Speak to the Rock
Traveling Toward It
Is it reasonable to believe that God can take us out of our own land of slavery and into a personal promised land, here on Earth? Or are we meant to keep traveling toward it until we reach Heaven, the ultimate land of sweetness?
I see the Promised Land not necessarily as a place, but as God freeing me from a life of slavery and leading me into a life of freedom. Freedom that does not remove the struggle, but loosens its grip on me. It is peace in the middle of uncertainty, a joy that is a quiet assurance of God’s presence, and thoughts that are more balanced and less ruled by fear. The road may still be long, but I am no longer owned by it.
If we do arrive in the Promise here on Earth, does that mean we will be monetarily rich or that life will be easy? Probably not.
The Israelites still had to fight once they entered the Promised Land. But first, they had to believe it existed and trust that God would lead them there. What should have been a forty-day journey turned into forty years of wandering, marked by unbelief and doubt, quarreling and idolatry. We all have something we need freedom from.
Even Moses did not enter this land because of unbelief. Not the kind that says, “I don’t believe You, God,” but the kind that feels familiar to all of us, the unbelief that grows weary from a long journey and reacts instead of pausing to listen. Moses reacted naturally. But our God is a God of supernatural power, and in that moment, Moses robbed the people of witnessing that.
He was told to speak to the rock, not angrily strike it. In doing so, he misrepresented God.
Did he react automatically because that is what he was told to do before? Scripture suggests he did.
Exodus 17:6:
“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.”
Numbers 20:7–8:
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “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.”
Numbers 20:10–11a:
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? Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff…”
So how do we learn from that? How do we avoid making the same mistake? In the moment a command is given and emotions rise, what could Moses have done differently?
And what do you do in those moments?
What does freedom look like for you right now?
A side note:
I’m not a Bible scholar, I just love to read it and study it. This reflection comes from my own wrestling. I am still learning what freedom looks like in real life, and how easy it is to react when the road feels long. These questions are ones I am sitting with myself. My hope is not to give answers, but to invite a pause, a moment to listen in, even when we are tired and standing at the rock.
