in their memory? This was the choice that prevented Moses from entering the promised land. It is no mistake that in the 1st verse of Psalm 95, David says, let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our Salvation. This is introducing what he is getting ready to talk about with the account of Moses. It is strengthening the argument that the Rock in these accounts with Moses is representative of our Savior, Jesus. So with that background, let's talk about the verses.

V. 7 – We are his people – literally, Israel was his chosen nation that would be used to bring the Messiah into the world. The challenge is for "today" – and this is such an awesome idea that we are really going to dive next week. However, for right now, we’ll keep it simple and just say that it is a call to immediate action. Do not delay. Today, if you hear his voice – and this should really read when you hear his voice. He is speaking and leading – he is the Great Shepherd.

V. 8 – Do not harden your hearts – don’t be stiff-necked and stubborn – do not choose to willfully guide your heart to rebellion. This is highlighting a deliberate choice. They had an alternative option. Now, this brings up echoes of Pharaoh and questions about hardening of hearts, but this statement is specifically discussing his people who chose rebellion instead of surrender. It is also a reminder to the Hebrew believers that they had a choice. They could decide which thoughts and feelings they would dwell on and believe in. Don't choose rebellion - surrender.

V. 9 – Father’s put me to the test – forefathers tried him. God does provide, but to require proof to believe him is no longer about us trusting him. It is about us demanding that God behave in a way that we want. God is not a genie – nor is he a schoolyard playfellow. He is God. We don’t get to demand he jump so high or meet our needs on our timetable. If we could control God, then we would be God. It goes back to that conversation we had weeks ago, he will give us more than what we crave – but it may not actually be what we crave. They had seen his work – over and over again for forty years. We highlighted just a sample of that today. He literally led them day by day. He provided for their needs. There was no excuse, and yet they still tested. They still wanted to know where the boundaries were.

V. 10 – He was grieved by that generation. This has the idea of to be vexed with, to feel indignant or even to loathe. The Bible is full of instances where we hear that God hated a sin, but there aren’t many times we are told he hated a group of people. Now, some of this generation still ended up in heaven so it wasn’t that he wholesale hated each individual. However, he did hate their collective departure into sin and the way they tried to play God. He hated that despite all of the evidence he provided, they still rebelled. They still didn’t trust. They were not in charge – we are not in charge. We do not get to rule over the Eternal One who is all sufficient.

They go astray – they "err" in the King James. This is the idea that they wandered, staggered, went out of the way, they strayed – it can even mean they were seduced. They allowed themselves to be pulled away from God’s plan and provision. They followed the lure of the world and temptation. It is really important that it says they go astray in their heart. Now, we have several books of the Bible devoted to telling us how much they verbalized their frustration. It certainly doesn’t seem like it was a private matter. However, they went astray in their heart first. Whatever is in the heart will always come out of our mouth and reveal itself in our behavior/choices. Disobedience always starts in the heart.

They did not know his ways – this is the distinction the Psalmist makes in 103:7-13. He made known his ways to Moses and his acts to the people of Israel. They did not want to know God intimately. They heard him once and said, “Moses, you go talk to him; we are too scared.” They actively avoided knowing God as a friend. They complied with outward regulations. They kept the law but they, as an collective people, they didn’t love him. This is why they struggled so much with the inconsistency of their relationship to God over the years. It was built on compliance and knowledge about the regulations. It was not built of friendship or trust. It was not built on a desire to see, know, and love the One who had delivered them. They didn’t want to linger in his presence as Joshua did. They escaped as soon as they could and if that is not an encapsulation of so much that is wrong with our world today, I don’t know what is. I’m not primarily talking about the world here. I am talking about the church and sometimes even myself. We have a group of people who know about God, but not many have a hunger to know his ways. The idea of loving God for who he has revealed himself to be is not a thought because most people don’t want to give the effort required to actually know him intimately and progressively. Until we love him, we will find it very difficult to surrender to him with a content heart.

V. 11 – In his wrath – not in sin. Ephesians 4:26-27 reveals that there are some things that should make us angry – should grieve our heart, without us sinning. This anger is not about a perceived violation against us. This isn’t about us being offended. It is about an anger that God’s character has been slandered. It is an anger that his reputation has been maligned, but our response must still be holy. God’s response was that they would not enter into his rest. Now, there is a lot more to this statement that will definitely be explored in chapter four. However, for now, just know that he swore they would not enter the promised land and what we will come to know as Canaan Rest – or rest from spiritual warfare.