Why did God prevent Moses from seeing the promised land?

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whatevergirl

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In today’s first reading, we see that God is not going to allow Moses to see the ‘promised land.’ My question is why??
I don’t understand…where does Moses appear unfaithful? I am not questioning Scripture, as much as I’m trying to understand why he was denied seeing the promised land?? Is Moses somehow blamed for the people’s outcries and complaints??

Nm 20:1-13

The whole congregation of the children of Israel
arrived in the desert of Zin in the first month,
and the people settled at Kadesh.
It was here that Miriam died, and here that she was buried.

As the community had no water,
they held a council against Moses and Aaron.
The people contended with Moses, exclaiming,
“Would that we too had perished with our kinsmen in the LORD’s presence!
Why have you brought the LORD’s assembly into this desert
where we and our livestock are dying?
Why did you lead us out of Egypt,
only to bring us to this wretched place
which has neither grain nor figs nor vines nor pomegranates?
Here there is not even water to drink!”
But Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly
to the entrance of the meeting tent, where they fell prostrate.

Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them,
and the LORD said to Moses,
“Take your staff and assemble the community,
you and your brother Aaron,
and in their presence order the rock to yield its waters.
From the rock you shall bring forth water for the congregation
and their livestock to drink.”
So Moses took his staff from its place before the LORD, as he was ordered.
He and Aaron assembled the community in front of the rock,
where he said to them, “Listen to me, you rebels!
Are we to bring water for you out of this rock?”
Then, raising his hand, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff,
and water gushed out in abundance for the people
and their livestock to drink.
But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
“Because you were not faithful to me
in showing forth my sanctity before the children of Israel,
you shall not lead this community into the land I will give them.”
These are the waters of Meribah,
where the children of Israel contended against the LORD,
and where the LORD revealed his sanctity among them.
 
God commands him to extract the water in a certain way, but he instead strikes the rock. Disobedience.
 
He obeyed the first half, as ordered. For the second half, he was supposed to order the water to arise, but instead struck it with his staff.
 
Moses was told to strike the rock. This he did. He was only supposed to strike the rock once. He struck it twice which showed a lack of faith in God’s ability to provide.
 
It surprises me I guess…because Moses is human, and seems to have been a faithful follower? I understand the meaning behind this, but it seems harsh.😊
 
Is it in Hebrews that we learn the rock is Jesus? The initial striking of the Rock represents Jesus’ death. What proceeds from Jesus after His death? The Water, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus only has to die once. After that, we simply call on Him in order to receive the Water (the Holy Spirit).

Moses almost ruined a valuable lesson for the New Covenant Church.
 
Let’s just clarify that Moses was indeed able to see the promised land, from atop Mount Nebo right before he died.

He just wasn’t able to enter it.
 
In most translations, Moses was told to “order” or “speak”, not to “strike” the rock.

Seems to me the Lord was displeased that Moses did not order the rock or speak to it. Instead he used physical force on the rock, believing that to be the means of bringing forth the water, instead of doing as the Lord commanded.

The text “…as he was ordered” referred only to Moses taking the staff as the Lord ordered him. The presence of the staff may have been necessary to bring forth the water, but the Lord never told him to “strike” the rock.
 
Really, how big a deal is it that Moses didn’t get to go to the “promised land” Clearly he gets to be with God. Isn’t that a whole lot better? He even shows up again in the New Testament at the Transfiguration. So the Israelites may have made it into th promised land but it seems like he got the far better prize.
 
whatevergirl said:
It surprises me I guess…because Moses is human, and seems to have been a faithful follower? I understand the meaning behind this, but it seems harsh.😊
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On the surface of it, it would appear harsh but bear in mind that the Scripture passage may not contain all the details. For example maybe he struck the rock a second time after a considerable amount of time and because he doubted if water would gush out. The Bible doesn’t elaborate on his state of mind.
 
childofmary1143 said:
On the surface of it, it would appear harsh but bear in mind that the Scripture passage may not contain all the details. For example maybe he struck the rock a second time after a considerable amount of time and because he doubted if water would gush out. The Bible doesn’t elaborate on his state of mind.
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During this second incident with the Rock and the water, he wasn’t even supposed to strike the rock once.

Unless you are looking at this rock as Christ (as explained in Hebrews), this passage makes little sense.
 
Depends on which version of the rock striking incident you choose

Exodus 17: 1-7
1 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 The LORD answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah [a] and Meribah ** because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

(ordered directly to strike, no mention of disobedience or punishment)

Numbers 20: 1-13
1 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.
2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! 4 Why did you bring the LORD’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. 7 The LORD said to Moses, 8 “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.”
9 So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 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?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
12 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.”
13 These were the waters of Meribah, [a] where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them.

(speak, punishment for striking)**
 
I’ve always found it very telling that Moses does not protest God’s judgement as unfair; and Moses was one who talked very freely with God. My conclusion has always been that he knew he was guilty of a serious offense. Having said that, it is interesting that Moses apparently tried to get God to change His mind about the punishment:

Deuteronomy 3:23-27 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying, …Let me go over I pray, and see the good land beyond the Jordan,…" But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not hearken to me; and the LORD said to me, “Let it suffice you; speak no more to me of this matter. Go up to the top of Pisgah, …and behold it with your eyes; for you shall not go over this Jordan.”

Also interesting, regarding the nature of Moses’ sin, is this quote:

*Psalms 106:32-33 They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account; for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash. *

Nita
 
childofmary1143 said:
On the surface of it, it would appear harsh but bear in mind that the Scripture passage may not contain all the details. For example maybe he struck the rock a second time after a considerable amount of time and because he doubted if water would gush out. The Bible doesn’t elaborate on his state of mind.
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Yes…that occured to me also. Thanks for your post.
 
childofmary1143 said:
On the surface of it, it would appear harsh but bear in mind that the Scripture passage may not contain all the details. For example maybe he struck the rock a second time after a considerable amount of time and because he doubted if water would gush out. The Bible doesn’t elaborate on his state of mind.
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I don’t know about this. If the Bible is meant to teach us about God, then it should teach us about why God punished Moses instead of letting us come to the wrong conclusion.
 
EphelDuath said:
God commands him to extract the water in a certain way, but he instead strikes the rock. Disobedience.
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I believe it was because of disobedience BUT also because of unbelief. We see this again with Zechariah in NT when Zechariah was struck dumb ( sin of unbelief). Moses did something different than what the Lord requested, this showed unbelief in the efficacy of the request.
God Bless
Grace Angel.
 
What can the ‘promised land’ be likened to in our worlds, though? How many times have we all here disobeyed God? I shutter to think of the times that I disobeyed…followed my own will…and paid the consequence…maybe the consequence was guilt, but it was still painful to not follow God at different times in my life. Now, I try to with all of my heart soul and mind–to follow God’s will…to love Him. But, can we look at penance as likened to Moses’ plight? What might be equal, if you will, in this day and age to his ‘not being able to see the promised land?’
 
All Scripture should be read in the light of Christ. Here’s what Paul says in 1 Corinthians:
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ.
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If you look at Christ as the Rock, and the Holy Spirit as the Water (remember this is the Water that flowed from Jesus’ side when he was struck with the Spear), then you’ll see that Moses striking the Rock was pre-figuring Christ’ Death. Remember, in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that He must go before the Holy Spirit can come.So the first striking of the Rock that produced water signified Jesus’ death and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Moses shouldn’t have struck the rock again, showing that Jesus only had to die once for all.
 
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