Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

Moses Distrusted God
Moses showed distrust of God. "Shall we bring water?" he
questioned, as if the Lord would not do what He promised. "You did
not believe Me," the Lord declared to the two brothers, "to hallow
Me in the eyes of the children of Israel." When the water failed,
their own faith in God's promise had been shaken by the rebellion of
the people. The first generation had been condemned to die in the
wilderness because of their unbelief. Would the next generation also
fail?
Exhausted and discouraged, Moses and Aaron did not try to
resist the flow of popular feeling. They might have explained the
situation to the people in such a way that would help them to bear
this test. They might have stopped the complaining before asking
God to do the work for them. What a series of evil events might
have been prevented!
The rock, a symbol of Christ, had been struck once, as Christ
was to be offered once. Now, Moses needed only to speak to the
rock, as we have only to ask for blessings in the name of Jesus. By
hitting the rock a second time, Moses destroyed the meaning of this
beautiful symbol of Christ. More than this, Moses and Aaron
assumed power that belongs only to God. The leaders of Israel
should have used this experience to impress the people with
reverence for God and to strengthen their faith in His power and
goodness. When they angrily cried, "Must we bring water for you
out of this rock?" they put themselves in God's place, as though the
359