Our passage this week directs us back to the Book of Exodus and the wandering Israelites in the desert, how they grumbled, and how God was with them and provided.
Exodus 17:1-7 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?" But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." The LORD answered Moses, "Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah {7 Massah means testing.} and Meribah {7 Meribah means quarreling.} because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"
When I was in Israel, I remember walking through a valley with rock on either side. It was beautiful, but it was also dry and dusty as it hadn’t rained in quite a while. I was thankful for the bottled water we carried. But I remember coming up to a place in the rock wall where it almost looked wet. Our guide explained that the sedimentary rock sometimes contains pockets just below the surface and is able to collect and hold water. If we were to strike the rock, water would come out of it. Because the rocks operate as a filtration system, the water would be clean to drink. The miracle and provision of God wasn’t necessarily in producing water from a rock, but in the quantity of water. By itself, the rock would naturally hold enough water for a handful of people, not enough for the entire nation of Israel. God was with the Israelites and He provided for their needs just as God is with us and provides for our needs.
The challenge comes when God chooses to provide for our needs in one way yesterday and in a different way tomorrow. In the Exodus passage, God asks Moses to strike the rock to produce water – which may not have taken much faith as this was a natural way to receive water in the desert. Many years later (Numbers 20), the Israelites complain again about not having water, Moses again seeks God, and God again gives instructions on how to receive water. The difference? This time, instead of striking the rock, God tells Moses to “Speak to the rock.” What does Moses do? He strikes the rock. He tried the old way when God was trying to reveal a new way. Moses didn’t trust in God and it cost him entrance into the Promised Land (Numbers 20:12).
Many of us seek God for our needs, asking Him to provide for us. We trust Him because He has provided before. However, we need to be mindful that He might provide in a different way today than He did yesterday. We must keep our eyes open, knowing that God is with us, in order to receive His provision. He may be doing something new in your life, He may be looking to reveal something new about himself to you. Keep an open mind, we serve an awesome God!
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
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