During a long speech that Moses gave to the people of Israel, after their 40-year trek in the wilderness and just prior to entering the Promised Land, he said this:

“Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.” You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. And the LORD directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess” (Deut 4: 9 – 14).

Be careful. Watch yourselves closely. Don’t forget what you have seen and known. Keep them in your heart. Teach them to your kids and grandkids.

“Watch yourself” is an odd instruction and is probably more commonly used today as a warning against having an accident. “Watch yourself on that muddy slope”. “Watch yourself with that hot pan”. Today we hear it as a call to be careful.

Although Moses is speaking to the whole nation, he personalises it for every individual. He is calling every person to be careful. The fate of the nation depends on the choices of each person in it. So, watch yourself, he says, each and every one of you. Decide now what is important. Make intentional decisions today about what you will choose. Let those choices and behaviours directly relate to what you have seen the Lord do and what you have heard him say. Don’t forget any of his words and deeds.

In fact, people, you will likely have children one day, so make habits now to daily remember the Lord and fix them in your life. This will help you to pass them on effectively to the next generation. Your personal response to serve the Lord is vital. Remember: this is all bigger than any of us.

For his sake and his purposes, and for your influence upon those around you, watch yourselves closely.

Perhaps this is still a call to the church today. Watch yourself, each and every one of you. Decide now what is important. Make intentional decisions today about what you will choose. Let those choices and behaviours directly relate to what you have seen the Lord do and what you have heard him say. And don’t forget any of his words and deeds. For his sake and his purposes, and for your influence upon those around you, watch yourselves closely.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim 4: 15 – 16).

“Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

So Moses took the staff from the LORD’s presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank” (Num 20: 6 – 11).

The Lord was not happy with the way this played out. His instructions to Moses were to take the staff, which he did, gather the assembly together, with Aaron’s help (tick!) and then speak to the rock, with everybody watching on.

No tick for the last instruction.

Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses spoke to the people. Actually, he vented his anger at the people and said, “must we bring water out of this rock?” Moses then struck the rock twice with his staff, which the Lord had not told him to do.

You may know the end of the story. In verse 12, we read, “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” In one stupid moment, Moses lost his ticket into the Promised Land.

What did he do wrong?

Perhaps the first thing is that Moses didn’t follow the Lord’s specific instructions. He improvised out of frustration. It is amazing to me that the Lord still went along with it, providing the much-needed water. I guess his compassion for the people outweighed any thought He may have had to hold back the miracle.

Second, the emphasis on “we” in Moses’ question, “must we bring you water out of this rock?” does suggest that he thought of himself a little too highly in that moment. If Moses had followed his orders to the letter, the Lord would likely have honoured him before the people, as he often did. Instead, Moses stole the glory that belongs only to the Lord and paid the price.

Doing the will and work of God is not to be taken lightly. When the Lord entrusts us to serve him in any kind of leadership role, we stand on holy ground. The question is, will we honour him as holy by obeying his instructions and will we honour him as holy by giving the glory to Him?

The most humble man on earth failed to be humble by the waters of Meribah and it cost him dearly. Let’s not make the same mistake today.

“You may say to yourselves, “These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?” But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear. Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until even the survivors who hide from you have perished. Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God. The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed” (Deut 7: 17 – 23).

Poised with anticipation, the second-generation children of Israel are preparing to take the land – the land the Lord promised to them. The book of Deuteronomy is full of speeches given by Moses reminding them of the law, recalling their disastrous short history so far, and then calling them to renew their covenant with God.

In this speech in chapter 7, the Lord, through Moses, is carefully informing the Israelites that they will not conquer the current inhabitants in one single military campaign. They will take possession of the land “little by little”. “You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once”, says Moses.

This is an interesting detail, because some battle-ready tribes may be keen to get on with the job. The sooner we get in there, the quicker we can make it our home, plant crops, build permanent shelters etc.

But the Lord is calling them to be patient. It is not going to be a done deal in one day, or a week, or a year. This new season of conquest needs to take place gradually, and the reason is given: “or the wild animals will multiply around you”.

If the nations were eliminated all at once, the overall balance of the ecosystem would be affected. With a sudden depopulation everywhere, and time passing until all families could be transported to their new homes, there would be fewer people present to control the environment, particularly predators dangerous to human beings. A slower campaign of possession would provide a better chance of creating new communities that are livable and safe.

This is a great example of God’s timing revealing his superior knowledge and wisdom.

There are times when I want the Lord to answer a prayer straight away, or in a particular way. Why do I have to wait, when God can do a miracle in a moment? The thing is, although we know he sees the bigger picture, we don’t always trust that what he sees is as important as the issues at front and centre of our minds.

When I want God to act quickly, I have no view of the rest of the ecosystem. The other people affected, his will in multiple scenarios around me. It is not just my needs he has promised to take care of, but countless others. The pieces of the jigsaw need to come together in just the right way. His timing is perfect.