We lose both Miriam and Aaron in chapter 20. Aaron’s death is so well thought out and planned by God. Don’t you just wonder what went down on that mountaintop??? Like, did Aaron just lie down and die? Did he ascend into Heaven? Was he sick when they took him up there? So many questions for Jesus. And there’s this rock story. Most people on earth know a little something about this story, and most people do not understand God’s harsh punishment for Moses’ striking the rock twice. Well, look back at Exodus 17. In that chapter, God told Moses to strike the rock once, and water would gush out. Moses followed those directions, and all was good. This time, God calls both Moses and Aaron to provide water for the people – together – by SPEAKING to the rock, not striking it like before. So, what does Moses do? He grabs the staff, jumps up in front of the people, makes a huge production and shames the people, and then whacks the rock two times. And it looks like Aaron just stood by and watched. Maybe he applauded. Maybe he was like the Vanna White of the whole exhibition, presenting Moses to the crowd like he was a game show host with a grand prize for the audience. No matter how you imagine it, we can see from Exodus 17 that what Moses and Aaron did to the rock in Kadesh was different than what they did with the rock at Mt. Sinai. I guess you could say our boy Moses got a little cocky. It happens. And the consequences usually suck. We can definitely say they sucked for Moses and Aaron, too.
Writing prompt: cock of the walk
Ever get a little over confident and end up making a fool of yourself. It hurts, don’t it??? My grandma would say about over-confident people, “He just thinks he’s the cock of the walk, don’t he?” That’s like comparing someone to the rooster in the chicken coop. He struts around knowing that he’s the only one who can get the job done … until Farmer Brown brings home a second rooster one day! Write about a time when you got a little over confident and had to be “knocked down a thou,” as my mom would say. (All kinds of colloquialisms this morning!)
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