On a technicality

March 9, 2009

Today's Reading: Numbers 19-20 and Acts 21

I don’t know what it is with God doing things that I would never do. Here’s the scene: God obviously wants the people to have water, and for some odd reason, he puts all the water in a rock at Meribah.

He could have made it rain, but instead he uses Moses to get it. It’s not like God hasn’t asked Moses to do that before. Unfortunately, Moses must have tossed the instruction booklet, because Moses didn’t really do what God said.

Now, I think it is odd that in spite of the fact that Moses didn’t follow this instructions, the punishment seemed a little extreme. If I were God, I would just simply not make the water come out.

Of course, here’s God’s response: “Hey, you know that Promised Land that I promised you, well you can forget it”. I’m sure Moses was saying things like: “Lord, come on, it was just one time with the striking of the rock. I did the whole Red Sea thing, and everything else. There is no reason why I shouldn’t go to the promised land”

Or maybe he didn’t complain about it at all. I guess I would have because I just don’t see the punishment fitting the crime on this one.

Is it possible that there is a spirit of things. It is not about whether you disobey the little or big things, but whether you obey, period. So it is not about speaking or striking a rock, but whatever God wants you to do.

So in other words, Moses didn’t get to enter the promise land due to some sort of technicality. Sucks, doesn’t it?

I wonder what else can keep you from the promised land. I’m sure it is just a little thing that is holding me back. It reminds me of this pallet jack that I used to haul around back when I worked at Wal-Mart. Yeah, I used to work at Wally World.

Anyway, if a tiny piece of gravel got caught on the wheel, and I couldn’t drag that stupid pallet jack to save my life. Once you got the piece of gravel, it was quite easy to move that big thing.

I’ve always noticed how God wants to remove that little speck, but it is the worst to get rid of. Sometimes that little speck, if not removed, will cause a complete downfall. Time to get the speck out, otherwise you can lose the kingdom on a technicality.