Why did God not allow Moses his wish to cross over into the Promised Land?
Moses and Aaron sinned openly before all the Israelite community when bringing water from the rock at Meribah.(1) God had told Moses to speak to the rock, but instead, he struck the rock twice. Even worse, he and Aaron gave themselves credit for the miracle when he said, “Must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10b, NIV). Afterward, God told both of them in Numbers 20:12 (NIV): “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” By failing to honor God with the miracle that was performed, they displayed a lack of trust in God. In short, they broke faith with God.
The Israelite community had committed the same type of sin against God when they refused to cross over into the Promise Land.(2) Even after all the miracles they had witnessed, they did not trust God to deliver on His promise to go before them. They feared the inhabitants of the land more than they believed in God’s might. They broke faith with God, and because of it, God declared they would not be allowed to see the land He had promised to their fathers.
Moses begged God to forgive the people of their sins, which He did; however, God declared they would still bear the consequences of their sins. He replied to Moses, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it” (Numbers 14:20–23, NIV).
When Moses and Aaron failed to honor God before the people, He declared there would be similar consequences for them. Neither of them would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. While Moses was granted the privilege of seeing it from afar, neither he nor Aaron ever set foot upon the land.
By God’s own admission, Moses had developed a close relationship with Him.(3) No doubt Moses had confessed his error and begged God’s forgiveness. In fact, it’s likely he made a sacrificial offering for his sin. Why, then, did God refuse to grant him this wish? God could not do this because He had declared consequences, and He is a just God. He could not selectively allow Moses to forgo the consequences while binding them upon all the others.
Footnotes:
1. The account of what happened at the waters of Meribah is recorded in Numbers 20:2–13.
2. See Numbers 14 for the account of the Israelites rebelling against God and refusing to enter the Promised Land.
3. See Numbers 12:6–8 for God’s admonishment of Miriam and Aaron, where He explained to them His relationship with Moses.