Speak to the Rock

Twice In the extended story of the Exodus, God miraculously provided desperately-needed water from a rock - with Moses using his staff as a cudgel.

In the second of these stories, near the end of the 40-year migration, we read,

The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

Normally a meek-mannered individual, on this occasion, Moses exploded in front of the people.
"'Listen, you rebels', he railed, 'must we bring you water out of this rock?' Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank."

It was a miracle, but God was not pleased. Moses had disgraced God in front of his people. He failed in his leadership to uphold God’s honor. The narrator does not explain exactly what Moses did wrong – was it speaking to the people instead of the rock, was it calling the people rebels, was it taking credit personally for supplying the water, or losing his temper. Was it smacking the rock in anger instead of speaking to it as God has said? It’s not at all clear but whatever it was, Moses’ punishment was non-negotiable. He forfeited the privilege of bringing his people into their long-promised inheritance, the Promised Land.

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has an explanation for God’s dismay and disapproval. Riskin is the Chief Rabbi in the Israeli West Bank settlement of Efrat. After he emigrated from New York City to Israel in 1983, he worked hard to erase Palestinian refugee camps, to develop a joint medical clinic for Israeli and Palestinians and to supply the Palestinian villages with water from Efrat.

He has gone on to help pioneer the rights of women in the Jewish world, and is an advocate of respectful dialogue with the leaders of other religions to create better understanding and religious tolerance.

Rabbi Riskin says that Moses’ tragic error was striking the rock when God told him to speak to it. He believes this story is a lesson in the power of speech.

"All relationships begin and end with proper communication. God said to the Jewish people when they were up against a rock, ‘You’ve got to speak to the rock. And if you speak to it and you learn to speak properly, then water can even come out of a rock.”

Applying that lesson to the hostile politics in Israel, he says,
You have to be willing to speak to those people who sometimes seem as hard-hearted to us as rocks. We’ve got to be willing to speak to anybody. Even to the rock. Even to the Hezballah.” (Wallach, Still Small Voices, 208)

I like Riskin’s insight on this issue. Using the stick to smash the rock instead of using the power of words advances the cause of hate rather than respect, of violence rather than harmony, suspicion instead of dialogue and peaceful cooperation. As the New Testament says, the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others.

God of the Spoken and Living Word,
Teach us to speak, to listen and to live in a way that upholds your honor and advances your shalom in the world as Jesus did – and to trust You to cause the water to flow. Amen

Click here for a 6 minute perspective by Riskin on some common ground between Jews and Christians.

Credits:
4th Century Catacombs Painting of Moses Striking the Rock.
Photo of Rabbi Riskin - Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation