Exodus 17:1-16
When the Israelites moved into the wilderness of Sin and they needed food, the LORD provided quail in the evening and manna in the morning.
They are on the move again… and again, they need water, and the people complain. This time the LORD commands Moses to use the staff with which he struck the waters of the Nile and strike a rock with it. Water comes out and the people drink.
Then Amalek attacks. Moses puts Joshua in charge of the fighting while Moses stands on top of a hill with his staff. It soon becomes obvious that when Moses is holding the staff up, Joshua and his men have the advantage but when Moses’ arms get tired and the staff comes down, then Joshua and his men start to lose. So, they set up a rock for Moses to sit on and Aaron and Hur stood on each side holding Moses’ arms in the up position. Joshua comes out victorious.
The LORD commands Moses to record all that happened in a book and then recite it in the hearing of Joshua. This was so Joshua would know that the reason he was victorious was because the LORD was fighting for him.
Since Israel was just recently freed from slavery, and since there was no way that Egypt would equip and teach their slaves to fight, we might question whether they were equipped to do battle. Apparently when they left Egypt, along with other goods, they were given battle gear since Exodus 13:18 tells us that, “The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle.” But even if they had weapons, they were not trained to be warriors. So, the LORD fights the battle for them. But just like before, the LORD also is working through the people, rather than doing everything by Himself. Joshua and the men must be willing to go into battle, even though they do not know how to be an army yet. Moses, Aaron and Hur must make sure that the staff is held high. The people do what they are told to do, and God works through them.
It is the same with bringing water from the rock. God works His power through the obedience of Moses. Moses must have faith in what God promised – that water would come out if he did what was commanded and strike the rock. God works through Moses to bring forth water.
The LORD sent Moses to Egypt so that the Israelites could be freed from slavery and travel to the promised land which was flowing with milk and honey. This was part of the promise that God made to Abraham – That even though Abraham was old and without a child, if he would leave his home and go where God led him, he would become the father of a great nation that would become a blessing to the whole world.
Israel has not yet reached the promised land, so they are in the wilderness. God’s promise has been partially fulfilled with freedom from slavery, but they are still on their way to their destination so a big part of God’s promise is still unfulfilled. God has shown them grace and has provided for their need for food and water, as well as protection from an enemy army. At the same time, it has not been easy. They must march through inhospitable lands, taste hunger, thirst and fear. God is with them providing for their needs, but they too must do their part in following the lead of Moses, who in turn is being led by the LORD.
These wilderness stories are about a people stuck between promise and fulfillment. And when one realizes that fulfillment is not just days away but maybe months and years away, it is easy to lose one’s anchor in God’s promises. God leads but does not coerce. Where God leads may not be an oasis or free of danger, and there is always a choice to disobey. With all of the complaining that Israel does, they are still obedient to God’s leading through Moses – They are marching in the direction to which God is leading.
It would be easy to dismiss the “water from rock” episode simply as another example of the people complaining about thirst and God providing water. But it is interesting that both Deuteronomy 6:16 and Psalm 95:8-9 explicitly point out this episode as an example of what not to do – To test God.
So, what does it mean to test God? Is it simply complaining or questioning, “Is the LORD among us or not?” as the Israelites did in verse 7? Testing has to do with “putting God to the proof” – Seeking a way in which God can be coerced to act or show Himself.
One of the three temptations that Satan tried on Jesus was for Jesus to jump off the top of the temple for force God to miraculously intervene. Jesus’ response to that was, “It is said, ‘Do not put the LORD your God to the test.’”
In essence, testing God is any attempt to turn faith into sight.
It is important for us to keep in mind that salvation comes by faith, and we are to live our lives in faith. Like Israel in this morning’s passage, we too are in between promise and fulfillment. Some of God’s promises have come true in our lives, but much is still to come. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our sins have been forgiven and eternal life with God and other believers is assured. However, we still must go through the wilderness and experience hunger, thirst, fear, sadness, sickness, old age and death. God is with us and will provide for us and lead us through the Holy Spirit, but that does not mean that we will go from oasis to oasis until we reach our eternal destiny. In those hard times that our faith is tested, let us not test God.
In Massah/Meribah, the Israelites tested God and became examples of what not to do. With the help of the Holy Spirit, let us pray that when our faith is tested, we can become good examples to others.
(The above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on August 4, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 