More Old Testament Fun

This kind of feels like cheating, as the insight comes from our bishop, who shared it with us as the spiritual thought in ward welfare committee meeting yesterday. As some background, the assignment for the spiritual thought actually belonged to an organization that was not represented at the meeting (not naming names...), but Bishop Garrett was enthusiastic to share this with us. I'm glad he did, and I am impressed with the insight gained from these verses.

We read Numbers 20:1-13, which recounts an experience had by Moses and the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. Most of us are familiar with Moses striking the rock, after which water flowed from the rock, and the analogy of the Savior as living water, typified by this experience, is strong in our theology, explored as it is by Nephi.

But I don't know if I had ever read this account of the episode, which is also retold earlier. Several things stood out to me as we read the verses, included the people's lamentation in verse 5 that they had left slavery, but at least there they had food and water, whereas in the desert they had it rough. Being willing to trade freedom for relative prosperity is an interesting human weakness, evident in fascism ("the trains ran on time...") and the current recession (immense deficit spending on the individual level nearly toppled the global economy). But that's more of an old-school Roy Rant.

The real point made in our meeting was the command given to Moses in verse 8:"Speak ye unto the rock." We know the rest of the story--that Moses struck the rock and the water came forth. But that's not what he as commanded to do; his task was to speak unto the rock. (In saying this, I am aware of the different account in Exodus, and I can't say which version might be more accurate, and that's kind of beside the point; there's a truth in this account that I think is important.)

I imagine Moses, upon receiving this commandment, being eager to fulfill it. Then, as he talks with the people and explains that their complaints show a lack of faith in the Lord and a lack of gratitude for their deliverance from Egypt, he buckles to the situation. His humanity rears its head and his love for the people made him reconsider.

"Talk...to the rock...here, in front of a people who already think I'm crazy for taking them into the wilderness. Really? Maybe I'll just hit the rock and at least get their attention, punctuating my message. If it works, great, but if not, I won't look completely insane for ,you know, talking to a rock."

The point made was that we can see miraculous things happen (this conversation was specifically in the context of welfare needs) as people are blessed through the efforts of the ward. But the warning is there: the Israelites endured years of trials before they arrived at their promised land, and part of avoiding those sufferings comes through paying close heed to the directions of the Lord. When we work with families in need and ask them to do something, we need to make sure they do it. When we are counseled to develop a three-month plan to get a family back on their feet, we need to stick to that plan and help them become self-reliant. If God says talk to the rock, don't just hit it with a stick.