By Olubunmi Adebayo
*Not understanding the dimension of the instructions before you can be very costly, at times, quite fatal.*
*Without any controversy, Moses was a man who understood God. God even testified and said this about him :*
*Numbers 12: [6] And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.*
*[7]My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.*
*[8]With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?*
*But why should the same Moses misunderstand and misapply the instruction of God at a critical moment in his life?*
*In Exodus 17, the nation of Israel on their way to the Promise Land encountered a lack of water in the wilderness, and God directed Moses to strike the rock and that water would come out for the people to drink :*
*Exodus 17: [3] And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?*
*[4]And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.*
*[6]Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.*
*In this case here, Moses was asked to strike the rock for water to come out, and he did just that.*
*Please pay attention to the second scenario with the same challenge : lack of water for the people to drink in the wilderness :*
*Numbers 20:[2] And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.*
*[7]And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,*
*[8]Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.*
*[11]And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.*
*Please note that when a fellow does not pay attention to instructions, it can be very costly.*
*In the second instance of lack of water above, the instruction from God was that Moses should speak to the rock to bring out water, but instead, he struck the rock.*
*God got angry against Moses for disobeying His instruction, and because of this, God said Moses would not enter the Promise Land :*
*Numbers 20:[12] And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.*
*Please learn and reflect on this case : understand the instructions to the assignment before you.*
*Never allow yourself to get carried away by distractions and anger. Moses was angry against the people he was leading and allowed them to distract him :*
*Numbers 20:[3] And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!*
*[4]And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?*
*[10]And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?*
*Conclusively, learn that in whichever situation you may find yourself in, situations may be similar, challenges may look alike, their solution may never be the same. Pay attention to details, and pray that God will lead you to take the correct decisions in your daily endeavours.*
Top of the day to you 👍.
©️ Olubunmi S Adebayo.
