Water From a Rock

Exodus 17:1-7
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?”

Trust God’s Way

Exodus 17:1-7

God test His people to see if they trust him.

The wilderness generation teaches us about human nature. We are very much like this wilerness generation. And it is good for us to know how God interacts with them.

For starers, he TESTS them. Twice Moses explicitly tells us God tested the people.

First God tested them at the waters of Marah, then he tests them with the manna everyday.

Water & Bread

Exodus 15:25
25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,
26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

Exodus 16:4
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.

God tests his people.

  • [ APP ] Know you will be tested by God.
  • Do you see God testing you?
  • He knows all about your struggles
  • [ ILL ]A young man was on a road trip with two young women. It was raining out. He had a flat tire. He had to fix his car in the pouring rain while these two girls were giggling at him. It didn’t make the experience enjoyable. But one of the girls told the other to be quiet. “Shh, this is a test for him.” Once he realized the moment for what it was, he was able to fix the car and have the good road trip.
  • Consider it the highest joy, because God wants

Three times the people complained

Exodus 14:11-12
11 Then they said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?
12 Is this not the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, ‘Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.”



Exodus 15:24
Exodus 16:2-3

  • They long for Egypt
  • They are tired of testing, so they are testing God. The people are putting God in the hot seat now.
  • God has already sent manna & quail from heaven
  • This moment echoes through the rest of the bible

This moment is referenced several times again

Psalm 95:9-10
9 When your fathers tested Me; They tried Me, though they saw My work.
10 For forty years I was grieved with that generation, And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, And
they do not know My ways.’



Psalm 78:40,41

Look at the end of verse 9, "though they say my work.

This helps us understand what God is doing

No Water at Rephidim

Exodus 17:1
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.

They complain of thirst

Exodus 17:2-3
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?”

To Complain is to Test God

  1. They demand God’s provision. They demanded “give us water to drink.” They didn’t wait on God. They didn’t ask. They simply just dounbted God was going to take care of them. We do this, too.
  2. They denied God’s protection. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us an our children and livestkc die of thirst” They assumed the worst. It’s over, we’re all gonna die. They are accusing God of murder. We also can doubt his protection.
  3. They doubt God’s presense. In v7, it says “tested the LROD by saying, ”Is the LORD among us or not?" They demanded God’s provision, they denied God’s protection, and now they doubt his presence. There’s no water here. Why would God bring us, this great people to a place with no water!

"You could not do more for yourself than by [a] thankful spirit, for it turns all that it touches into happiness.”
— William Law

Philippians 2:14-15
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Complaining and testing God is jumping to conclusions

The People’s Solution

Exodus 17:4, 7
4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
…
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?”

  • v7 tells us the people tested God.
  • v4 tells us they found Moses guilty in their eyes and are about to execute judgment on him by killing.
  • Think in their perspective just for a moment.
  • Aren’t they right? They are about to die in the wilderness…
  • God and Moses take a million people to a place with no water… How do you come out of that on top?
  • I know that it’s easy to poke fun at these people, but they have a point.
  • God has been test them again, and again. What gives?
  • So what’s the people’s solution: Put God on trial.
  • He’s the problem.
  • He’s the one that’s got the issues.
  • He needs to to better.
  • Where is is promises? The land flowig with milk and honey?
  • The name Rephidi is changed to Massah and Meribah here. These are courtroom words. These people want to put God on trial.

God’s Solution

Exodus 17:5-6
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.

  • Look at the imagery here.
  • Gathering the Elders, this is how a trial would happen. God puts himself in the hot seat.
  • Moses takes the rod he used to turn water into blood. The rod of God’s judgment over Egypt.
  • God stands on, by, or in front of the rock and Moses strikes the Rock where God is standing…
  • In front of the rulers of the Hebrews, God is “condemned” and he is struck… why? So the people will have water… So they will live.
  • God displays amazing grace to his people. They have failed and failed and complained and failed and he walks past them, stands on the rock and gives them life.
  • Our God is an awesome God.
    • The story ends there. But it’s ideas echo through scripture.
    • Many times this story is brought up as a story of choice. Choose to be stiff-necked and test God and die. Or listen to his voice and harden not your heart.
    • This is our choice this morning.

Water from the Rock

Psalm 78:15-16
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness, And gave them drink in abundance like the depths.
16 He also brought streams out of the rock, And caused waters to run down like rivers.

Psalm 104:41
He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places like a river.

God as the Rock

Deuteronomy 32:4
The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.

Psalms 95:1
Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Christ, Our Rock

1 Corinthians 10:4
For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

  • Jesus was the one the people grumbled against
  • It was he who they picked up stones to throw at him.
  • He was lead before the High Priests and found guity
  • They pierced his side so water and blood came forth from his wounds.

John 4:14
but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst…