Moses by the Numbers
July 2001
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Biblical interpreters, scholars and religious leaders have offered a variety of alternate explanations. In his book, The Sin of Moses and the Staff of God: A Narrative Approach, Johnson Lim Teng Kok summarizes some of these explanations. Some authors suggest that Moses's sin was abdication of leadership -- that is, Moses appealed to God for help when the Israelites rebelled against him for bringing them into the desert and suffering. But this aspect of the incidents in Exodus and Numbers seem similar -- the people complain and Moses turns to God for help.
Another explanation focuses on Moses's verbal outburst of anger. When he gathers the community to the rock he declares, "Listen, you rebels." Others suggest the sin was the rudeness of that remark.
Some see Moses's sin in Numbers 20 as one of disobedience. God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and instead he struck it. Some have suggested it was a cumulative sin. First he disobeyed God by striking the rock, then he assumed the glory of the miracle (Moses said, "Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?" This statement has also been seen as suggesting doubt about God's power of His promise to deliver them to the Promised Land. These sins were compounded further by the fact that it was done in the heat of the moment (Moses even struck the rock twice) and in public view of the entire community.
Rabbinic interpretations include some of those just cited. For example, Rashi (1135-1204) said the sin was in striking the rock. Maimonides (1135-1204) believed it was his display of temper. God's explanation for his punishment describes Moses's sin as disbelief (or lack of trust) in God in 20:12, but as rebellion in 27:14.
Some have suggested that Moses's sin was so great that the Biblical text was left vague on purpose or was altered, so as to not state it. Some believe the serious sins were committed earlier and only announced at the time of this latest incident (for Aaron the sin may have been the Golden Calf incident and for Moses it may have been slaying a taskmaster in Egypt). Still other interpretations abound.
But Johnson Lim Teng Kok focuses on Moses's disobedient act of striking the rock. God has commanded Moses to speak to (or command) the rock to provide water, but instead Moses struck the rock. The rebellion suggests a lack of trust or disbelief or unfaithfulness. It may have been compounded by his raising his hand to do the deed, which can be seen in the Uganda stamp. This is viewed as an act of defiance (or intentional sin) and elsewhere in Numbers (15:30) it says anyone who defiantly (literally: "with upraised hand") reviles God shall be cut off from his people.
Kok also focuses attention on the staff. The staff was seen as a symbol of divine authority. In effect, it says Moses was acting as God's representative. But since God did not tell him to strike the rock, it was an unauthorized act that crossed the dividing line between human and divine.
Tribal Census
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