Exodus 17:1-7 All the congregation of the people of Israel
moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of
the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to
drink. (2) Therefore the people quarrelled with Moses
and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why
do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" (3)
But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against
Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our
children and our livestock with thirst?"
(4) So Moses cried to the LORD,
"What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone
me." (5) And the LORD said to Moses, "Pass on
before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in
your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. (6)
Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you
shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will
drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (7)
And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarrelling
of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, "Is
the LORD among us or not?"
The above
verses function as a strong warning to us in two respects, firstly, to be
mindful of who God is and His faithfulness, secondly, not to test God by
doubting who He is and what He has promised to do.
The people
of Israel had been without water for some time and were traveling through a harsh
environment. Their thirst was great and therefore they fear that if water was
not found soon, they would perish. In their thirst, they come to Moses and
quarrel with him, in fact such is the nature of their confrontation that Moses
fears for his life. Furthermore as they confront Moses, they question God, His
character and His promises, they raise the accusation that God is not among
them, or with them, that the good purposes God promised them, were in fact
false, for He intends to them harm, to bring them out to the desert so as to
kill them. We need to keep in mind that they are making these accusations
whilst ahead of them stands the pillar of cloud, and with stomach filled by the
manna they had received that very morning. Therefore the behaviour and
accusations of the people should shock us, how can they question, accuse and
doubt God, when it is so obvious that He is among them!
The Israelites
were paying not attention or regard to the many ways in which God was
displaying favour towards them and showing that He was with them. They had come
to presume upon these things, it is almost as though they expected them, and
were not on a daily basis thankful for the manna, quail and pillar of cloud and
fire. They test God by accusing God and coming against God’s servant, Moses.
God’s patience, the fact that He is long-suffering, is evident. We know how we
would respond towards such ungrateful and rebellious people! Yet God continues
to extend grace and provides water for the people.
We need to
learn from Israel’s poor behaviour and conduct. We need to cultivate
thankfulness and open our eyes to see the multitude of ways in which God
displays His faithfulness and His presence. We also need to learn that when
faced with great trials we will be tempted to doubt God, maybe even to accuse
God. We need to be cautious, we need to guard our hearts and minds, for
Scripture teaches us in an abundance of places, that God is both faithful and
with His people in times of trial. To accuse God, is to call into question God’s
character, His holiness, His truthfulness, His faithfulness and His goodness.
It is to call God a liar and may even lead us to accuse God of evil. We must
guard our hearts and minds against this, by cultivating thankfulness, being
observant of the ways in which God is displaying His faithfulness and presence,
and by meditating on the character of God and Word of God.
Long-suffering, holy, Father, how we plead
for Your forgiveness for the times in which we have doubted You, and most of
all for the times when we have been tempted to accuse You of failing to be
true, faithful, good and holy. Help us to understand more of who You are and
open our eyes so that we might see the many ways in which You display Your faithfulness
and Your presence on a daily basis. We desire to be people who have their eyes,
hearts, minds and lives fixed upon You, so that when trial and temptation come,
we run to You, to take refuge in who You are, trusting that You will continue
to be with us and help us through the time of trial. Amen.
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