On Remembering the Faithfulness of God
Water from the Rock
17 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
This
account of God providing for the Israelites often reminds me of myself. I dare
suggest that it should remind all of us of ourselves, for we too are people so
easily swayed by circumstance and so easily forgetful of the promises of God.
God had recently brought his people out of bondage in Egypt led by Moses; yet,
they quarreled with him and made demands of him. Moses even suggests that they test
the Lord (v. 2). To brilliantly reveal the patience and grace of our God,
however, he provides for them in a miraculous manner by drawing water out of a
rock of all instruments. This account affords us to further understand the
patience and mercy of God as well as the ignorance and impatience of people.
Faith in God is developed over the course of a lifetime and is not complete
until his people are with Christ Jesus. Until then, we persistently struggle
with faith and patience; yet, God is faithful and continuously transforms us
into his image. We should not, however, neglect our responsibility in spiritual
development. While we are imperfect, we should strive for a perfect faith in
God. Let us not forget his promises and his faithfulness to us even when we
have been unfaithful. God is good; let us then be a people who honor God and
remember his works in our own lives and in the lives of numerous believers throughout
human history.
