Numbers 20:1-29 (NLT)
1 In the first month of the year, the whole community of Israel arrived in the wilderness of Zin and camped at Kadesh. While they were there, Miriam died and was buried.
2 There was no water for the people to drink at that place, so they rebelled against Moses and Aaron.
3 The people blamed Moses and said, “If only we had died in the LORD’s presence with our brothers!
4 Why have you brought the congregation of the LORD’s people into this wilderness to die, along with all our livestock?
5 Why did you make us leave Egypt and bring us here to this terrible place? This land has no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!”
6 Moses and Aaron turned away from the people and went to the entrance of the Tabernacle, where they fell face down on the ground. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to them,
7 and the LORD said to Moses,
8 “You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water. You will provide enough water from the rock to satisfy the whole community and their livestock.”
9 So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the LORD.
10 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”
11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.
12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!”
13 This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the LORD, and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.
14 While Moses was at Kadesh, he sent ambassadors to the king of Edom with this message: “This is what your relatives, the people of Israel, say: You know all the hardships we have been through.
15 Our ancestors went down to Egypt, and we lived there a long time, and we and our ancestors were brutally mistreated by the Egyptians.
16 But when we cried out to the LORD, he heard us and sent an angel who brought us out of Egypt. Now we are camped at Kadesh, a town on the border of your land.
17 Please let us travel through your land. We will be careful not to go through your fields and vineyards. We won’t even drink water from your wells. We will stay on the king’s road and never leave it until we have passed through your territory.”
18 But the king of Edom said, “Stay out of my land, or I will meet you with an army!”
19 The Israelites answered, “We will stay on the main road. If our livestock drink your water, we will pay for it. Just let us pass through your country. That’s all we ask.”
20 But the king of Edom replied, “Stay out! You may not pass through our land.” With that he mobilized his army and marched out against them with an imposing force.
21 Because Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through their country, Israel was forced to turn around.
22 The whole community of Israel left Kadesh and arrived at Mount Hor.
23 There, on the border of the land of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
24 “The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death. He will not enter the land I am giving the people of Israel, because the two of you rebelled against my instructions concerning the water at Meribah.
25 Now take Aaron and his son Eleazar up Mount Hor.
26 There you will remove Aaron’s priestly garments and put them on Eleazar, his son. Aaron will die there and join his ancestors.”
27 So Moses did as the LORD commanded. The three of them went up Mount Hor together as the whole community watched.
28 At the summit, Moses removed the priestly garments from Aaron and put them on Eleazar, Aaron’s son. Then Aaron died there on top of the mountain, and Moses and Eleazar went back down.
29 When the people realized that Aaron had died, all Israel mourned for him thirty days.
In the height of turmoil, when it seems that almost any action might be justified in resolving the situation, it is not the time to take matters into our own hands. When accusations are flying and blame becomes personal, allowing a spirit of strife to determine our response is especially dangerous. Actions taken from that place can have serious and lasting consequences.
This is not the time to move in the name of God in a way He has not directed. Instead, it is the time to turn away from the conflict and seek solitude in the presence of the Lord. In that place, humility before the Almighty prepares us to receive a course of action that will first honor Him and then address the conflict with a godly temperament. Our response should come from His presence, not from the pressure of the moment.
Choosing a course of action in response to name-calling, accusations, or behavior that is contrary to God’s ways can draw us away from His purposes. Uncompromising reliance on His direction is critical if we are to walk in and occupy His promises. For this reason, dependence upon God cannot begin only when conflict arises. It must already be established as a way of life.
Without a daily pattern of turning away from the noise of the world and entering the solitude of the Secret Place, the clamor of complaining, accusation, and senseless bickering can easily provoke an emotional response. Such reactions can be devastating to what God desires to accomplish in and through us. The ability to hear His direction clearly is cultivated through consistent fellowship with Him and careful attention to the details of His guidance.
His direction cannot be mixed with what worked before, what seems reasonable now, or what we assume should work simply because we are acting in the name of God. To act in His name carries both great responsibility and great accountability. If we claim that our actions represent Him, we must be certain that the movement truly originated with Him.
There is incredible power and equipping available to us when we walk in the Spirit and allow every step to be ordered by God. We do not have to be controlled by the storms surrounding us. As we remain submitted to His direction, even overwhelming circumstances can be addressed without surrendering the peace He has provided.
The urgency of conflict must never become a substitute for the direction of God. The greater the storm, the more essential the Secret Place becomes. From His presence, we can emerge prepared to respond—not according to strife, emotion, or human reasoning, but with His wisdom, His temperament, His authority, and His peace.