Moses has to pass the reigns on...

At the end of Numbers, Moses has to pass the reigns on to Joshua, son of Nun, because he did not obey God and struck the rock instead of speaking to it. This made me think that God is serious when he gives us instructions and even though he might make it work out for the moment, he holds us responsible for our disobedience. Moses was a leader of Israel and that means that he was held more accountable by God because the men of Israel weren't able to hold him accountable. Also, the more God speaks to you, as in face to face like he did Moses, the more you are held responsible for. Moses needed that intimacy with God to lead such a disbelieving group of people through the desert. We must not think of God as unmerciful because He did allow Moses to see it and Moses comes back to talk to Jesus later which means that the consequence of not leading the people in did not affect where he was with God eternally. I'm so thankful for that.