Exodus 17:1–7 (NRSV)
Read Exodus 17:1–7 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 17From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Verse 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" Verse 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" Verse 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." Verse 5The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Verse 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. Verse 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
Devotion
The people of Israel are wandering in the wilderness and they are thirsty. They take to grumbling. They cry out against the hardships of their life, convinced that this is where they have come to die. This story, however, immediately follows the Exodus from Egypt at the hand of God, as well as the provision of food in the form of manna. And, once again, God provided. Moses picked up his staff, struck the rock, and out flowed water. The cries for provision, made in despair and desperation, were answered. I feel more compassion for the people of Israel this year as I have in years past, as I see how deeply we need the season and practice of Lent. The question of the Israelites—“Is the Lord among us or not?”—may haunt our own feelings of desperation or abandonment. Still, we remember that God is present in our times of wilderness and God’s provision is at work.
Prayer
God of gracious provision, remind us of your work in the world, even as we grumble. Turn our eyes to your presence among us as we walk through the wilderness. Amen.
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