The Water of Meribah has not been fully explained and will be so here in Inspiration.
The wilderness into which God had Moses lead the 13 Tribes of Israel into from the Exodus from Egypt was a place of Faith and Promise. It was a place of no food or water. It was a place where "man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God".
It was a place of Spiritual training and Spiritual death. An entire sinful people was destroyed there in a 40 year culling, which only 2 survived by Faith in Joshua and Caleb, because they believed God in the scouting they did of the Promised Land, while the rest of the people did not.
It was a different kind of breach which culled Moses and Aaron from the Promised Land and into the grave on the other side of the river, so much so that even Moses could behold the Promised Land to look upon it, but was instead to look upon Mt. Nebo, the back of whose chain is the Dead Sea, an act of God's final Judgment in Sodom and the cities of the plain.
The people of Israel were thirsty and complained again that slavery was better in Egypt as they could sell their bodies at least for pleasant food and water to drink. It is important to pay attention to the bold print Words in the Numbers 20 verses, for there is a great deal taking place here, for the waters are in symbol of the Living Waters of Christ.
In that, the Rock which was struck is addressed as HIS, meaning this Rock is in symbol of the Christ Person, and in Who is revealed in Revelation where one day a River of Living Water will come from Temple Mount, to become a river filled with fish, lined by wondrous trees and this river will literally bring to life the Dead Sea again when Christ returns.
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.
And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
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?
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.
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.
This is the water of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them.
Note in this that, the sins of Moses and Aaron are not believing God to sanctify Him in the people. The unbelief and the sanctifying is what is key here, as this called God a liar and it did not justify Him as free from guilt.
Turn this to Christ in not believing His Promise and making Him guilty, and this destroys every necessity of His laying down His Life on the Passover as the Lamb of God, because He is sinless and it requires Faith in God to receive Redemption.
The Law reveals sin. The Faith in the Gospel is what removes sin. That which is reality in this world destroys one. That which is Reality out of this world brings Life.
It has always been about Faith and not proof. Abraham believed and was Justified as all are in Faith, as the people did not "believe our report" in Joshua and Caleb, because even with a huge grape cluster, they still would not believe, as proof makes one a doubting Thomas. Blessed or empowered are they who have believed and not seen.
Moses and Aaron were ordered to SPEAK TO THE ROCK. Instead, they spoke to the people, and there was no mention of God in their taunt.
Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Moses and Aaron arrogantly took onto themselves credit for the work of salvation God was the only Source of. It was worse than Peter denying Christ, because Peter wept at his betrayal, and did not resort to saying, "You sinners, do I have to bring salvation to you?"
This was worse than not obeying the circumcision which Moses was almost killed over by God in disobeying by not circumcising his sons, and it was worse than Aaron building a golden calf for the people to worship, because what they did was not obey the directions from God, did not mention God, struck the Rock of Salvation twice when once was all Christ was to be smitten, and they did not hold God blameless in this.
That is key in this in Moses and Aaron blamed God too for the thirst, and how they were tried in their lives were put into jeopardy by this mob of millions in a foul mood. In the Christ like offices they held, they both failed in denial and betrayal of the Rock as did Peter and Judas.
They both though like Peter accepted responsibility and were not as Judas in rejecting Calvary.
All of this is in plain sight as God explains completely in one sentence what had taken place. Moses and Aaron rejected the Promise, had no Faith in God and blamed God for the situation and then spoke to the people about their saving them, instead of speaking to the Rock where Salvation flowed from.
They rejected the Promise and by this were rejected from entering the Promised Land on this earth.
It is easy to come to this point and judge Moses and Aaron, but the reality is out of millions, only 2 people entered the Promised Land out of Egypt. The same is true in those who judge Peter or Judas for their sins, and do not behold in hundreds of millions of people, we are surrounded by not a cloud of witnesses, but a cloud of deniers.
Jesus denied those looking for proofs, because He knew those people would not believe even when given proof time and again.
Miracles happened because of Faith first, and not because of proof first.
In this, it came to God to sanctify Himself before the people, because even His chosen leaders blamed Him for the events and then made themselves out to be the source of Salvation, much like the Pope or numbers of people do, in trusting they are the only way to God, and that staying in self indulgence of this world is far more pleasing than living in Faith.
God simply wants people to harken and obey. That means to believe Him in His message and then to carry out that message in living a life according to the Law which exposes sin, but trusting Faith of the Promise that there is nothing we can strike or do in the Law which will bring us Salvation. The Water of Life only comes from God as the Source.
This explains Meribah.
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