Yet again, at the wilderness of Zin, the true nature of the Israelites had shown up. There they were experiencing by far the toughest phase of their exodus, a large multitude with no water. As usual, they murmured against Moses and Aaron. On the other hand, Moses and Aaron as usual went into the presence of God in the midst of this turmoil. God asked them to command the rock to give water.
We get a glance of Moses’ emotional condition, through his words: “…Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10b). He gave vent to his anger by striking the rock not once but twice: “And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.” (Numbers 20:11a). Despite the immediate relief, things took an ugly turn when God condemned Moses’ action: “And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12).
No spiritual solution can emerge from the self. This is an irrevocable truth: “For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:8). We may have stumbled upon many solutions through raised voices, threats, anger, political and social support, etc. They were all solutions nonetheless, but never the spiritual ones.
It had been God’s sovereign plan to dethrone Saul and enthrone David. “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:14). But David added nothing of his self to fulfill this prophecy. Once, there was an unexpected opportunity, which may have appeared to be from the Lord to eliminate Saul by his sword. Rather than jump at it in fleshly fervour, David responded otherwise. “And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. (1 Samuel 24:4-5).
As believers, we may be under the misconception that “the end justifies the means.” But the flesh can only produce flesh, which leads to death. The work of the Spirit is manifested only to the extent that our flesh experiences death. In our family relationships, church ministry, and the mission field, it is common to see a lot of resources of the self being spent on the kingdom of God. But in this way, we inadvertently help extend the kingdom of darkness rather than the kingdom of God.
The work of the flesh may not necessarily involve a sinful activity. It may sometimes be a good thing and even appreciated by others. It may even be something God has commanded. But if we fail to do it by His Spirit, it turns into an act of the flesh. It is not easy to understand why God smote Uzzah for his action “And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.” (2 Samuel 6:6). Had Uzzah not supported the ark of God from stumbling, it may well have fallen down and been dashed to pieces. If so, was Uzzah not right in his reaction? Why was he still smitten by God? Even when the ark stumbles, our hands are tied if we have no command from God to reach out and touch it. Even at such times, we are not to add anything of the self to work around the crisis.
Prophet Habakkuk questioned God, “Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.” (Habakkuk 1:3). He could not come to terms with God’s silence in the face of violence. The precious lesson he learned as he waited at the watch post was to wait for God’s time. “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3). It is God alone Who moves and causes to move.
One of the toughest lessons to learn in the Christian life is to “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalms 46:10). Stillness leads to a revelation of God. We cannot understand God until we are still. The self is proud and always acts in haste. It is eager to carry out its own plans. But the Spirit teaches us to wait for God. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Is.40:31).