Num 20:1-13
Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.
And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
And the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!
And why have ye brought up the congregation of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
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.
And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
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?
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.
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.
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and he was sanctified in them.

Here is the short.

The people were complaining because they lacked water.
This was the generation that would enter the promised land.
Yet, they were complaining, wishing to die with the generation that had died in the desert.

The Lord told Moses what to do.
Moses was to take his rod, gather the assembly with Aaron, and speak to the rock.
Moses was to SPEAK to the rock.

What did he do?
First, he verbally berated the assemble.
What he said was true.
The Lord did not tell him to do this.
He was to speak to the rock.
Not speak to the assembly.

Moses was mad.
No doubt Moses was tired of their attitude.
“Must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Moses could not bring water.
God could.

God had done it before…

Exo 17:5-6
And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
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.

Moses now does not speak to the rock.
He struck it.
Twice.

A grievous error.
It cost him entering the promise land.

Why was the mistake so serious.

It is a picture.
Jesus is the Rock.
In the first account, Ex. 17, God told Moses to strike the rock.
A picture of the Lord being stricken on Calvary.
Striking the Rock and out flows rivers of Living Water.

The second account, Num. 20, is a picture of what we do now.
The Rock no longer must be struck.
We do not “re-crucify” the Lord.
We speak to Him.
Then flows rivers of Living Water.

Thank the Lord for the Rock that brings Living Water.