In Numbers 20:8, the Lord commands Moses to take up a rod and speak to a rock, and the Lord would cause water to come out of the rock. As confusing as that is, it's what the scriptures say, and it is what God commanded Moses.
However, out of pride, Moses instead took the rod and struck the rock.
In Numbers 20:12, the Lord responded to this act of rebelliousness by Moses and Aaron, 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." Later in the chapter, Aaron also loses his right to the High Priesthood.
No question, repentance and forgiveness is real. Moses carried on in his calling as the Prophet of God. He was hailed throughout the Old and New Testaments, and in Deuteronomy 34:10 is described as the greatest prophet Israel had ever had or will ever have. Surely he will have eternal life with our Heavenly Father.
Nevertheless, there is an important lesson to learn here. Despite Moses' repentance and his receiving forgiveness from the Lord, his life was changed forever. Because of one stupid act of rebellion, his goals and his future were completely altered. In Deuteronomy 34:4, he sees the Promised Land--his goal was in sight--yet it was forever unattainable because he didn't keep God's commandments to exactness.
In our lives, we are going to make mistakes, and maybe we won't be held to quite the same standard of perfection as Moses. But we can not forget that our decisions now will give us direction for our entire future. Our goals and our desires depend greatly on our everyday actions. We can always repent, and the Atonement can always help us, but we will always have consequences to our actions.
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