THE ROCK OF MERIBAH – Numbers 20:7-13

 

Introduction—Vs. 3—“And the people chode with Moses…”

 thus the name “Meribah” which means to chide, quarrel, murmur,

contention, or strife.

1. Moses, one of the greatest men in the O.T. in one brief

   moment, by one impulsive act, forfeited his opportunity to

   lead Israel into the promised land after having led them for

   nearly forty years.

2. Logically, the punishment seems to be completely out of

   proportion to the act.

3. Moses lost his temper but not without provocation.  For 3

   verses, Israel complained, provoked, and insulted Moses until

   Moses lost it.

4. God judged Moses severely and since God is always justified

   in all of His dealings, there must be a serious violation.

I. GOD SAFEGUARDS HIS SACRED THINGS—I Chronicles 16:22—

“Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.”  Priests, kings, and prophets were anointed.  Places and Vessels were anointed.  The Scriptures were anointed.

   A. God Has Two Methods of Communicating His Will

      1. First, the spoken or written word.

      2. Second, by types and institutions such as found in the Levitical system.

      3. Communication is transmitted through human language or a picture.

      4. In the O.T., we have types and institutions.  In the N.T., we have parables.

         a. The ear and the eye must agree.  If the type does not agree with

             the Scriptures, there is a misinterpretation of the type.

         b. One substantiates and corrects the other.

      5. First in importance is Verbal Inspiration—“Every word is inspired.”

      6. Second in importance, types and institutions that foreshadow the person,

          the work, and the glory of the Son of God.

   B. God Has Two Means of Communicating His Will—

      Sacred things and safeguards that He has placed about them.

      1. There is a Law of First Mention—Simply, when something is mentioned

          in the Bible, it carries the same thought throughout the Bible.

      2. The Law of First Mention—Might be called the “vestibule” of revelation,

          like the vestibule of a Church that is the first thing you enter.  These are

          types, like wax figures, who are provided to warn those who enter.

         a. In the Vestibule of the Tabernacle—Numbers 3:2—God

            struck dead the two sons of Aaron—Nadab and Abihu—

            for offering strange fire, typical of carnality in worship. 

            (We don’t worship haphazardly!)

         b. In the Vestibule of the Kingdom Age—II Samuel 6:6

            —God struck Uzzah dead for putting his hand forth to

            steady the ark as it was being moved on the new cart

            instead of being carried, as God had designed, on the

            shoulders of the Levites.  David’s adoption of a               

            Philistine device caused the violation, touching the ark,

            that was followed immediately by death.  This was a demonstration of carnality

            in service. (We don’t serve God just any way!)

         c. In the Vestibule of the Church Age—Acts 5—God struck dead Ananias and

            Sapphira for lying to the Holy Ghost.  They evidenced carnality in giving.  (We

            don’t  give inconsistently!)

            (1) The Church has two ordinances—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  They must

                 not be altered, ignored, or tampered with.

            (2)  The Ordinances in Type are Safeguards to Sacred Truths—The Cross and the

                 Gospel—The death, burial, and resurrection according to the Scriptures.

            (3) It does matter how you are Baptized and how you partake of the Lord’s

                  Supper.

            (4) God judges this Violation—I Corinthians 11:30—“For this cause many are

                  weak and sickly among you,  and many sleep.”

II. GOD SANCTIFIES HIS SAFEGUARDS—Was God just in keeping Moses out of Canaan for “smiting the rock?”

   A. There were Two Rocks—One at Horeb (in the desert at the base of Sinai).  The

        other was at Meribah—This camp was in Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin. The

        Israelites camped here near the end of their period of wilderness wandering,  

        bordering on the promised land.

   B. Both of these Rocks speak of Christ—I Corinthians

      10:4—“And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual

      Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ.”

      1. The Rock at Horeb—Speaks of Christ on the Cross, the Saviour wounded for our

         transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).  Water flowed out—Holy

         Spirit came to indwell.

      2. The Rock at Meribah—Speaks of Christ as the resurrected High Priest.

         a. Two different Hebrew words for rock—Exodus 17— The word for rock is tsur,

            which means the “low rock.”  Water flowed picturing the “indwelling of the Holy

            Spirit.”

         b. In Numbers 20—The word for rock is sela, a cliff or high rock.

         c. First, we see Him in His redemptive work on the cross and second in His High

            Priestly work after His resurrection, ascension, and exaltation to the right hand

            of the Father.  Water flowed here picturing the “fullness of the Holy Spirit.”

   C. There were Two Different Rods

      1. The rod at Horeb was the rod of judgment—Exodus 17:5—“Take…thy rod,

         wherewith thou smotest the river, taken in thine hand, and go.”  Isaiah 53:10—“Yet

         it pleased the Lord to bruise him…”

      2. The rod at Meribah was the rod of Aaron the high priest, the rod that budded. 

         Numbers 17—Aaron’s rod budded, blossomed, and yielded almonds speaking of

         Christ’s resurrection.

      3. The rod of Aaron was “laid up before the Lord” as a testimony and later placed in

         the Ark of the Covenant and speaks of the resurrected Lord.

      4. Moses’ rod was not placed in the Ark of the Covenant.  Why?  Because Judgment

         has passed because of  Calvary.

    D. There were Two Different Commandments

      1. At Horeb—Moses was told to stand alone in the presence of the elders of Israel and

           to smite the rock—Exodus 17:6—(Jesus was crucified before the face of the

           Jewish nation).

      2. At Meribah—Moses was told to take Aaron, with the gathered assembly (no longer

         just the elders), and speak to the rock—Numbers 20:8—(Believers during the

         Church Age must only speak to the Rock).

      3. Moses smote the Rock twice—Numbers 20:11

         a. Water came out abundantly—God blessed His people despite the errors of the

             leader of the people.

         b. Grace acts even when God is poorly represented.

      4. Lessons learned from “smiting” the Rock “twice.”

         a. To “Smite the Rock twice”—Would imply that Calvary’s work was inadequate.

         b. To “Smite the Rock twice”—Would imply that one could be lost and must be

             saved “again and again.”

         c. To “Smite the Rock twice”—Would imply that the water, representing the Holy

            Spirit, which was given once, is never to be repeated.  To receive another

             “Baptism of the Holy Ghost” would mean that Jesus would have to crucified

             again and again.  Luke 11:13 says the Holy Spirit is given freely and

             continuously to those who “ask” (speak) not “crucifixion” of Christ again.

Conclusion—One must be careful not to “touch” God’s anointed Scriptures or anything or anyone that typifies God’s Scriptures.

1. There is too much “irreverence” toward the Scriptures, the House of God, the Man of

   God, and the Things of God.  Is it right to “reverence” the Scriptures and be

   “irreverent” to anything or anyone who typifies the Scriptures?

2. Ephesians 5:33—The wife is to “reverence her husband”— The man is not Holy but

    the husband typifies Christ the head of the Church.

3. Hebrews 12:9—Children are to “reverence” their fathers.

4. Hebrews 13:17—“submit” to the Pastor—To yield to authority and admonition, to

    submit.