in Psalm 106. We haven't been there the last
couple of Wednesdays. But we're going to pick
up where we left off. We're getting close to
finishing it. We've just been looking at each
of these little stories of Israel's unfaithfulness
in the Old Testament. And while Psalm 106 really
only gives us a little portion, of what the story
is about, we've spent some time to go back and
look at these stories in the context a little
bit to understand what's going on. We've seen
a little bit of a theme that's kind of made its
way through this passage, and that is the idea
of atonement for the people, whether it be Moses
interceding or Aaron making atonement or Phineas
making atonement. We've seen a theme. God's people
have sinned. And someone has to make atonement
for them. Now there certainly is some punishment
for some of them we've seen in these stories.
But we see this thread of atonement kind of woven
through here. Tonight we'll be in Psalm 106 verse
32 and 33 is where we will start. Psalm 106 verses
32 and 33. Two short verses and then we'll flip
back. In the Old Testament, this story in detail
is found in Numbers chapter 20. If you want to
go ahead and put a finger there, that's good
homework for you this week. If you want to go
back and read the whole story, we'll hit the
high points. We'll look at a couple of other
Old Testament passages too, but this particular
story is found in Numbers chapter 20. Let's pray
and we'll get started. God, we come to you. We
thank you for these good words. And I pray that
we can learn something from what we're reading
about your people Israel, what we're reading
about Moses, and more importantly, what it means
for us and how it points us to Jesus Christ.
So I pray, dear Lord, that you just help us to
focus on you tonight. Let your Holy Spirit be
among us and help me to preach and teach in a
way that brings glory and honor to you. In Jesus'
name I pray it. Amen. Verse 32. They angered
the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and Moses
suffered because of them. For they embittered
his spirit. He spoke rashly with his lips. All
right. Now, we've seen already as we've gone
through Psalm 106, we've seen some occasions.
This is another. bit of a theme, I think, that
maybe we should pay attention to as we go through
some of these stories. Now, in this particular
story, it's talking about Moses striking a rock
for water. Now, earlier on, we see that God told
Moses to do this in Exodus chapter 17. One of
the stories we looked at was in Exodus chapter
15. In Exodus chapter 15, the people are praising
God, everything's good, they just crossed the
Red Sea, and then no sooner than they get through
praising Him, you look down a couple of verses,
and it says that they begin to grumble because
there was no water. They wanted water, there
was no water. You flip over a couple of chapters
to Exodus 17, you see the same thing. They're
complaining because there is no water. If you
want to go back and read those scriptures in
a little more context this week, I would encourage
you to do that. But we're going to look at them
very quickly tonight. The first one we're going
to look at is Exodus 15, verses 23 through 25.
This is what I just referenced. We're just going
to look at the text so you can see exactly what
it says, what's going on. Exodus chapter 15,
verses 23 and 25. This is right after... They
crossed over the Red Sea. God parted the sea
for them. It says, They came to Marah, but they
could not drink the water at Marah because it
was bitter. That is why it was named Marah. The
people grumbled to Moses, What are we going to
drink? So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord
showed him a tree. When he threw it into the
water, the water became drinkable. He made a
statue and ordinance for them at Marah, and he
tested them. There. Okay, so the people are already
kind of off to a bad start, I think, because
they just saw God part the Red Sea. They just
had praised God. A couple of verses later, they're
complaining, we don't have any water. Instead
of saying, hey, God brought us this far. We saw
all those plagues in Egypt. We just saw him part
the Red Sea. God, we know you're going to take
care of us. Whatever comes our way, we'll be
ready to go. But they complain, we ain't got
any water to drink. What are we going to do?
And so God tells Moses to do something kind of
weird. He tells him to take this tree, or some
of your translations may say a piece of wood,
throw it in the water, and it's going to make
it drinkable. Now that was certainly miraculous.
I don't know that there was any natural explanation
that this tree just instantly touching the water
made it drinkable. It was what God commanded
Moses to do, and Moses did what God said, and
God provided water for the people there. So that's
the first instance we see of the people complaining
about water. And if you flip over to Exodus 17,
verses 1 and 2, you see something similar. It
says in verse 1, The entire Israelite community
left the wilderness of sin, moving from one place
to the next according to the Lord's command.
They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water
for the people to drink. So the people complained
to Moses, Give us water to drink. Why are you
complaining to me? Moses replied to them. Why
are you testing the Lord? Okay, same experience.
Now you would think by this point they would
have learned God provided for us last time. He's
going to provide for us this time. But they're
complaining again. What are we going to do? Well,
it's in this story that God tells Moses to go
and strike the rock and water is going to come
from the rock. And that's exactly what Moses
does. And water is provided. For the people.
And then we get to the event that's talked about
in Psalm 106, the one that we're looking at tonight.
And that's the story that's found in Numbers
chapter 20. Very similar story. It says in verse
1, Numbers chapter 20, verse 1. The entire Israelite
community entered the wilderness of Zin in the
first month, and they settled in Kadesh. Miriam
died and was buried there. There was no water
for the community, so they assembled against
Moses and Aaron. The people quarreled with Moses
and said, If only we had perished when our brothers
perished before the Lord. Why have you brought
the Lord's assembly into the wilderness for us
and our livestock to die here? Why have you led
us up from Egypt to bring us to this evil place?
It's not a place of grain, figs, vine, and pomegranates.
And there is no water to drink. Now, this is
kind of starting to sound like a broken record.
You probably are noticing that it's kind of the
same thing almost. In all of these stories that
we've looked at, we're seeing the same language
a lot repeat itself. Here the people complain,
Oh, Moses, what are we going to do? Why did you
bring us here? It would be better if we're dead.
We've heard this before. This is kind of their
go -to argument. Like, one thing goes wrong,
things get a little tough. and they are just
ready to throw in the towel, to give up on God,
to rebel against Moses. I mean, we see this time
and again. We've seen it as we've gone through
Psalm 106. And here they go. What are we going
to do? We ain't got none of these good foods
that we want, and we ain't got no water to drink.
Now, this story is similar to that that we just
talked about in Exodus 17. Very similar. God,
in this story, however, tells Moses to, go to
the rock, but to speak to the rock to bring about
water. Moses, however, doesn't do that. Moses
goes before the people and he says, look, are
we supposed to give you water? And then he takes
his staff and he strikes the rock. And that's
not what God told him to do. And as a result
of that, God tells Moses a few verses down. that
he's not going to enter the promised land as
a result of that. He said, look, you didn't do
what I told you to do, and therefore you're not
going to enter into the promised land. And so
we see this kind of same story three different
times. They're all different occasions, but all
similar. And that is the people want water. Now,
to want water... It's not a bad thing. Let's
get that straight. It wasn't bad that the people
wanted clean water to drink. They knew that they
had to have water to survive. And so they wanted
water, but their attitude, I think, shows that
they didn't trust in God. They could have just
said, okay, God's going to provide for us. He
has time and again. Maybe the first time they
complain and they see God work, they could say,
okay, we're going to just trust Him. And maybe
after two times, you'd say, well, now they're
going to get it. Now they're going to just trust
it. But even still here in Numbers chapter 20,
they're still complaining about the same thing.
And we don't have any water. What are we going
to do? And that's the story that's being referenced
in Psalm 106. And it's talking about Moses here,
that Moses suffered the consequences, that he
was so angry with the people, and maybe rightfully
so, But he allowed his anger with the people
to affect how he was going to be obedient to
God or, should I say, disobedient to God. And
there were consequences to that. Now, I think
it's important for us to recognize that water
is kind of a key theme in these stories. And
it's also a key theme for Jesus. Now, here's
what we see. When you go to the New Testament
in John chapter 6, you can read that this week
too. You see Jesus talking with some of these
religious folks, and they really love Moses.
It's pretty clear. They love Moses. They love
the law of Moses. And they're wanting Jesus to
do something for them. And they say, oh yeah,
well, we had manna in the wilderness. And while
they don't mention Moses specifically, Jesus
obviously knows what they're trying to say. Because
his response is, Moses didn't give you manna
in the wilderness. And so it appears as though
the argument that the religious people of Jesus'
day were making was, okay, Moses did this for
us. What are you going to do for us to show us
that you're the Son of God? And Jesus goes on
to say, look, Moses fed the people in the wilderness
manna. And guess what? They wandered in the wilderness
and died. So hold up. Maybe you need something
better than what Moses gave you. And Jesus goes
on to say, I am the bread of life. Now this threw
them for a complete and total loop. They didn't
really understand what Jesus was saying here.
But the point that Jesus was making is, is all
of these people wanted to follow Moses. Well,
Moses did this, and Moses did that, and Moses
did this. But Jesus is making the point that
there is one who is better than Moses who is
coming. And in all the ways that Moses led the
people and God used him, to lead the people and
provide for the people, ultimately Moses failed.
Ultimately, even Moses didn't make it to the
promised land. So the highest figure in the Jewish
religion, the one that they respected and looked
up to pretty close to the top of the list, maybe
Abraham would have been above. I don't know how
the hierarchy would have worked, but Moses would
have been up there at the top, if not the top.
And Jesus, I believe, is making the point. Look.
You're looking to Moses, and Moses was good.
God used him in a mighty way. But now you need
to look past Moses, and you need to look at the
one who's speaking to you. Because I'm the one
who's going to provide for you. Now, after he
says he's the bread of life, when you flip over
to John chapter 7, Jesus says in verse 37, On
the last and most important day of the festival,
Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone is thirsty,
he should come to me and drink. The one who believes
in me, as the Scripture has said, I will have
streams of living water flow from deep within
him. All right? If anybody is thirsty, come to
me. Now, the people in the Old Testament, they
were thirsty a lot, and they wanted good water,
and they never had a source of good water. They
only had a source of good water through the messenger
that the Lord had sent in Moses. And as good
as Moses was, even Moses failed to be the leader
that the people needed. And so everything in
the Old Testament is just pointing us on forward
onto Jesus. That as God provided manna and water
from the rock in the Old Testament, well, so
he provides the bread of life. and the water
of life through Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
And maybe that's why God didn't allow Moses to
go into the promised land because of his disobedience.
Maybe it was to make this point. I don't know.
But I know this. Moses failed. And he was the
highest one that they looked up to, and Moses
failed. But when Jesus came onto the scene, he
is the Son of God who will not fail. He is the
one who will forever, Provide a source of living
water. Through his sacrifice, through his crucifixion,
through his resurrection, he is our source of
water. Just like the Israelites, we are a people
who thirst. We are a people who in our deserts,
in our sin, in our struggles, when all that's
within us feels dry, we are a people who are
longing for something to quench our thirst. And
the only thing that's going to quench the thirst
of our soul is Jesus Christ. He leadeth me beside
the still waters. He restoreth my soul. That's
Jesus. And that's what God's people wanted all
the way in the Old Testament. And we see it finally
fulfilled in Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
So what's your source of water today? Well, I
can tell you. If it's not Jesus, you don't have
a source of water. Now, there's lots of water
we can drink. There's lots of things in this
world that say that's going to provide what we
need, but it ain't real thirst -quenching water.
It's not clean water. It's not pure water. It's
bitter water. And bitter water and nasty water
will not quench your thirst. It'll only make
you sicker. I remember when we went to Haiti
on the first time we went on a mission trip there.
I remember being told repeatedly, whatever you
do, do not drink the water. Do not drink the
water. Do not drink the water. Only drink bottled
water. Only drink bottled water. Why is that?
Well, we probably take it for granted. We can
all go home tonight, turn our faucet on, get
some water and drink it and not think twice about
it. But in Haiti, that's not the case. In Haiti,
their water wells are not very deep. It's a pretty
grungy place. There's a lot of bad stuff that
goes on there. So the water is affected, and
it is not good. Now, you pump that water out,
you can watch people pumping it out. And the
people that live there drink it, and they in
some ways have built up some, I guess, immunity
to it. But it's crystal clear. It looks as good
as any water you've ever seen. But it's not pure.
Now, maybe some of the things in our life that
we are drawn to, there are some things that...
The kind of promise of comfort or things that
seem good to us and things that seem like they're
going to quench some desire within us? Well,
they're not. Because the only thing that's going
to quench what we need in us, the thirst that
we have, it's a thirst for righteousness, whether
we recognize it or not. And Jesus Christ is the
only one who's going to quench that thirst. He
is our source of living water. So maybe we can
learn a little bit from the Israelites here.
One, we need to find out are we thirsty. Two,
we need to look at ourselves and ask, are we
complainers just like they were? Do we ever do
the same thing? Do we ever see God work and experience
His deliverance and say, all right, I praise
you, God, and how soon after that before we start
complaining again? And you may say, well, I don't
ever do that. Or you may say, yeah, well, God
was good to me yesterday and now. I'm finding
something new to complain about today. Well,
maybe that's something good for us to think about
from this story. Something that simple to say,
okay, God, help me not to complain so much tomorrow.
You know, maybe I'm going to be okay. Maybe things
are stressful and tough, and maybe things are
hard, and maybe my day's not doing good, but
God, I know you're good. I believe you're good.
I don't doubt you. I trust you. And I've seen
you work before, so God, help me not to get caught
up in the moment. That's so easy to do. They
always got caught up in the moment. Everything
was good as long as it was good. And the moment
it got bad, oh, this is awful. Everything's horrible.
And I think maybe sometimes we're guilty of that.
But we've got to remember that just as they had
one who led them in Moses, we've got one who
leads us that is so much better than Moses. Praise
the Lord for Moses. He was a good man who did
what God said. Even though he came up a little
short of the promised land at the end, he's still
a righteous man of God. He's still... In heaven
today with the Lord. But praise the Lord, we
have somebody who is better than Moses. A better
source of water. A better source of a thirst
quencher who will quench the thirst of our soul.
Let's pray. God, we come to you. We thank you
for these good words and these good stories.
I pray that we would think about them. And I
pray that your Holy Spirit would help us to see
how they... impact our life, the things that
we need to say and we need to learn, dear Lord.
Maybe we are complainers sometimes and we don't
trust you in the way we should. I pray that you
forgive us of that and help us maybe to just
seek you that you'd help us not to fall into
that trap. And I pray, dear Lord, that we would
be those who seek Jesus Christ. We thank you
for giving us all of these little stories in
the Old Testament that just point us forward
to Jesus and we thank you that we get to see
All of that unfold and all of that unveiled and
all of that fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God, I
pray that if there are some whose souls are thirsting
today, if they are in the desert of the struggles
of this life, I pray that they would come to
Jesus as their source of water, that they would
repent, that they would trust in Him and make
Him their Lord and Savior. And I ask these things
in Jesus' name. Amen.