Exodus 17:1-7
I. INTRODUCTION
The location was Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. I’d arrived to teach a class to pastors, but God had a lesson for me, a lesson in trust and God’s power in response to prayer. Throughout the week, I stayed with missionaries Gavin and Jill Fothergill and their two young children, Macy and Connor. Because the seasonal rains had not come, they carefully rationed their water, choosing daily either to wash their dishes or to take a bucket bath. The slow trickle from the faucet on the back wall of their property was their only water source, and even that flowed only begrudgingly in the middle of the night. Gavin rose from sleep to capture in a plastic bucket as much water as he could before the faucet quit again. Together, the family and I prayed for rain in earnest, and – remembering that “general prayers get general answers but specific prayers get specific answers” – we asked God not only that the rains would come but that they would arrive by Saturday. Back in Johannesburg, I checked my social media on Sunday to find a short video of Macy and Connor dancing in the rain the day before, smiles on their face, rejoicing: “God answered our prayer!”
II. BROADER CONTEXT OF THE PASSAGE
Whether in drought-stricken parts of Africa today or the wilderness where the children of Israel ambled long ago, water is life. In Exodus 17:1-7, the people of God wandered in a seemingly waterless desert, thirsty and on the brink of exhaustion. But what had brought them to this desperate point? Exodus 1-13 is the well-known story of the children of Israel’s flight from Egypt. God had heard the suffering of his people and he sent Moses to rescue them. Ten plagues later, Pharaoh finally relented and released the Hebrew slaves, only to later chase them down with horses and chariots when he regretted his decision. Exodus 14 recounts the awe-inspiring episode where Yahweh parted the Red Sea, allowing his people to pass through on dry ground. When Pharaoh’s riders pursued them, God commanded Moses to close up the sea again. Every Egyptian pursuer drowned that day. Exodus 15 records the jubilant victory songs of Moses and his sister, Miriam. At the end of the chapter, God turned bitter water in Marah into something sweet and drinkable after Moses threw a tree into water. Then in Exodus 16, the people ate manna and quail, a miraculous provision from the hand of a loving LORD.
III. EXODUS 17:1-7 – THE PEOPLE ARE THIRSTY…AGAIN
If the freed Hebrew slaves were to choose an anthem from a 20th century pop singer, it would be Janet Jackson’s “What have you done for me lately?” The sweet water of Marah was a distant memory, and the tender quail were good while they lasted, but that was then and this was now. At camp in Rephidim, they quarreled with their leader, Moses, demanding: “Give us water to drink” (v. 2). Moses tried to calm them down, but thirst is a feisty rebel; things quickly escalated. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” (v. 3) So Moses did what he always did in a time of crisis. He brought the issue to God, asking: “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me” (v. 4).
God had a plan. Moses and some of the elders went ahead of the people, Moses toting his shepherd’s rod that he had used to “strike the Nile river” (v. 5). There was nothing magical about that staff. What mattered is what God promised Moses: “I’ll be standing there in front of you on rock at Horeb” (v. 6). At the LORD’s instructions, Moses struck the rock and water gushed out. In amazed joy (v. 7), Moses called the place Massah (“test”) and Meribah (“argument”) in memory of the leadership crisis that had led to divine intervention. God cared for his people, cantankerous though they were. They had demanded: “Is the LORD really with us or not?” (v. 7) and at Horeb rock they received a decisive “yes!” Their raging thirst was quenched, a good gift from a loving God.
IV. FROM TEXT TO SERMON
The story of water from the rock at Horeb contains timeless lessons for the people of God. Some of these are:
Expect some grumbling. God had acted before yet the people seemed to have forgotten his past provision. The people were desperately thirsty. Moses sympathized since he was likely thirsty himself. Wise leaders know that grumbling is sometimes justified and are willing to extend grace. Our mission is to “be tolerant with each other” and to “forgive each other” when complaints arise (Colossians 3:13).
God who came through before will come through again. God told Moses: “Take in your hands the shepherd’s rod, the rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go” (v. 5). When Moses struck the Nile, the water had turned into blood (7:17). The rod was a visible reminder to Moses and the elders of God’s past faithfulness. If God came through in the past, why would God abandon them now? The LORD reassured them: “I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock of Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it and the people will be able to drink” (17:6a).
Ask boldly. There is no need to mince words with God. Moses saw the need and he was afraid for his own life, so he went to the One whom he had learned he could count on in times of need. In the same way, Paul writes: “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks” (Philippians 4:6). Boldness paid off as water gushed forth and the people slaked their thirst. When we come to our own Massah – our own moments of trial and testing – God invites bold prayers that arise from genuine need and childlike faith. God has not changed; the LORD will respond to our cry!
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