We continue the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites as they go from Egypt to Canaan. Last week we looked at how they complained about water and food. Let’s have a look at what happens to them this week.

Exodus 17:1
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

The wilderness of Sin has nothing to do with the act of sin itself. It was just an area east of Egypt. They were still travelling and moving towards Canaan.

But they would run into a familiar situation again. They ran out of water. What did they do? Did they learn their lessons from last time? Would they turn to God and ask for help?

• Exodus 17:2-3
  2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
• The word chide means to complain, to contend or to debate. Most likely they were complaining. And we see that in verse 3 as well.
• So they didn’t learn their lesson from last time. They continued to complain. Even though it was the exact same situation as last time. No water and no food. And now no water again.
• They were being spoilt. They had been provided for miraculously by God but they weren’t grateful. They didn’t remember the goodness of God.
• But what they did keep remembering was Egypt. They seemed to have such fond memories of Egypt.
• They also accused Moses of bringing them out to kill them with thirst. What an amazing accusation. They were being unreasonable again!

What would Moses do when they came to him with such a statement?

• Exodus 17:4
  And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
• Moses was also constant. He would cry to God. Something that the children of Israel should have done. Something that we must learn to do in our troubles as well.
• Too often we allow troubles to separate us from God. Too often our faith is derailed because of trials in our lives, or when things don’t go the way that we planned it.
• But there is an interesting detail here that we see from Moses when he cries to God. He told God that the children of Israel were almost ready to stone him. I don’t think that was an exaggeration on his part. Most likely they really were ready to stone him. That was how desperate that had gotten.
• You must remember, they had just seen miracle upon miracle upon miracle. Yet those miracles didn’t change them at all.
• And that’s the point friends. Miracles don’t change our faith. They don’t strengthen our faith. They can help to remind us of God. But sometimes we see how God works miracles in our lives. But unless we allow the freshness of that situation to push us to His word and make us more prayerful, too often we go back to what we were before.
• This is exactly what has happened with the children of Israel.

Yet in the midst of all this complaining, what does God instruct Moses to do?

• Exodus 17:5-6
  5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
• God is yet patient with the Israelites. He just instructs Moses on how to provide water for them.
  • Go take the rod.
  • Strike the rock with your rod.
  • Water will come out for everyone to drink.
• As a result, the whole camp of Israel was satisfied with water.
• Here is an object lesson that God gave to the Israelites of what He would do one day in the future.
  • The rock represented Jesus.
  • Moses represented God the Father.
  • The Father struck His Son because of our sins.
  • Isaiah 53:4
    Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
  • As a result, water would come out to quench the sin sick soul of every sinner on earth.
  • Isaiah 55:1
    Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat…
  • John 4:13-14
    13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
• Just as the water quenched the thirst of the Israelites, Jesus is that living water that will give us eternal life.

We’re also given an insight into more of what the Israelites were saying and doing.

• Exodus 17:7
  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
• First, they accused Moses of leading them out of Egypt simply to kill them with thirst.
• Secondly, they were ready to stone Moses.
• And third, they were not only murmuring against Moses but they murmured directly against God by doubting whether God was really among them or not.
• They really went so far in their murmuring. They really became so unreasonable.
• Just because there was no water, they allowed the current circumstance make them forget all of God’s providence for them. That morning the manna had probably fallen. That morning they took for granted the miracle that God was giving to them. They had forgotten all the miracles that God had done for them to the extent that they wondered if God was even among them. Can you believe it?!
• But you know that many times we are like that. We have an expectation that if we follow God, everything should be smooth sailing, everything should be a bed of roses, a straight and easy path to walk on. We expect blessings and blessings only.
• And then when something goes wrong, we fret, we panic, we get upset and we forget all of God’s blessings. We expect blessings and no troubles or trials at all.
• 1 Peter 4:12
  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
  • Peter tells us not to be surprised when trials come upon us. That should be our mindset. That should be what we prepare for.
• Matthew 5:10
  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
  • We need to expect trouble, especially when we are good or righteous of faithful.
  • We should be wondering why there is no trouble instead of being surprised when trouble comes.
• It’s logical that when we surrender our lives to Christ that the devil is not happy and that he will do all in his power to derail our faith and make us turn our backs on God.
• We must be vigilant and watchful. We must build our faith every day.
• Many of us are probably just one trial away from walking away from God.

What’s also interesting is that God repeated the trial of water.

• Often God brings us back over the same ground when we have failed. He allows us to be tested again so that we can learn the lesson that He wishes to teach us. And if we fail, in His mercy He sees that there is a need to overcome in that area of our life. So he allows it to be repeated.
• But though repeated, the children of Israel failed that test again.

So after all their murmuring and after God’s provision for them, what would happen next?

• Exodus 17:8-10
  8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
• So because of their complaining, God decides to allow a trial to come upon them. The Amalekites came out to fight against the children of Israel. God would withdraw His protecting power over them.
• I guess we can say it was sort of a punishment. But it was also designed to get their minds off their own personal circumstance, pitying themselves, and so they could focus on something else.
• The arrangement that Moses made was that he would stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in his hand while the Israelites would go down and fight the battle.

Exodus 17:11-13
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

• So Moses wasn’t just standing there with the rod of God in his hand watching the battle. He was holding up the rod of God towards heaven.
• What was he actually doing? Basically he was praying. He was praying and interceding for everyone that was down in the valley fighting against the Amalekites.
• And when he got tired, Aaron and Hur were there to support him to help hold up his hands as he sat on a stone for a chair.
• And all this while, the Israelites were fighting and would eventually succeed and win that battle against the Amalekites.

This is exactly what the Israelites needed. They needed to focus away from themselves and focus on something else.

• Too often we focus on ourselves so much that little problems become so big and unsurmountable, when in reality it was nothing or so small.
• Running out of water was such a small issue. We can say that because God had provided for them so many times already. Turning the bitter water into sweet water. And providing manna and quails for them to eat.
• So when they were looking at their seemingly pitiful situation, focusing on themselves so much, after God provided water for them out of the rock He allowed the Amalekites to come.
• Do you know that God was trying to save them from the unpardonable sin?
• What is the unpardonable sin?
  • Matthew 12:31-32
    31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
  • It is to sin against the Holy Ghost.
• And what does the Holy Ghost do?
  • John 16:13
    Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
  • The Holy Spirit guides us.
• And to see God guiding them with the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire and then have them turn around and say that they were doubting whether God was guiding them at all, they were going down the path of the unpardonable sin. To speak against the Holy Spirit and God guiding them.
• We must be so careful when we complain and murmur lest we end up speaking against God actually guiding us.

There are actually some trials that can be avoided.

• There is a difference between trials that come upon us because we are righteous, because we are doing good, because we are being faithful to God.
• Then there are trials that come on us because of our own foolishness and unfaithfulness.
• For example:
  • There is a difference between someone that gets into an accident even though they were just sitting at the stop sign and doing what is right and someone came and hit them from behind, compared to someone who gets into an accident because they were speeding at double the speed limit going 200 km/hr.
  • Not to say that God abandons us on the second situation. But that trial could have been avoided.
• Such examples we find in the Bible.
  • Job was being faithful to God, but the trial of losing his wealth, his children and his health was not his fault.
  • Compared to Samson who disobeyed God on so many levels and had his hair cut and strength taken away and eventually his eyes plucked out
• The Amalekites coming out to attack the Israelites were the second scenario. Because of their complaining, God removed His protecting care and allowed it to happen.
• Yet God would help and still intervene.

With Moses praying on the top of the hill while Joshua and the Israelites were fighting down below, there is an important lesson there for us to learn also.

• We must learn to pray as if all the success depended on God, but then at the same time we need to work as if all the success depended on us and what we do.
• No one will be saved by just praying, because a man of prayer is also a man of action.
• Just look at the life of Elijah.
  • James 5:17
    Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
  • Elijah was a man of prayer. But he didn’t just pray. Eventually his prayers would lead him to stand before king Ahab and give a message of judgment of no rain.
• And we know that no will be saved by works alone. Not for a moment do I believe that.
• Prayer, faith and action must all work together. Divine strength must be combined with human effort. God does not expect us just to stand there idle and not do anything when it comes to resisting temptation, or when it comes to our own personal salvation, or when it comes to the gospel being preached to the whole world. Prayer is not enough because true prayer will always inspire us to do something.
• Nehemiah was a man of prayer, and yet he would go forth and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
• Daniel was a man of prayer, yet he would stand before kings and give prophecies of judgment.
• Jesus was a man full of prayer, and He would go forth every day to bless the world with His works of healing, preaching and teaching.
• We must learn to act on our faith, act on our prayers. As we do that we will see God’s power being poured out just at the right time that we need it.

Today, more than every before, we need men and women of prayer.

1 Peter 4:7
But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

 Mark 13:33
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.

Truly we are living on the precipice of eternity. Jesus is about to come. We need to be busy about our Master’s business. We need to bring the gospel to the whole world. That means that we need to pray like never before.

Let us learn to bring all our troubles to God. Let’s not look for people to blame. God can bear all our burdens if we allow Him to. He is more than able to help and He is ever ready to answer if we will come to search and seek for Him.