Moses Brings Forth Water From a Rock

(Book of Numbers 20:1 - 20:13)
It was during the first month of the year that the entire congregation of Israel reached the desert of Zin, where they encamped at Kadesh.  It was here that Miriam died and was buried.

There was, however, insufficient drinking water there, so the people united in opposition to Moses and Aaron.  They disputed with Moses, "Would that we had been killed by Jehovah along with our brothers.  Why have you brought the congregation of Israel into this desert to perish along with our livestock?   Why did you bring us out of Egypt only to lead us to this horrible place?  This is no place to plant crops, or to grow figs, or grapevines, or pomegranates -- there's not even water to drink!"

Moses and Aaron left the assembly and went to the entrance of the Inner Sanctum, where they prostrated themselves.  The glorious presence of Jehovah appeared before them.  Jehovah spoke to Moses.  "You and your brother Aaron must assemble the entire congregation.  In full view of all the people take Aaron's staff and with it call out to that rock over there.  The rock will then gush forth with its water, and it will be enough to satisfy the needs of the entire community of Israel and its livestock."

Moses took the staff from the Inner Sanctum and with it did as Jehovah had commanded.  Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock and addressed them, "Listen, you rebels, do we have to draw water out of this rock for you?”  Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with the staff.  Water poured forth profusely from it.  The congregation and the livestock were then able to drink their fill.

But Jehovah berated Moses and Aaron, "Because your faith in me has not been sufficient to make the Israelites respect my divine power, you will not bring this community into the land I have promised them."

Since this is where the Israelites quarreled with Jehovah and where Jehovah manifested his divine power before them, this place became known as the Waters of Meribah [meaning quarreling].

Notes
1. Miriam, Moses' sister and, arguably, a prophetess, seems to merit only the briefest of obits. (It's almost, "she kicked the bucket and they dug a hole for her.")  She probably tarnished her legacy by her earlier opposition to her brother's leadership. 

2. The month of Miriam’s death is given, but not the year.  (The first month, Nisan is a spring month.) It is not explicit how long after Korah's rebellion this occurred, but it is generally thought to be the 40th year after the Exodus.  In other words, there is a huge unstated gap in the narrative.   (We’ve missed a couple episodes of the Exodus mini-series!)  

3. That Jehovah is angry at Moses and Aaron for not having enough faith in his powers, for asking his help when the people are restive and dying of thirst is indicative both of his sour temper and his lack of capacity for any sympathetic understanding of the humans he claims to god of.  It's more or less part of their arrangement that Moses comes to him when he and his people are in trouble and he performs some sort of miracle to save them.  Neither Jehovah nor the Israelites, though, exhibit any graciousness or gratitude.  Jehovah's promise that this generation of Israelites will never see the Promised Land is being fulfilled -- they are dying off.

4. Aaron's staff has several times exhibited magical properties, but the how and why of it is never revealed.  In this case, why is the staff necessary, since it is Jehovah who is the author of the miracles?  Is it just for show?  Magic, for whatever reason, often seems to be performed through a staff, a wand, or a cane.  Could this tradition be derived from some real, powerful, rod-like device employed by earth-visiting members of an advanced alien civilization?

5.  Ancient historians, when they speak at all of Moses, refer to his saving the people he led out of Egypt by finding water in the desert.  It makes sense that Jehovah would show him where the springs and water holes were located. 

6.  Folk historians find satisfaction in furnishing reasons why landmarks and geographical sites have the names they do, even dreaming up fables to explain the names.   Seldom are these explanations demonstrably factual.  It is unlikely that most places in the Bible are named for the reason claimed -- but some might be.