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The Holy Spirit and the Anointing

What Does Moses’ Staff Teach About God’s Power and Obedience?

Moses’ staff was an ordinary object God used as a sign of His power. At Rephidim God told Moses to strike the rock. In a later wilderness crisis God told him to speak to the rock. Together the accounts show why a leader must pay attention to what God is saying now.

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Moses points his staff toward the rock as water flows down to the Israelites.

Published by Vince Baker Ministries ·

“Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

Exodus 17:6 · KJV

Why compare the two occasions when water came from a rock?

In Exodus 17, God directs Moses to strike the rock in the sight of Israel’s elders. Water comes for a thirsty people. In Numbers 20, God directs Moses to take the rod and speak to the rock. Moses strikes it twice after addressing the people in anger. Water comes again, and the Lord still holds Moses and Aaron accountable for failing to honor Him.

Can visible results prove that a leader obeyed?

Numbers 20 lets the reader see two things at once. God provides for Israel and confronts its leaders. Paul later calls the spiritual Rock Christ in 1 Corinthians 10, then warns the church to learn from Israel’s failures. A sign of provision gives us reason to thank God and reason to ask how we are using the trust He has placed in us.

Read the instructions out loud

Compare Exodus 17:5–6 and Numbers 20:7–12 side by side. Ask God to show you one place where past success is making it hard to listen carefully today.

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Questions & answers

Frequently asked questions

Was the staff itself the source of the miracle?

God gave the instructions and supplied the water. The staff was an instrument within the account.

How does the Holy Spirit fit this story?

Exodus credits the Lord with the miracle. Nehemiah 9:19–20 also describes God giving His good Spirit to instruct Israel during the wilderness years.