In the church, you grow up learning about how big God is. You learn that He holds the whole world in his hands. You learn that He is omniscient, all-knowing and all-present. You learn about the vastness of the universe, from the expanses of the galaxy, to the fathoms of microbiology, realize that God designed it all, and again are left in awe at the hugeness of God. This makes it all the more striking when you encounter how intimately our God is acquainted with our lives, down to the last detail.
When I recognize the handiwork of God in the little issues of my life, I can’t help but rejoice.For example, I remember back in high school I was frantically searching for a hair bow I needed for dance team. I knew I would get a demerit if I didn’t have the bow or arrived late, and the clock was ticking. I had officially entered panic mode when, in a moment of clarity, I decided to pause and ask God for help. I opened my eyes, raised my head, and the bow was eye level in front of me on my shoe rack.
This moment has stuck with me through the years, growing from a seed and planting roots in my heart. It was the beginning of a lesson that I believe we can also discover through a reading of Numbers 20.
“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”
So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”
When most people read Numbers 20, they are uncomfortable with God’s commandment for Moses to never enter the Promised Land. They see something unfair. The crime does not fit the punishment. It is only a little thing. Upon deeper reflection, I’ve concluded that’s the point exactly.
He took something small, and saw an opportunity for something greater.
This same concern for the little things applies to Numbers 20. A small disobedience can be a big deal to God, as was the case with Moses’s disobedience. When Moses strikes the rock, it’s as if he is personalizing God’s miracle. I imagine that God could not help but see this as the first little step in a shift in Moses’s focus. In response, God forbids Moses from entering the Promised Land.
God loves Moses immensely and is closer to him than any other man on earth. The repercussion is an act of love. God is protecting their relationship by asking that Moses return his focus solely to God and God’s heavenly kingdom. It wasn’t about a staff and a rock. It was about the treasured relationship between God and Moses. God cares about the little things, both those things which seem small to us, and those things which should seem small to God.
