Numbers 20: 1-13 – Moses, Aaron, Maverick, and Iceman

Note: Mild spoilers for “Top Gun: Maverick” ahead!

In this passage, we read of the Israelites’ plea for water while in the wilderness. The Israelites, upset that they have been led into a land that doesn’t meet their expectations, lament at the lack of available water. Moses and Aaron are commanded by the Lord to speak to a rock in the presence of the congregation to draw water out of it. However, the pair instead admonish the Israelites and strike the rock twice with a rod. The congregation drinks, but God tells Moses and Aaron that because of their disobedience, neither of them will lead Israel to the promised land.

Notably, this passage reveals that we are not to go against the ways in which God calls us to follow His lead. God has a perfect way of unveiling His kingdom, and to tamper with that plan only stands in the way of His work. Furthermore, it is evident that God provides for us even when we don’t deserve it. Despite Moses and Aaron’s mistakes, the congregation’s proclamation that they would have preferred death, and the Israelites’ vehement wining about their situation (and their frustration at the lack of pomegranates), God still provides them with water.

Ultimately, these two lessons connect to our ability to trust God in the difficult and the uncomfortable. God has time and time again demonstrated His ability to provide for us and work through us in a perfect way. Nonetheless, when we enter our own wilderness – be that a global pandemic, a major life transition, or a period of profound loss – it often becomes difficult to trust that there is an ending that could be good. These unmet expectations can make it feel as though we need to hold tighter to our own inadept means of control. However, in faith, we are called to do the opposite – we are called to let go of our own understandings of the world in favor of God’s all-knowing perspective.

I like to imagine that this faith could be compared to the relationship between Maverick and Iceman in the newly released “Top Gun: Maverick.” I won’t pretend that any of this film’s characters are God-like or even comparable to Moses or Aaron. However, there is something meaningful in the way that Iceman recognizes the unique talents that Maverick possesses. Just when Maverick thinks there’s nothing left in his career with the Navy, Iceman calls him to Top Gun for a special mission. While Maverick is initially resistant to these orders, his eventual obedience is pivotal to the success of the mission and Maverick’s own personal redemption.

We all have opportunities in our life where we must choose between succumbing to our own begrudging nature or obeying God with our trust. May faith empower us to listen to God instead of quarreling with Him, speak to the rock instead of striking it, and hop in the F-18 instead of heading home.