Numbers 20

Two quick thoughts this morning.  As Moses was commanded to -

"...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."  (Old Testament | Numbers 20:8)

But instead, we read -

"Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
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?
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."  (Old Testament | Numbers 20:9 - 11)

Moses seemed to suggesting that he and Aaron were the ones fetching the water from the rock, not the Lord.  The Lord chastised him saying -

"...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."  (Old Testament | Numbers 20:12)

As we serve the Lord, we must be very careful to acknowledge the Lord in our doings, not bringing credit to ourselves.

Second was in regards to when the Lord sent fiery serpents amongst the people and the Lord commanded Moses to -

"Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."  (Old Testament | Numbers 21:8 - 9)

This event is used in analogy several times in the Book of Mormon.  What my thoughts were that the scripture only suggests that those bitten lived or were healed.  It does not say immediately healed, only that they lived.  I believe that patience must have played a big part in this event.