“Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”
~ Deuteronomy 31:6
Hi James and Ellen,
When your dad and ma punish you, how do they punish you? Do they spank you? Do they make you sit in a corner? Do they send you to your room? Do you think that your dad and ma are mean to you when they punish you? Do your dad and ma have a designated punishment for what it is that you have done or not done that deserves a punishment or do your dad and ma punish you reactively with a deserved punishment that they hope will cause you to remember why they believed that they needed to punish you so that you will not do or do again what it was that you were not to do or do? What are some of the reasons why you have been punished by your dad and ma? Have you disobeyed your dad and ma? Have you lied to your dad and ma? Have you gotten angry with your dad and ma? What do you consider to be a really stiff punishment? What would be a punishment that would really make you wish that you had done what you had been asked to do or not done what you knew that you were not do? What would you do if a punishment kept you from doing what you have been looking forward to doing for a long time? Punishments are the intended consequences for having compromised or for having violated moral, ethical and/or principled ideals and/or for having infringed on or broken established local, state and/or universal laws. Every guy, gal and kid – with the exception of Jesus Christ, who has, who is and who will live on planet Earth has done, is doing and will do things that will breach what is the right thing to do and do what is wrong to do. Every guy, gal and kid – with the exception of Jesus Christ, who has, who is and who will live on planet Earth has been born and will be born with a sin DNA. The sin DNA that all guys, gals and kids have was first embedded into Adam’s heart when Adam fatally disobeyed what God – as God the Father, explicitly told him that he was not to do – which was that he was not to eat fruit from a specified tree that was in the Garden of Eden. The sin DNA that all guys, gals and kids had who were born and have died, have who are living today and will have who will one day be born on planet Earth has and will purposely mislead all guys, gals and kids to not to wholeheartedly trust in the help of God – as God the Father, to get them past a tempting enticement, through a taxing injustice and/or over a trying obstacle.
The Meribah Rock incident is an example of how God – as God the Father, will show His displeasure from a knee-jerk noncompliance reaction from a guy or gal to a direct order that He mandated him or her to do. Moses is the key player in this occurrence. Even though Moses’ act of defiance was an irate smack with his staff against the Meribah Rock versus doing what God – as God the Father, had directed him to do – which was to simply speak to the Meribah Rock for water to come out of the rock, God – as God the Father, punished Moses by not permitting Moses to go into the land area – the land area of Canaan, that God – as God the Father, was giving to His specially chosen guys and gals to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . do you think that the punishment was appropriate that God – as God the Father, punished Moses with since Moses’ ‘foible’ was a simple imprudent, rash reaction caused from having to listen constantly to a murmuring mob of two million plus Israelite people group guys and gals who were always quarreling and bickering. Moses had been chosen by God – as God the Father, to lead this grumbling throng of guys and gals to the land area of Canaan that He was giving them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . after being struck by Moses’ staff, the Meribah Rock became a divinely enabled water producer for God’s contentious specially chosen guys and gals who were all over Moses for having led them to a place where no water could be found. Moses had spent the first forty years of his life living in prosperity. Moses then spent the next forty years of his life living in austerity. Moses would spend the last forty years of his life living in adversity. The ‘reward’ that God – as God the Father, gave to Moses for his disobedient ‘slip up’ – that your grandpaa thinks was driven by a fuming reaction to an impatient, edgy horde of ingrates after he had spent nearly forty years leading this throng from a tyrannical living environ in the country of Egypt and then through a desolate desert – because this untrusting people group refused to take the first option of marching into the land area that God was giving His specially chosen guys and gals to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . , was to let Moses see the land and then have him die even though Moses was probably healthy enough to go into the land.
Do you think that Moses deserved the Meribah Rock punishment? Deuteronomy 31 is Moses passing on his leadership mantel to Joshua. Instead of bemoaning his fate or blaming unruly guys and gals for his action or begging for forgiveness from God – as God the Father, so that . . . Moses took the highroad. Moses affirms Joshua in verse 6 by saying, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”” Even though your grandpaa knows that God has shown His mercy on him and your grandmaa and that He has blessed him and your grandmaa with opportunities to serve Him, your grandpaa knows that his ‘Meribah Rocks’ have inhibited him from doing even more here on planet Earth for God’s sake. Moses also made it clear to Joshua that he was to expect that their people group – the Israelite people groups guys and gals, would let evil drive them again once they are settled in the land that God . . . whenever you are faced with a Meribah Rock, listen for the voice of God – as God the Father, because if you do not listen for . . .
Deuteronomy 31 (900)