(Exodus 17:1-7) Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may 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 they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” 5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your 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 will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
As soon as they became uncomfortable, the Israelites started blaming Moses for their situation. And as these things typically go, they started judging Moses' motives, saying that he brought them out into the wilderness to kill them all. These are very harsh and serious words. And as slander goes, these words riled the people, sending them into a mob mentality.
I have known for a long time that when we do something for or against someone else, it is the same as if we do it for or against God. But I never thought about it in this light - that when we fight against each other, particularly with our spiritual leaders - we are testing the Lord.
If it is clear that a commandment is biblical and doesn't go against anything found in God's word - and a fellow believer reminds us of God's commandment - we should submit. And if something is not biblical, or it is not clear, then we should calmly and peaceably seek God's wisdom and direction.
I'm trying to put myself in the position of the Israelites.
The thirstiest moment of my life happened on a bicycle road trip, which was part of a Bible camp experience. It had never been done before - and they never did it again. lol (I can laugh now! Don't get me wrong, for the most part, it was a lot of fun, and my faith in God grew exponentially! I mean - going into this I was a 15 year-old with a rebellious heart towards God. Coming out of this - I was completely turned back around to Jesus!!!)
Our first day covered 110 miles. I found myself praying for God's strength - and He answered that prayer! The second day was only 80 miles, but it was so painful. I found myself praying for God's healing - and He answered that prayer. The third day was a painless 70 miles. But then on the fourth day...
There was one seemingly endless stretch of time where it was just wilderness, and eventually we had all finished the water from our bottles. Already thirsty, our leader studied the road map and assured us that water should be available within 20 miles. One hour without water seemed do-able. But when we had gone the 20 miles, there was nothing. We had no choice but to continue on.
It was hot and we were against a very stiff wind. The road was hilly, and very narrow - without shoulders - and the drop-off was severe. Huge lumber trucks roared past us from each direction. Each time one would pass by us, we strained with all our might to keep from being sucked under their wheels - or pushed off the road. And each time a semi came from the other direction - MAN! - with the combination of the wind and their slip-stream working against us - even when we were going downhill - we were almost standing still.
I remember seeing old billboards of empty promises at the side of the road - "Ten miles to the next..." Only to find boarded up buildings. I never thought to blame God, or our fearless leaders! I PRAYED!!! Four hours of intense prayer!!! My tongue had already been sticking to the roof of my mouth. At one point, there seemed to be hope. A camp ground! We glided down a steep hill on the long gravel driveway - in the shade of pine trees - only to be refused water. "Nope! There's a gas station in 20 miles! Go there!"
The gravel driveway was so steep, so with shaky legs, we had to push our bikes up to the highway. How did none of us collapse from dehydration or heat exhaustion? God gave every one of us enough energy to make it to the gas station which had a convenience store. But when the service station people saw the ten of us on bikes - they, too, refused us water. They didn't even want to allow us into the store to buy anything, because a motorcycle gang had recently trashed their place.
Instead of getting angry, or playing the blame-game, there was MORE PRAYING!!! Let them see that we are not a threat. Let them see God's love!!! It was an opportunity for us to be a testimony. This doesn't mean that we were better than the Israelites. In this case, we all chose to focus on what God would do in that situation.
We are all susceptible to falling down; but because of God's grace, in His strength, patience and love, His children can get back up and continue on.
I was thirsty and I needed water. The Bible is the Shepherd's staff that guides me to Jesus. And Jesus is my living water, so that I will thirst no more. Oh that I keep going to God's words and to Jesus, to continue to drink in His fullness.
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