It's about the Heart not the Act

Numbers 20:8-12, "...speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water... and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, 'Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?' Then Moses lifted up his had and struck the rock twice... The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring the assembly into the land which I have given them.'"
 
I was reminded of this story yesterday in Iwo Jima. Somehow for me remembering in the consequences to Moses for having not obeyed has been an underlying concern when it come to obedience to God. Is God sitting there waiting for us to make one little slip up so He can deny a blessing? Is obedience exact? After all the first time God brought water from a rock He told Moses to strike it. Maybe in the frustration of a rebellious crowd Moses forgot he was supposed to "speak" to it and fell back on memory of striking it?

Reality is that this line of thinking is merely a distraction from the truth. What caused Moses and Aaron to be excluded from the Promise Land was not that Moses struck the rock. It was that they took credit for the water. "Shall we bring forth water..." That was the sin. They took credit for what God had done, not only in thier hearts, but most importantly in the assembly of God's people.

Being in relationship with God is neither difficult nor easy. It is better described as otherly. As being something other than anything we grow up with our are taught by society, experience, and our senses it is sometimes confusing to discern God's still small voice. We, as the Bible says, "see in part." As a result obedience to His commands is not likely to be exact. But our heart, that is a whole other issue. So long as we are following a heart after God, worrying about exactly obeying  need not be a paralyzing concern. Follow the compulsions for good without worry. God is not hanging over us ready to drop an axe for some minor, unintentional deviation from His perfect command.

Equally important in this "otherly" relationship is that it is individually prescribed for the moment. We can't copy someone's spiritual or worldly success. We can't necessarily create a formula from our past success. Today we may face the same need of yesterday. The obstacle maybe the same rock from the time before. But doing the same thing that created success in the past may not be God's perfect plan. Today God may say strike the rock, tomorrow He may say speak to the rock, and next week He may say sit on the rock. This is the relationship. The dynamics is what makes it beautifully real.

In the end we turn our hearts toward God. We look to His face giving Him the glory, honor, and credit. And we obey to the best of our ability without fear of repercussions. We obey in love, and everything else works itself out.