*Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7
The Israelites grumble about a lack of water at Marah and Rephidim, but God miraculously provides sweet water at Marah and water from a rock at Rephidim.
- Exodus 15:22-27:
- Arrival at Marah: Following their deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites journeyed into the wilderness and reached the oasis of Marah.
- Bitter Water: However, the water at Marah was undrinkable due to its bitterness, causing distress among the people.
- Moses’ Intervention: The people grumbled against Moses, who, in turn, cried out to the Lord for help.
- Divine Intervention: God directed Moses to a nearby tree, which, when thrown into the water, miraculously made it sweet and drinkable.
- Testing: At Marah, the Lord tested the Israelites, establishing His identity as their healer and provider.
- Promise of Obedience: Following this intervention, God issued a conditional promise of obedience, emphasizing that adherence to His commands would prevent the afflictions they witnessed in Egypt.
- Exodus 17:1-7:
- Journey to Rephidim: The Israelites continued their journey and arrived at Rephidim, but again faced a shortage of water.
- Complaints against Moses: The people quarreled with Moses, demanding water to drink, expressing frustration and distrust.
- Moses’ Intercession: Moses, feeling the weight of the people’s discontent, appealed to God for guidance, fearing the people might stone him.
- Divine Instruction: God instructed Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, assuring him that water would flow from it for the people to drink.
- Water from the Rock: Moses followed God’s command, striking the rock, which resulted in an abundant supply of water for the thirsty congregation.
- Testing of Faith: The incident at Rephidim served as another test of the Israelites’ faith and obedience, with God demonstrating His provision in response to their need.
- Naming of the Place: Moses named the place Massah and Meribah, reflecting the testing and quarreling that occurred there, highlighting the Israelites’ lack of faith and trust in God’s provision.
Exodus 15:22-27 and 17:1-7 teach us that God provides for us, even in difficult times. When the Israelites were thirsty in the desert, they complained, but God gave them water. This reminds us that challenges will come, but instead of doubting, we should trust that God will take care of us. It encourages us to bring our needs to Him with faith, be patient in hard times, and remember that God is always with us, providing what we truly need.
Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7 (WEB)
15:22 Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they couldn’t drink from the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore its name was called Marah. 24 The people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 Then he cried to the LORD. The LORD showed him a tree, and he threw it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There he made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there he tested them. 26 He said, “If you will diligently listen to the LORD your God’s voice, and will do that which is right in his eyes, and will pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you.”27 They came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees. They encamped there by the waters.15:1 All the congregation of the children of Israel traveled from the wilderness of Sin, starting according to the LORD’s commandment, and encamped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.”Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”3 The people were thirsty for water there; so the people murmured against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”4 Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”5 The LORD said to Moses, “Walk on before the people, and take the elders of Israel with you, and take the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb. You shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of Israel quarreled, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”