Moses made at least two costly mistakes as a leader. First and foremost, he mistakenly assumed that the key to serving God was getting the job done. He was a leader who was results-oriented. He should have learned this as a young man when he murdered an Egyptian in his futile attempt to set an Israelite free. But forty years of shepherding in the wilderness did not teach him that invaluable lesson. In God’s eyes, how something is done is as important as what is accomplished. God told Moses to speak to the rock, not to strike it. Moses ignored the specifics but he got the result he was looking for. The problem? Moses dishonored God’s name in the process. It is possible to do the right thing, the wrong way. In so doing, Moses treated God disrespectfully. He behaved as if God’s command was only a suggestion that could be tampered with and adjusted as it suited him. For that, Moses would pay a stiff penalty.
Moses made a second mistake. He went with his success, instead of God’s word. Earlier God had instructed Moses to strike a rock, and water had bubbled forth (Exodus 17:6). Now, even though God told Moses only to speak to the rock, Moses immediately translated the divine command to resemble what he already knew and experienced. What is more miraculous, to bring water from a rock by striking a stone, or to produce water by speaking to a rock? God was ready to do a greater work through Moses, but Moses was a victim of his previous success. Because striking the rock worked before, now striking rocks was Moses’ specialty!
Has God asked you to do something you have never done before? Don’t modify His command to suit your experience or skill set. Trust the Lord and do exactly as He tells you. Then you will experience God doing an amazing new work in your life and you will glorify Him in ways you never have before.