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It’s often taught that God barred Moshe (Moses) from entering Canaan because he hit the rock to start water flowing, rather than speaking to the rock. Yet it seems Moshe’s rebel yell had more to do with it and fits more with the lesson God had been teaching the people since the Exodus.
Thoughts questions
- What is the setting of the chapter?
- What time of year was it?
- When during the wanderings of Israel for 40 years was this?
- What generation was Moshe (Moses) talking to?
- What was the complaint the people brought?
- Why did God lead the new generation to a place that was so desolate?
- What did God want to show them?
- What, specifically, were the instructions God gave Moshe about getting water from the rock?
- Hadn’t Moshe used the rod before and struck things with it before, like the Nile River and the ground of Egypt?
- Was Moshe’s error in striking the rock, based on what he said to the people right before he struck the rock?
- Who was being tested at the rock of Kadesh?
- Had Israel ever called themselves “the LORD’s community” (ecclesia in the Greek translation of the Scriptures) before?
- Why has the wording changed in this chapter to “Israel” rather than “the people”?
- Why did the people speak to the king of Edom instead of having Moshe talk to him?
- In what way did Moshe and Aharon (Aaron) not believe the LORD?
- Why did Moshe call the people “you rebels”?
- Hadn’t God promised to bring this generation into the land?
- Why were Aharon’s priestly garments stripped from him?
- What is the bigger picture of what’s going on?
- Why did they mourn for 30 days for Aharon?
- What was the high priest’s function for the people bringing gifts and offerings to God?
- What does that teach us about Messiah’s function for us when the Accuser assails us?
- What are the three “weightier matters of the Torah”?
- What book of the Bible never mentions God but is all about faith in Him?
- How did Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther live by faith?