Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because he failed to believe God and honor Him before the children of Israel at the rock of Meribah.
God had told Moses to take his rod and speak to the rock so the water would flow. Instead, Moses, angry at the murmuring people, called them rebels and spoke as though he and Aaron would provide the water. He then struck the rock, failing to believe God and honor Him before the congregation. Because of this, God said Moses would not bring Israel into the land.
Numbers 20:12 — This verse is the clearest explicit statement of why Moses was barred from the Promised Land: he did not believe God or sanctify Him before Israel.
The LORD commanded Moses to take the rod and gather the assembly, saying, 'speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water' (Numbers 20:8). Moses gathered the congregation before the rock and said, 'Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?' (Numbers 20:10). Then Moses lifted up his hand and smote the rock twice with his rod (Numbers 20:11). Afterward, the LORD told Moses and Aaron, 'Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them' (Numbers 20:12).
Les Feldick's teaching on this passage centers on faith and obedience. In Clip 0, he walks through Numbers 20, emphasizing that God said 'speak' to the rock, and reminding the listener that the rock is Christ. He shows Moses' angry reaction — 'Hear now, ye rebels' — and explains that Moses did not believe God as he should have. Les teaches that Moses' action damaged the picture of Christ: Christ is smitten once, and afterward people approach Him by speaking to Him, not by another smiting. He also links this incident to Israel's larger failure of unbelief at Kadesh-barnea, where the people refused to trust God and consequently lost the easy entrance into the land.
In Numbers 20:8, God told Moses to take the rod, gather the assembly, and speak to the rock. Les highlights that God's word was 'speak,' not 'smite.' He also reminds his listeners that the rock is Christ.
Moses gathered the congregation before the rock and said, 'Hear now, ye rebels' (Numbers 20:10). Les notes his anger and distress with the people. Although God had said to speak, Moses took the rod and struck the rock twice, and water came out (Numbers 20:11). Les explains that Moses left God out and took an arrogant position, acting as though he and Aaron would bring forth the water.
God told Moses and Aaron, 'Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them' (Numbers 20:12). Les teaches that Moses failed to believe God in that moment and did not honor Him before the people, so he was forbidden from leading the congregation into the Promised Land.
Les frequently ties Moses' failure at the rock to the nation's unbelief at Kadesh-barnea. Israel had been told to possess the land, but they asked for spies and refused to believe God would drive out the inhabitants (Deuteronomy 1:21; Clip 2). Les points out that God did not remind Israel of the golden calf, but of their unbelief (Clip 3). The generation that doubted fell in the wilderness, and Moses' own moment of unbelief also cost him the land.
God's command and Moses' anger at the rock
Les reads Numbers 20, highlighting God's instruction to 'speak' to the rock and showing how Moses angrily addressed the people as 'rebels.' He also identifies the rock as Christ, setting up the picture of Christ smitten once.
Israel's unbelief after Sinai
Les explains that after Mount Sinai, God promised to drive out the Canaanites and give Israel the land, but Israel's unbelief led them to ask for spies instead of trusting God's promise.
God's plan for Israel to enter by faith
Les stresses that God never intended the twelve spies; Israel was to go in by faith, knowing God would drive out the inhabitants, just as they crossed the Red Sea by faith.
God's reminder of unbelief, not immorality
Les points out that although Israel had sinned with the golden calf, God later reminded them of their unbelief at Kadesh-barnea, showing that unbelief was the central barrier to entering the land.
Why God Chooses the Weak: Lessons from Moses and the Cross
He does not feel that he can approach Pharaoh. And after 40 years, I think we can all identify with that. He had lost his polish, which he, of course, had when he went out to deliver the children of Israel the first time, and they rejected him. He had been 40 years in Pharaoh's palace. No doubt he had all the wisdom of Egypt at his disposal.
Only a few survived in faith
Les emphasizes that the old generation died in the wilderness because of unbelief, with only Joshua and Caleb (and Moses and Aaron) singled out as exceptions in that context.
Moses, the Ark, and the Second Coming: Unlocking the Prophetic Pattern
Hebrews 11, 23 and 24. Hebrews 11, verse 23, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw, or they understood, we read that in the last program, that he was a proper child, and consequently they were not afraid of the king's commandment. So far, so good.
The easy entrance Israel forfeited
Les explains that when Israel came up from Sinai to Kadesh, they could have gone right into the land and possessed it without losing a single young son, but their unbelief made them lose that easy entrance.
Numbers 20:8: Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
God's original command: Moses was to speak to the rock, not strike it.
Numbers 20:10: And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Moses' angry words show his attitude before the people.
Numbers 20:11: And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
The actual act of striking the rock, which contradicted God's word to speak.
Numbers 20:12: And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
God's explicit verdict explaining why Moses and Aaron could not enter the Promised Land.
Moses failed to believe God and to honor Him before the people. Instead of merely speaking to the rock as God commanded, he angrily called the congregation rebels and struck the rock, leaving the impression that he and Aaron were providing the water (Numbers 20:10-12).
Yes. Les teaches that the root issue in both cases was unbelief. Israel refused to believe God's promise to give them the land, and Moses did not believe God's instruction at the rock. Both failures kept the older generation and Moses himself from entering the Promised Land.
Watch the Teaching: Why Moses Was Forbidden From the Promised Land — The Real Reason