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Youth Worship 14th June 2025 : Speak to the rock

Text: Numbers 20: 1-13
14 June 2025

YOUTH WORSHIP 14 June 2025
Text: Numbers 20:1-13
Title: “Speak to the rock”

1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.

3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!

4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?

5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.”

6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them.

7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”

9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”

11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.

Numbers 20:1-13

IN THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN

1. This Wilderness is near the Negev Desert

2. South of the Sinai Peninsula

3. Desert conditions

4. Miriam died in Kadesh Barnea
This is in the Wilderness of Zin

THE LACK OF WATER

1. Once again, acute shortage of water was experienced

2. This led to another contention (confrontation) with Moses

3. Their contention

a) Expression of exasperation
“If only we had died when our brethren died before the LORD!”
Numbers 20:3
b) Confrontational Question: “Why?”
i) “Why have you brought up the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?”
ii) “And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” Numbers 20:4-5
c) Analysis:
i) Why had Moses led them into the wilderness?
ii) Why had they come to this evil place?

THE TYPICAL RESPONSE OF MOSES AND AARON

1. They met the angry mob

2. They fell on their faces

3. They went to the door of the Tabernacle

4. The glory of the Lord appeared to them

GOD’S WORD TO MOSES

“Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”

Numbers 20:8

1. Instructions given to Moses

a) Take the rod
b) Bring Aaron along
c) Gather the congregation together

2. Addressing the water-shortage problem

a) “Speak to the rock”
b) This was an unusual command

3. The promised results

a) The rock will yield its water
b) You shall bring water out of the rock
c) The water supply would meet the needs
i) Of the children of Israel
ii) Of the animals

MOSES’ MEETING WITH THE REBELS

10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”

11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

Numbers 20:10-11

1. They gathered the children of Israel together
They gathered before “the rock”

2. Addressing the people

a) “Hear now, you rebels”
b) “Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”

3. Striking the rock

a) Moses struck the rock twice with his rod
b) Water came out abundantly
c) Both congregation and animals drank

4. On the surface

a) Moses fulfilled the desire of the children of Israel for water
b) But he had failed to obey the Lord explicitly
c) He struck the rock when he should only have spoken to it

A REBUKE FROM THE LORD

12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.

Numbers 20:12-13

1. The Lord’s analysis of the problem

a) Moses had failed to believe in the Lord in this instance
b) He had failed to hallow the Lord in the eyes of the congregation

2. The consequences

a) He will not be allowed to bring the children of Israel into Canaan
b) A greater level of judgment was applied

3. Comment on the incident at the water of Meribah

a) The children of Israel had contended with the Lord
b) The Lord was hallowed among the congregation

LESSONS FOR US TO PONDER OVER

1. The danger of being angered

2. The risk of incomplete obedience

a) The congregation at large
b) The leaders

3. Adverse consequences can result