Exodus 17:1 — 7 HCSB
1 The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6 I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
I love certain reality shows. Not Survivor or the Bachelor, but I like the shows where people are called upon to survive in the wild such as the Alaskan Bush People and Alaska: The Last Frontier featuring the Kilchers. I also like those shows where the people live off the land and one of my favorite is Live Free or Die. If you watch many of these shows where they are living off the land you will see that there is one thing that they must have and that is water! I remember one show where one of the men made a bowl out of a certain type of wood to trade for a water barrel to catch rain water so he would not have to go to the river so much to get water. Water is essential to living.
Today is the third Sunday of Lent and we come to a time in our journey through Lent where we see the need of water. People can live without food, but people cannot live without water. Water is a life-sustaining liquid that all of us need to survive. The people of Israel have been on a journey in the wilderness that we know as the Exodus. They have had their ups and downs and have questioned God and put Him to the test numerous times. Today’s passage is another one of those times. Let us look at this passage a little closer this morning.
Read verse one along with me:
1 The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
There is some really good stuff in this verse that many times we will pass over. First, we are told that the entire Israelite community got up and left the area they were staying, moving from one place to the next by being obedient to God’s command to move. Remember our sermon last week that when we are called to “Get up and go” we must be obedient to the Lord. So we learn right off that the people of Israel are being obedient to the Lord. Second, we see that they camped at Rephidim. Now in the Bible names mean something and the place they camped at was called “resting place.” That is what Rephidim means a resting place! Also it means a place to refresh. Now this was not a name that Moses gave it; the place was already there and had a name! So in this first verse we see that the people were obedient to the Lord and He brought them not only to a place of rest, but also to a place to refresh.
Then we are told there was not any water for them to drink. So let us see how the Israelite people handled this problem. Read verses 2 and 3 with me:
2 So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
I love how the Scripture speaks into our lives today. We are told that the people when they did not have water complained to Moses. When I was studying for today’s message one thing that the Holy Spirit laid on my heart was the Israelites’ attitude. Notice, although they had been obedient to the Lord in moving when He said move and He had provided for them every time they were in need, they still came to Moses with a complaining attitude. Instead of prayerfully asking Moses to seek God for help and trusting that God would provide for their needs you can hear their complaining tone when they said to Moses, “Give us water to drink. Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Notice their selfish mentality and their GIVE ME, GIVE ME, GIVE ME cry! Brothers and sisters aren't we a lot like that today. Instead of seeking God, following Him, and trusting Him to lead and provide we tend to look at our own weaknesses and understanding. Many times in the difficulties of life we tend to see the reality that stares us in the face and that is so understandable, but we never should forget that nothing is impossible with God. If we would sit back and reflect on the times that God has either provided or step in during a crisis or a time of chaos and turmoil in our life and lifted us up out of the Pit we would come to the realization the He is sovereign and in control of what we are dealing with. Where in your life are you without water today? Seek Him and He will provide that Living Water that will supply all our needs.
We mustn't forget Moses in this pericope. He told the people they should not be testing God, yet notice his attitude when He comes to the Lord for the people of Israel. Let us read verses 4 through 7 together:
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6 I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Moses immediately went to the Lord in prayer frustrated with the people, but also seeking God’s help. We call that standing in the gap. Moses was standing in the gap between God and His people. How many times during the Exodus did God want to destroy the Israelites and Moses stepped in to remind God of His covenant with Abraham? Moses, unlike the Israelite people, came to God placing his trust and focus on God to provide the answer to the situation that laid before the people of Israel. Notice that Moses attitude was one that was prayerful and not selfish or self-consuming. He knew that God had provided for His people and He would in this situation. So when God said go and strike the rock and water will flow, Moses did exactly what God asked Him to.
Today many of us are at the place the people of Israel were in our passage. We are wondering “Is God With Us?” Does He really care what I am dealing with? Can He really help me or provide for me in my time of need? We see the answer to that question in today’s text and it is a resounding YES! God desires to meet your needs and provide for you, but you must first trust Him and come to Him expecting Him to answer your prayer! So I ask which attitude do you have during the difficult times of your life: The Israelite attitude of selfishness and self-centeredness complaining to God or to others about what you need and why hasn't anyone stepped up to help you? Or is your attitude that of Moses who came to God asking and believing that God will provide. Moses knew God was with the people of Israel and today I can assure you GOD IS WITH US! Let us pray…
