seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Deuteronomy 4:21 The Lord was angry with me because of you, and he solemnly swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. 22 I will die in this land; I will not cross the Jordan; but you are about to cross over and take possession of that good land. 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Please.... look at verse 21. Moses is blaming the Israelites for his own actions. God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would be supplied. Moses smacked the rock instead. In fact, Moses struck the rock multiple times. [Numbers 20:2-13] That's like a man abusing a woman and blaming her. That's like a parent abusing a child and blaming the child.
The classicstudylight.org site offers this commentary.
It was for the sake of Israel that God disciplined Moses, not allowing him to enter the Promised Land. Israel needed to see that no man, not even Moses was above the Law; and that it indeed was better that Joshua lead them into the Promised Land, not Moses.
Moses was humble enough to recognize his own sin and failure before Israel, and he had enough faith to believe that they could make it - even without him!
Moses' idea is simply, "If God did not spare me when I blew it, don't think He will spare you if you turn to other God. God is a consuming fire, and we must take Him and obedience to Him seriously." The same idea is echoed in Hebrews 12:29.
Moses was humble enough to recognize his own sin and failure before Israel, and he had enough faith to believe that they could make it - even without him!
Moses knew that he was replaceable. It is a dangerous thing when anybody in the ministry begins to think they are doing something no one else can do, or that they are irreplaceable. God can and does use anyone; if a ministry does depend on one irreplaceable person, then it is of man and not of God. Moses was humble enough, and wise enough, to know this.
Moses' idea is simply, "If God did not spare me when I blew it, don't think He will spare you if you turn to other God. God is a consuming fire, and we must take Him and obedience to Him seriously." The same idea is echoed in Hebrews 12:29.
So, Moses wasn't blaming the Israelites for his failure to follow instructions?
Here's a commentary from bibletrack.org.
Now Moses isn't bitter, but here it is again - a reminder in verses 21-22 that he was not getting the big payoff (entry into Canaan, see above) BECAUSE OF THEM! Do the right thing and God will bless you. God gives them a formula for success as they enter the new land: Serving God will bring success; turning from God will bring failure.
The commentaries seem to gloss over the fact that Moses does seem to be bitter in verse 21. The way I see it, Moses fumed and boiled all the way from the meeting with God to the rock back in Numbers 20. He was sick and tired of the Israelites complaining about everything. He might have even been sorry he ever agreed to lead them out of Egypt. That's why he struck the rock instead of talking to it as instructed. Moses was just full of himself. The commentaries jump to the bigger picture. If Moses had led them into Canaan, Moses would have gotten the credit instead of God.
Placing blame on Moses for what happened in Numbers 20 doesn't really change the bigger picture though. The commentaries do make a valid point. If Moses had been the one in the lead when they crossed the Jordan River, those stupid humans would have given him the credit instead of giving it to God. God had already rescued the Israelites from being enslaved to Pharaoh. The Egyptians worshiped Pharaoh, and every good little Egyptian [including Pharaoh] thought Pharaoh to be a god. God certainly didn't need Moses to turn into a god to the Israelites.
Last edited: