Moses

[Guest Bro David™]

We all know Moses was forbidden to enter into the promised land.

Why did not God forgive him for his error and let him enter ?

It was not a crime against the God of Israel.

It was not a great sin so much so that the Deity of God was called in to Question.

Why then was such a great servant of God not allowed to enter the promised Land.

What was God trying to show by this ?

Your views:-

[Guest Fluffy the Cactus]

Perhaps God was trying to show him that He had another plan for Moses, even though Moses wanted so badly to go to the Promised Land? *shrug*

???

[Guest Bro David™]

Moses lead the people into the promised land.

He was also dying.

Why was he not allowed into the land of milk and honey.

After such tremendous hardship why did God punish him by refusing to let Him enter ?

Was the mistake that grave or was it a message we are all missing ?

[Guest Fluffy the Cactus]

He let anger cloud his thoughts and judgments and destroyed a work of God... and just because we ask for forgiveness doesn't mean we escape punishment.

???

[Gerioke]

Lesson

Trust in the Lord, always

[Guest Bro David™]

He let anger cloud his thoughts and judgments and destroyed a work of God... and just because we ask for forgiveness doesn't mean we escape punishment.

???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ahhh just where I wanted this topic to head.

[EricH]

Moses actually represented the character of God to the people in a way God did not wish for it to be represented. God wanted to demonstrate Grace and Moses demonstrated wrath. It is not that God did not forgive Moses, there were just consequences for a leader mis-representing God to the people. We know in fact that God did forgive Moses as he appeared at the Mount of transfiguration with Christ

[Guest Bro David™]

Moses actually represented the character of God to the people in a way God did not wish for it to be represented. God wanted to demonstrate Grace and Moses demonstrated wrath. It is not that God did not forgive Moses, there were just consequences for a leader mis-representing God to the people. We know in fact that God did forgive Moses as he appeared at the Mount of transfiguration with Christ

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But the punishment was still meted out was it not ?

[IslandRose]

Exodus 17:5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Numbers 20:7 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying,

8 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.

9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.

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 spoke 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.

Many of the things that we see in the Old Testament were designed to point to the Mesiah. There are many examples of this...the ark, the brazen serpent, the passover, ...

The water from the Rock was one of these pictures. The first time God used this means of providing life sustaining water to the Children of Israel, He told Moses to Strike the rock and the water came forth. The next time He told him to simply speak to the rock. But moses in his anger and pride lashed out at the people and then stuck the rock twice, and basically made it look like HE was the one who caused the water to come forth. Had he done as God said, the picture whould have been of the ROCK, CHRIST, who was stricken ONCE FOR ALL, and from that point one would only have to ask to recieve the living water. (1Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. )

Moses was forgiven for the sin and God continued to use him to lead the Children of Israel, but the consequence of his sin was that he was not allowed to set foot in the promised land.

One thing that I have always tried to remember when making choices in my life is this:

YOU CAN CHOOSE YOUR SIN, BUT YOU CANNOT CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES.

[EricH]

Thats right, forgiveness and consequence are two different things. God may forgive a theif, but he still may have to serve time. Thus the saying:

Sin in haste, repent in leisure

Edited April 30, 2005 by pastoreric