It's Not Fair with Pastor Ben Carruthers

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Ever hit a wall and think, “This just isn’t fair”? We dive into one of Scripture’s most troubling turns: Moses leads for forty years, faces endless complaints, then loses entry to the promised land after striking a rock. At first glance it sounds like cold punishment. But as we trace the text, emotions, and context, a more layered picture emerges—one that holds honest consequences, protects a fragile people, and still lavishes mercy on a worn-out leader.

We walk through the two rock moments—striking in Exodus and speaking in Numbers—and why repeating the earlier act was more than a small mistake. The crowd’s fixation on Moses as fixer sets the stage for that loaded line, “Must we bring water from this rock?” If the community already leans toward idolizing leaders, credit confusion is not harmless. God’s response both corrects and cares: Joshua has been prepared to carry the people into a hostile land, while Moses is led up Nebo to see every inch of promise before God Himself lays him to rest. Justice and tenderness meet on that mountain.

Along the way, we talk about leadership fatigue, the cost of small compromises, and why obedience is not God’s scoreboard but the path that keeps us whole. We challenge ourselves to love across lines, to stop outsourcing hope to heroes, and to give God the credit when water flows in dry seasons. And we widen the horizon with a final scene: Moses standing with Elijah at the Transfiguration, witnessing Jesus’ glory. The man who didn’t cross the Jordan still steps into the true promised land. If you’ve ever felt defined by one mistake or stuck in an “unfair” season, this conversation offers a sturdier frame—and a gentler grip.

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