2

It seems the commandments were directed at Moses even though Aaron was present

Numbers 20:7 (KJV)

7 And the LORD spake 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.

Moses strikes the rock instead

Numbers 20:11 (KJV)

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.

The judgement on Aaron

,Numbers 20:24 (KJV)

24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah.

Was Aaron as guilty as Moses?

Improve this question
1
  • 1
    Why do u assume that the sin involved was striking the rock instead of talking to it? This is probably the most ambiguous chapter in the entire Pentateuch, as numerous theories were set forth as to what exactly the sin was! The question to be asked here is "what was the sin?" only then can we try to figure out if Aaron was guilty or not.
    – bach
    Commented Jun 8, 2017 at 18:29

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
1

Yes both Moses and Aaron were guilty of rebelling against God.

Why, God instructed Moses and Aaron to say in verse 8 (below) as follows: "thou and Aaron thy brother and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes"

Moses, however did not speak to the rock, he spoke harshly to the assembly and much worse he called them "rebels : must we fetch you water out of this rock?, " by doing this Moses disobeyed, this means he rebelled against God.

Further by saying "we fetch you water" (verse 10 below), this means, that Moses and Aaron were fetching the water and not God. They did not sanctify God ( verse 12 below).

The psalmist wrote:

Psalm 106:32-33 (KJV)

"They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: 33 Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips."

Numbers 20:7-12 ( KJV )

7 And the Lord spake 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 spake 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.

Improve this answer
0

God did not get angry with the people for complaining he knew Moses was becoming angry and would do just what he did.Usually when the people sinned Moses were their advocate before the Lord for them but not this time.He disobeyed God because of the flesh the human side of Moses had just got tired of these thousands and thousands of ungrateful people complaining.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Jun 17, 2023 at 12:21

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.