Exodus 17:1-7
Water from the Rock (Numbers 20:1–13)
1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”
So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?”
3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of 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 with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in 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 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
After exiting Egypt through the Red Sea opened by the hand of God to bring His people out of the captivity and bondage of that oppressive land and into freedom, after they had complained in discontent, after they had again witnessed the miracle of the bread from heaven, then they again contended with the leader Moses who represented the LORD on their behalf. They were marching the armies of the LORD () through dry places and demanded water and tempted God in the process by not waiting on His provision and sustenance in His time. They lacked faith. How often do we still find times when we do not get what we feel entitled to and rail against the leaders God puts over us in the house of God? Do we not respect their authority given by Him for our good and submit to their leadership (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Hebrews 13:7, 17) that supplies our needs by God’s hand through them to us in God’s time? Even Moses pointed out that their complaints tempted the LORD by their disobedience of discontent. The people still rejected the authority of their God-appointed leader and blamed him for taking them out of the bondage of Egypt (as if that was a good situation there) only to kill them all with thirst. Moses was at his wits end with their rebellious disobedience and cried out to God for help as all leaders must do in both good and trying times. God instructed Moses to take some of the elders with him before the people and use the rod of deliverance to hit the rock at Horeb that water would flow from it for them to meet their needs. If they had only waited patiently they would have had that water anyway. This place was then known as ‘temptation’ and ‘contention’ because of their faithlessness and rebelliousness against the LORD. They argued with God by blaming His servant and refusing to submit to his God-given authority and then tempted God Himself by doubting His presence and work among them for their good by providing sustenance to them. Do we contend and rebel against those put over us in the Lord and tempt Him by doubting His authority given them for our good as His servants to us, or do we willingly submit to their direction that is found in God’s word for our good? Such submission is not enslavement or control, but rather it is God’s roles of positional authority and order given to shepherd His people in an orderly manner (Colossians 1:28-29) with His gifts of imparted wisdom in them to bring us to maturity in Christ as they lead us beside still waters of contentment.
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