Shall We Continue To Beat The ROCK? The Lord instructed Moses in Numbers 20:8 to speak to the rock and it would give water. Moses allowed his flesh to have the upper hand when he asked the people "are we (Moses and Aaron) to get water for you out of the rock?" He then added to his sin by lifting his arm, in other words exulting his own strength, and hit the rock twice. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you had not enough faith in me to keep my name holy before the children of Israel, you will not take this people into the land which I have given them. I purport that this is the underlying sin of the church at large today. We do and do and do and give very little room for God to do. We exalt our own strength instead of communing with God and waiting for Him to do. God gave mankind an opportunity to 'do' with the inception of the Law. We proved conclusively that man cannot. Jesus fulfilled the Law to the very last jot and tittle. It is finished. I would suggest that we quit from every work, from every attempt aimed at improving our standing with God, conscious or unconscious. Things like studying/working to make yourself approved unto God rather than examining yourself to see if your understandings are approved by Him. This is akin to beating the rock. We will never enter into the blessings associated with the Promised Land by anything less than being robed with Christ (Rom 13:13). He has shown us great mercy and patience by blessing many of our doings just as He gave Moses water from the rock, even in his disobedience. Let us cease from our works and by works of faith in Him alone enter into the blessings of the Promised Land. Jesus was once asked, "what do we need to do to do the works of God?" Jesus replied, "have faith into the One whom He sent." This and this alone is our true work, nothing more, nothing less. "I Am the Way the Truth and the Life, NO MAN cometh unto the Father but by Me." |