Pushing God Aside        

Read: Numbers 20:1-13 NLT – Moses Strikes the Rock – In the first – Bible Gateway

“Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out.” Numbers 20:11a NLT

Have you ever found yourself saying amid a problem, ‘Hey, no problem, I got this?” Maybe you asked the Lord for His help, probably not if you ‘got this’. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. Our failure to ask God for His help is just that, our failure. The Lord is always there to help us even when we do not ask Him. So perhaps it was God all along who had this.

Nevertheless, Christians are to be careful of a having a smug attitude. Thinking we don’t need God in situations we deem we can handle is pushing God aside. Yes, the Lord gave us a brain to work things out, but if our attitude is ‘I’ got this ignoring God, we’re forgetting God by pushing Him aside. There may not be any consequences other than a failed project, but a continuing do-it-yourself-attitude without God will lead to disobeying to God at some point and then there will be consequences.

Moses did not have a do-it-yourself-attitude except one time, and it cost him from entering the Promised Land. The children of Israel were constantly complaining about their conditions traveling in the wilderness. Once again there was a lack of water, and they complained bitterly to Moses. They blamed Moses for no water and for making them leave Egypt entering the wilderness to die. Moses and Aaron went before the Lord and He instructed them on what to do.

The Lord said to Moses, “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water.” (Num.20:8a nlt) Moses had the experience of providing water for the people of Israel years earlier through the Lord’s help. He followed the Lord’s instructions to strike the rock at Horeb and water gushed out. (Ex.17:6) But this time the Lord instructed Moses to speak to the rock and water would come forth. Frustrated with the people’s complaining, Moses basically said, ‘I got this.” “Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. ‘Listen, you rebels!’ he shouted. ‘Must we bring you water from this rock?’” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out.” (Num.20:10-11a nlt) Moses was taking the glory for himself rather than putting it on God where it belonged. He pushed God aside and the consequences of that sin was being denied entrance into the Promised Land.

We may not have such an experience as Moses but let us not carry an “I got this’ attitude thinking we don’t need God, especially if our efforts included something the Lord would disapprove of. May we be wise in what is right and wrong and not push God aside.