Title: We often doubt God’s presence in our life in spite of God’s faithfulness

TEXT: Exodus 17:1-7

Introduction

Humans are never satisfied with anything in life. No matter whether rich or poor, Christian or
Non Christian, although we have what we need, we often feel emptiness, that leads us in
dissatisfaction in life. Of course it is so true that life is uncertain and sometimes unfair. This
uncertain circumstance or situation in our life makes us unsatisfied with the evidence of being
and the providence of God. Rather provokes our mind with the question why only me in this
situation? And sometimes it even creates a doubt within with a question of “where is God?” I am
sure that almost all of us have gone through situation as such. And, in such times we have also
experience God’s presence and his faithfulness. However, yet again when we go through same
situation of dryness or brokenness we often fail to put our confident with God. We fail to see the
faithfulness of God and what he has, the situation makes so blind that our faith becomes so tiny.
Why, because we never expect disappointment, failure or the challenges in life, rather expect
happiness and joy whether in our personal life, family or ministry. So, let us look forward into
the life of Israelites and their circumstances and how God’s presence was enough in the
disappointment of impossible situations.

As we know that in the book of Exodus about the history of Israelites that how God delivered
them from the Egyptian bondage and as God chose Moses to lead the people of Israel. God
miraculously delivered them from the hands of pharaoh. Israel miraculously departs from the
Red Sea journey through the wilderness of Shur (Exodus 15:22), and arrives at Marah, where
God sweetens the bitter waters (Exodus 15:23-26). From Marah they travel to the wilderness of
Sin, where God provides manna (Exodus 16:1-36). And from the wilderness of Sin they travel to
Rephidim, the setting for today’s text where once again we see that how God graciously
provided their needs in their journey (Exodus 17:1-7).

In this text Exodus 17:1-7, talks about God’s presence in the midst of their unfaithfulness, as we
see that it is the wilderness narratives that once again people of Israel complain about the
resource scarcity. So, we often doubt God’s presence in our life in spite of God’s faithfulness.
 1. When we are tried, hungry and thirsty (v1-3).

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, travelling from place to place as
the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2So 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 in test?” 3 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?”

As they moved toward Mount Sinai, the people of Israel were still being led by the pillar of
cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. But the Lord was still directing Israel into difficult
and trying situations in order to prove His power and build their faith and character. After all,
life’s journey involves much more than merely reaching a destination. They were once again in
need of drinking water. Their first response was to complain against Moses.

God had met the needs of His people in each of the previous crises. When they were thirsty at
Marah, He made bitter water turn sweet. When they were hungry in the Desert of Sin, he brought
quail at the right time and manna day by day.

a) Israelites journey in the command of God (v.1c).

After the celebration, the Lord moves the Israelites through harsh and dry deserts to Mount Sinai
where he will make a covenant with them and give them His law. But on the way, He tests their
trust and obedience and shows that He will provide everything they need to survive. Israel had
long way to go before they would qualify as a godly nation. So far, every new trial they
experienced only brought out the worst in them. When they arrived in Rephidim, in the
wilderness of Sinai, they again found themselves without water. The location of the camp at
Rephidim, a place where there was no water. They journeyed according to the commandment of
the Lord, this refers to the pillar of cloud and fire which guided the Israelites on the various steps
of their journey (Exodus 13:20-22). God’s presence was with them, not only in the form of
verbal promises but visually and substantially as the Israelites had the daily reminder of God’s
caring provision in the form of manna, water. And yet, the Israelites grumbled against Moses.

b) Grumbling of Israelites in their physical needs (v.1d-3)

While they were slaves in Egypt, the Israelites’ work was defined and their needs met by the
Egyptian system. Now they are without work and in the desert with no food, no water and no
system in place to meet their needs. Once again the Lord has led His people into difficult
situations to make them realize their need for Him. At Rephidim, they thirsted there for water
and the lack of water or the intense thirst made them violent and impatient in their desire which
resulted in grumbling against their leader Moses. They challenged Moses to supply them because
they were supplied with bread; they insist upon it that they must be supplied with water too.
They quarreled with Moses for bringing them out of Egypt.

2. Even When God has answered our prayers (v.4-7).

4
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to
stone me. 5The 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. 6I 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. 7And he called the place
Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying,
“Is the Lord among us or not?”

a) Moses responds to the compliant of the people (v. 4).

As the past, Moses as a leader once again turned to the Lord for help (15:25; 32:30ff; Num.11:1-
2; 12:13; 14:13ff). Moses responds to the compliant of the people with a complaint of his own,
this one directed to God; “what shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me”
(v.4). Moses and the people were in desperate situations of crisis. Moses turns to the Lord as
people turn on Moses. Both face life and death situations, the people think they may die of thirst,
while Moses thinks he may die at the hands of people. So Moses goes to God and as we read in
verse 7 that the people said, “Is the Lord among us or not?” the people doubt God. It is easy to
let a situation of crisis break down a community or neighbors to turn on one another as it
happened in the case of Moses and Israelites in the place called Rephidim.

b) God’s miraculous provision demonstrates His powerful presence (v.5-7)

So, as we see that the Israelites demand water as they were very thirsty. And once again God
answered and provided what the Israelites needed. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble’ (Ps. 46:1). God went and stood by the rock at Horeb (v.6). Horeb means
“desert”; it also may be an alternative name for Mount Sinai, where Moses encountered the
“burning bush” at Horeb (Ex. 3:1-2). The Lord instructed Moses to take some of the elders with
him and his staff that symbolized God’s power (Ex.7:20), and to smite the rock in the sight of the
people. Then according to God’s command, Moses obeyed, the water gushed forth from the rock
and met the needs of the people and livestock (Ps 78:15-16; 105:41; 114:8; Isa. 48:21). A
gracious God met the needs of a complaining people.

Moreover, God does so in a manner that provides not simply for the physical need, but in a way
that restores the community. In previous provisions of God we see that working through Moses
God had caused bread which normally grows out of the ground and has to go through several
processes to rain down from heaven. Here in this passage also we see that working through
Moses God causes water which often rains down from heaven to spring forth from a rock that
had no sign of water coming from it.

The rock at Horeb from which the water poured out is referred to by the Apostle Paul in 1
Corinthians 10:3-4 as a spiritual rock: he says that the rock was Christ. And the water is a type of
the Holy Spirit whose coming was made possible by Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension to
heaven (John 7:37-39).

Conclusion and Application

Once more, then, God provides for the need of His people, this time for the physical need of
water. When a need arises, the Israelites do not wait for it to be met; indeed they do not even
assume that can be met. Rather they attack God and put Him on trial by attacking Moses to put
him on trial. They focus more on their physical needs than trusting to God who delivered them
from the bondage.

This texts shows that how the human nature is, we can see that the history does not simply tells
us from Israel’s past, but bear witness to the characteristic nature of life and of relationship with
God. It is not just people of Israel who were lacking in faith or distrusting God in that very
situation but we Christian today fails to do that. It is very clear that we are nothing without God.
It is God who always answers us in the time of our troubles. God redeemed Israelites from
earthly bondage and taught them how to live, and graciously agreed to dwell among them. So,
even today we Christians must need to understand that we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus
Christ and He delivered us from the slavery of Sin. We have experienced the God’s gracious
salvation and provision, yet we often forget His instructions and go after our selfish desires. Like
the Israelites, we often focus on the things that haven’t gone our way while forgetting to count all
the goodness of God we have already received. Israel received the manna and we Christian have
received the bread of life and the living water, who is Jesus Christ Himself (John4:14; 6:35). So,
we should worship God because he is God and we are saved through His grace, mercy and
unconditional love. He is same yesterday, today and forever. He is Emmanuel (God with Us).