Relevant Lessons in Faith and Disobedience from Moses

God said Moses did not “believe” in him.

This is the same word that Scripture says in Genesis 15:6 about Abraham when he “believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” We see the same word in Exodus 4 when the people “believed,” and it resulted in them bowing their heads and worshiping God. 

The NLT uses the word “trust” here because the Hebrew word means to “support,” “confirm,” to be “faithful,” to be “certain,” and to “trust.”

Now get this - the Hebrew verb is “aman.” It is identical in meaning to the Hebrew adverb אָמֵן - which is where we get our word “amen”)! This is the idea behind us even today saying the word “amen “when we hear something that we agree with. when we say “amen,” we are confirming it, we are saying “so be it,” and we are essentially saying “yes… I BELIEVE.”

God essentially wanted Moses to speak “amen” to the rock, but instead, he used his God-given staff to strike it and display a lack of belief in God.

Before we judge Moses harshly for his lack of belief in God and disobedience to God at that moment when his emotions ran high, may you and I see ourselves in the mirror of this story? In what areas of our lives are we not able to say “amen” to God? What has he told us to do, who has he told us to talk to, and where has he told us to go that we have not yet said “amen” back to him about? 

God doesn’t see our disobedience as a mistake or momentary lapse in judgment. He sees disbelief in him. We do not trust God’s word enough to follow it or his power enough to rely on it.

The good news is that later, God raised Joshua as his new prophet and a whole new generation of people who were willing to believe and obey him, and they were able to enter the promised land. So, God never forgot his people. He never left them nor forsook them. 

Friend, God has not forgotten about you. Maybe your whole life to this point has been characterized by a lack of belief, but if today you choose to serve the Lord, he will respond to your faith by saving you and making you his own. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “…behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 

And if you are a child of God who has some disbelief in your life that has resulted in disobedience, then you can be certain that God still hasn’t left you or forsook you. 

Make today your “amen” or “אָמֵן” day before the Lord!

Photo Credit: Image created using AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.

Robert Hampshire is a pastor, teacher, writer, and leader. He has been married to Rebecca since 2008 and has four children: Brooklyn, Bryson, Abram, and Aubrey. Robert attended North Greenville University in South Carolina for his undergraduate and Liberty University in Virginia for his Masters. He has served as a worship pastor, youth pastor, family pastor, church planter, and Pastor of Worship and Discipleship. He now serves at  Calvary Baptist Church in Florence, South Carolina. He furthers his ministry through his blog site, Faithful Thinking, and YouTube channel. His life goal is to serve God and His Church by reaching the lost with the gospel, making devoted disciples, equipping and empowering others to go further in their faith and calling, and leading a culture of multiplication for the glory of God. Find out more about him here.