HEBREW WORD STUDY – TAKE THE ROD – QACH ETH HAMATTEH    את המטה  קח

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Numbers 20:8,10-12: “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. (10) And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? (11) And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod, he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also]. (12) And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

I grew up hearing this story of Moses getting angry and God getting angry at Moses for getting angry and thus barred him from entering the Promised Land.  I mean this anger business, isn’t that a little like the pot calling the kettle black?

Note, however, that God told Moses to take his rod but to speak to the rock not strike it with the rod.  Yet why take the rod?  Was God setting Moses up?  Then when he used his rod after calling the children of Israel rebels he strikes the rock rather than speaks to it. As a result of this disobedience, God would not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land.  After 120 years of faithfulness, serving God, seeing the miracles of God, sitting with God speaking to him face to face and just because of a simple act of disobedience he is forbidden to fulfill his goal and enter the Promised Land.

Today I would like to focus on the rod, tomorrow I will discuss the reason God forbid Moses to enter the Promised Land. The word rod in Hebrew is matteh which is a staff, rod but also means a scepter, an object used to show authority.  After following Moses for forty years the people would have had to take notice of this rod and consider it more than just a walking stick.  It became a symbol to them of the authority of Moses and probably for many a source of Mose’s power. After all, he cast the rod down in front of Pharaoh and it turned into a snake.  He held the rod over the Red Sea and it parted.  He held the rod above his head during the battle against the Amalekites in Rephidim and as long as he held the rod in the air the Israelites were victorious, lowered it they started to lose.  He used his rod to strike a rock and bring water. Today a rod is simply a crutch like a cane or walking stick.  To the people of Israel, it became a spiritual crutch.

This is likely why Moses disobeyed God and struck the rock with his rod rather than speak to it. I am not saying I am right in this, I only offer this for your consideration. Moses was really upset that after 40 years of trusting God for food, water, and protection the people started to panic thinking they were going to die of thirst. This really got Moses’s goat. Surely by this time they should know God would supply their need. God said that Moses did not sanctify Him before the people.  The word sanctify is Kadesh which means to set apart, to consecrate, to show honor and respect to God.  How did Moses not show respect to God? By getting angry?  I don’t think so, I think his lack of respect was in using that rod.  The rod became a symbol of Moses authority.  People associated the rod with the miraculous.  Basically, Moses showed a lack of respect for God by unintentionally making the people think it was him and his rod that brought about the miracle and God said to speak to the rock so people know it is not the rod or you.  The word for speak here is davar which would indicate Moses was to invoke God’s name but instead he used the rod.  God said he did not believe Him.  The word believe is ‘aman which means to support, confirm,  uphold and/or be faithful.  God was going to use this as an opportunity to show people that the power was not in Moses or the rod but in Him.  It was time for the children of Israel to move to another level of faith but Moses was keeping them in the cradle so to speak, still trusting in him and his rod. Telling Moses to take his rod to me suggest God was setting Moses up. He wanted to show Moses that his leadership role had come to an end.  People needed a new leader to move to a new level.  I will explain that in tomorrow’s study.

This is, however, a real lesson for us. How many of us are still trusting in that old rod?  That rod may be tithing, church attendance, daily Bible study, even prayer.  Absolutely nothing wrong with these unless they are your rod. When you begin to think God will bless you financially if you give tithes and offering, God will give you a good week if you attend church, that your day will go without problems if you begin in Bible study and prayer, these good and wonderful things become a rod. You must mature to the point that tithing, church attendance, Bible Study and prayer are meant to express your love for God and not as a bribe to God to get things.  Any pastor who tries to tell you that you will not be blest by God if you don’t do these things and gets angry with you if you don’t tithe or go to church is no different than Moses refusing to Kadesh the name of the Lord.

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