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Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?

Moses worked tirelessly to bring the children of Israel into the Promised Land that he was denied. One misstep and his life’s ambition failed. He would look at this beautiful land but never enter it. What did he do that was so bad his heart’s desire was denied?

Moses faithfully served God for forty years, leading and caring for the people of Israel. Yet one tragic sin cost him the reward he longed for. God didn’t abandon Moses after the fateful incident, but He never removed the consequences either.

Let us dive into a deeper look at what caused Moses to miss the Promised Land.

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?
The Seeds Of Disaster

It all began when the children of Israel travelled across the desert and stopped to camp at Rephidim. The people were tired, hungry, and, most of all, thirsty. About 3 million people stopped at Rephidim, and there was nothing to drink—not one drop of water. This was a serious problem. The men wanted to provide for their wives and children. They didn’t want to see them suffering in the heat, begging for some cool liquid to quench their thirst.

So they did what they always did. They whined and complained. They began to doubt the goodness and presence of God. They demanded Moses supply them with water as if he had a reservoir in his back pocket. Moses turned to God. It was so intense that he felt his life was being threatened because he couldn’t do the impossible.

So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What am I to do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” Ex. 17:4, NASB

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?
The Picture God Was Drawing

God was not worried. He instructed Moses to strike the rock, and water would flow. Moses obeyed, and just as God had promised, enough water came out to provide for all the people and their animals. What an amazing miracle!

In 1 Corinthians, Paul pulls back the curtain to let us see what is really happening in this story.

…and all [the children of Israel] drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased; for their dead bodies were spread out in the wilderness. 1 Cor. 10:4-5, NASB

With the children of Israel, God was drawing a picture of a spiritual reality. The rock represented Christ, and the water was the life-giving Holy Spirit. Jesus talked about this spiritual drink in John 7, verses 38 - 39:

The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7: 38-39, NASB

Not only was this living water to flow from Jesus, but it would also flow from true believers after the resurrection. Before the Holy Spirit could be released and the spiritual water flow, Jesus would have to die and be resurrected.

Moses pictured this by striking the rock. When Christ was struck at the cross, the price for our salvation was paid, and the Holy Spirit was released to quench the thirst of His people. When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” everything was paid for. We now have free access into the presence of God.

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?
The Second Disastrous Incident

So why was Moses denied the Promised Land? What did he do that was so wrong? He did absolutely nothing wrong. Moses could have stepped into the Promised Land if things had stopped here. But they did not.

Sometime later, the children of Israel found themselves in the same situation, this time at Kadesh. Great thirst. No water. Did the children of Israel remember how God had generously provided for them earlier when they had no water? No, they did not. They complained. They whined. They even blamed Moses for bringing them out of Egypt as if they had been dragged out against their will.

Once again, Moses went before God. Listen carefully to God’s instruction:

“Take the staff; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it shall yield its water. So you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and have the congregation and their livestock drink.”

Did you spot the difference? The first time, Moses was told to strike the rock, which represented Christ; the second time, He was told to speak to it. But what happened?

So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly in front of the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. Nu. 20:9-11, NASB

If you have ever been a parent of a whiney, persistent child, you know exactly how Moses felt. He had been pushed to his limit. He had looked after these people, cared for them, and spoken to God on their behalf, and what did he get in return? Whining. Complaining. Accusations. Stubborn rebellion. Death threats. It was enough to drive anyone crazy. Moses had had enough. They had pushed him too far. Moses, who was called one of the most humble men on earth, lost his temper.

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?
A Lost Temper

It is dangerous for leaders, whether parents, church leaders, business leaders, or government leaders, to lose their temper. When we lose our tempers, we can act irrationally and speak unguarded words. We can harm those under our authority, do or say things we bitterly regret later, and hurt or destroy our own reputations or even lives.

How did God view Moses’ actions?

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Since you did not trust in Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, for that reason you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Nu. 20:12, NASB

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?
Attacking God's Character

Two very important things happened when Moses lost his temper and, in anger, struck the rock.

First, he stepped into the position of God. His humility disappeared. He talked as if it was by his power that water would come from the rock. The people always accused him of not providing for them; now, he would provide for them. They wanted water; he would give it to them. Maybe that would stop their whining mouths.

In his normal state of mind, Moses would never have taken credit for the miracle for himself. He always relied on God and glorified God. Except this time. Because he lost his temper.

God considered this a lack of trust, the same lack of trust that the children of Israel repeatedly showed. Moses had reduced himself to the level of the people who so frustrated him. He hadn’t kept his eyes on God. He hadn’t trusted God to look after him and defend him. He had thought he needed to do it himself. How often do we fall into the same trap? We feel we need to defend and justify ourselves instead of turning to our divine Defender. God doesn’t excuse bad behaviour in anybody, but He expects His leaders to live closer to His holy standard.

Moses was God's representative. Through him, the Laws were given, and the nation was established. The people constantly saw him entering God's presence. They looked to him as an example of what God was like. Now, in a moment of anger, Moses had misrepresented God as a bitter, angry Being Who had to be provoked to meet His people's needs. He had attacked God’s holiness and righteousness.

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?
A False Image Of Christ

Second, Moses defaced the beautiful picture of Christ that God was illustrating by bringing water out of the rock. Christ was to be struck once at the cross to release the life-giving flow of the Holy Spirit, but He will never be struck again.

Paul tells us in Philippians 2, verses 9-11:

For this reason also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NASB

Jesus is no longer on the cross. He is King of kings and Lord of lord, before which every knee will bow. Now, because Jesus was struck once, we can speak to Him as a Friend as well as our Lord. By striking the rock in the second incident, Moses misrepresented the Truth about Christ. Moses’ actions falsely predicted a second humiliation of Jesus. The truth of the Gospel is that once was enough. When Jesus cried, “It is finished!” on the cross, it really was finished. Salvation in all its manifold aspects was accomplished. We can rest in the finished work of Christ.

God didn’t abandon Moses. He still worked the miracle, allowing the water to flow from the rock. He still provided for and led Moses all the way to the end. Moses’ rash act and words did not change God’s love for him or their intimate relationship. But neither did it change the consequence. For one horrible mistake, Moses lost the right to enter the Promised Land.

This should be both a warning and an encouragement. We must be careful to control our words and actions. A moment of uncontrolled anger or frustration can have consequences that will follow us for the rest of our lives. Yet, as we come to Jesus in humble repentance, He will not abandon us. He will still love us. And He will take us in His arms and help us work through whatever mess we have created.

Please note: We no longer have the commenting feature [maybe again in the future]. Joshua Institute students who have questions or comments on their courses can use the contact button and mention the course name and lesson number in the email. Thank you. Glenn

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Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?The Seeds Of Disaster

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?The Picture God Was Drawing

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?The Second Disastrous Incident

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?A Lost Temper

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?Attacking God's Character

Why Was Moses Denied The Promised Land?A False Image Of Christ