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Steven Cole · Citado em PreceptAustin
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Cole - Why did God directly lead Israel to another place of no water?” The answer is: For the same reason He brings us into places of need: so that we will call upon Him in our weakness and He will be glorified when He delivers us. The Lord says (Ps. 50:15), “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.” So if you’re in a place of trouble, before you do anything else, call upon the Lord. If you’ve been grumbling, confess that to the Lord and ask Him to be glorified through the trial that you’re in. This incident of Israel’s grumbling at Massah (“test”) and Meribah (“quarrel”) is mentioned in Psalm 95:7-11. Hebrews 3:7-11+ cites those verses and adds (Heb. 3:12+), “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.” Grumbling stems from “an evil, unbelieving heart.” Unbelief tests or tries the Lord (Exod. 17:7; Ps. 95:9). In spite of His many mercies, when problems arise, unbelief challenges God by asking (Exod. 17:7), “Is the Lord among us, or not?” In other words, unbelief asks, “If God is really here and cares about me, how can He let this happen?” Unbelief doubts God’s sovereignty, His power, His wisdom, and His love. It removes God from His rightful place as judge and puts Him on trial, while I judge Him, questioning His ways of dealing with me! It stems from the pride of thinking that I know better than God what would be best for me. Be on guard against grumbling against the Lord! ILLUSTRATION OF TESTING - Dr. A.T. Pierson once wrote, "In a paper mill what a contrast between the heap of filthy rags at one end and the pure and spotless white paper at the other! What a trial the rags go through before they emerge in this new form! Torn to pieces and ground to pulp, bleached with chloride of lime 'til all stains are removed, washed over and over; submitted to another bleaching by the action of chlorine and alum; washed again, 'til the pulp is white as cream or snowflakes! Caught upon a wire cylinder, after the severe shaking by the Fourdrinier process which crosses the fibers and gives compactness and firmness to the fabric; and then passed between and around the hot surfaces which makes the paper smooth and even -- how like the Divine discipline by which our filthiness is cleansed away; how like the tribulation out of which all come up who have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb!" God wants us all to heed the charge of James that we might grow in Christ-likeness.. Consider (aorist imperative = A COMMAND - only way we can truly obey is by relying on the Holy Spirit) it ALL JOY (NOT "SOME" JOY BUT "ALL JOY! -- JUST TRY DOING THIS IN RELIANCE ON YOUR NATURAL STRENGTH - YOU MUST RELY ON HIS SUPERNATURAL ENABLEMENT OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD), my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4+) INTRODUCTORY ILLUSTRATION - Back when I was a boy growing up there were times when I wanted something that I really had no way of getting myself. I was going to school and did not have a job, except in the summer to pick blueberries for my parents, which helped pay for school clothes. Now I played sports in High School. When you play sports you don’t have much time to work a job, so when I would want something I would typically make my request known to my parents. For example, I wanted a school class ring, which I still have to this day. My parents graciously provided the means whereby I could get that class ring. They did that for every one of their children. Now the thing that bothers me is that when I was growing up, I did not realize how much they were protecting us and providing for us. They were not only meeting our needs, but many times our wants. I told my parents I loved them on many occasions, but I don’t recall ever telling my father thank you for working and providing for me. I regret that! Because I have come to understand how much he did for us now, but now he is with the Lord. The problem with Israel is that she has never come to realize how much God has done for her. Just days after parting the Red Sea, the people of this nation were complaining against Moses and against God. They were not thankful people and they were not trusting people. God used a series of episodes in her history to try to bring her to the place where she would finally realize He is the one caring for her. In fact, this is the point here. This is the lesson Israel needed to learn and so do we. WHEN WE ARE FOLLOWING THE LEADING OF GOD, WE WILL SOMETIMES EXPERIENCE THINGS THAT WILL FORCE US TO PRAY TO GOD AND TRUST GOD SO THAT WE WILL LEARN HE IS THE ONE WHO IS PROTECTING US AND PROVIDING FOR US; AND ISRAEL IS AN EXAMPLE OF TOTAL FAILURE . Don’t be fooled into thinking we would never be as foolish as Israel, because frankly we are. In many ways, the story of God’s nation is the story of God’s individual.(David Thompson - Sermon) Exodus 17:2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” Currid - So the people quarrelled with Moses and they said, ‘Give us water to drink and we will drink.’ And Moses said to them, ‘Why are you quarrelling with me? Why are you testing Yahweh?’ NET Exodus 17:2 So the people contended with Moses, and they said, "Give us water to drink!" Moses said to them, "Why do you contend with me? Why do you test the LORD?" NLT Exodus 17:2 So once more the people complained against Moses. "Give us water to drink!" they demanded."Quiet!" Moses replied. "Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the LORD?" KJV Exodus 17:2 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? ESV Exodus 17:2 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?" NIV Exodus 17:2 So 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 to the test?" people quarreled with Moses: Ex 5:21 14:11,12 15:24 16:2,3 Nu 11:4-6 14:2 20:3-5 21:5 Give us water that we may drink: Ge 30:1,2 1Sa 8:6 Lu 15:12 Why do you test the LORD: Ex 17:7 16:2 Nu 14:22 De 6:16 Ps 78:18,41,56 95:9 106:14 Isa 7:12 Mal 3:15 Mt 4:7 16:1-3 Lu 4:12 Ac 5:9 15:10 1Co 10:9 Heb 3:9 Exodus 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries HERE WE GO AGAIN! ISRAEL CONTENDS! Contend means to strive in opposition against another, to strive in controversy, to argue earnestly, to dispute with. In fairness to Israel, this was a real problem and they were justified in their concern. The question is what do we do with our "concern?" Do we turn it into contention with God or do we cry out to God? Therefore - Term of conclusion. Always ask what is being concluded? In this case it is straightforward. The problem of no water concluded (so to speak) in the people beginning to quarrel with their leader. Israel does not like where God has led her because she cannot see any physical drinking water. She has completely forgotten about the Word of God and the work of God. She has forgotten His previous power and provision and protection! When you forget the goodness of God in the past, you are a set up for grumbling and stumbling in the future. It is good to begin each day with an attitude of gratitude to our Great God! Israel forgets God and therefore when the test comes Israel grumbles against Moses and quarrels with Moses. (Ex 17:2-3). The test itself is neutral. It is ordained by God to refine the hearts of His people. But every test comes like a double edged sword, one side cuts to heal, the other cuts to hurt. And so every test can become a temptation to evil if our heart is not right with the LORD. How are you doing with the tests the LORD is allowing into your life (remember He is sovereign which means He is full, total control!)? Clearly the nation of Israel had failed the first "water test" at Marah ("bitter"), so God gives them another "water test." The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” - Give is an imperative = They are commanding their commander! Here the Israelites' reaction is a fruit of their rank unbelief, their failure to trust in Jehovah and His man Moses. Quarreled is in the imperfect tense (in both Hebrew and Greek) which means that over and over the Israelites angrily railed away at Moses. The Greek verb is loidoreo which in the imperfect tense means they were repeatedly hurling verbal abuse at Moses, shouting insults again and again! One can almost hear their ranting and raging, working themselves up in a frenzy like a riotous mob (ready to throw stones)! The idea also may be that they kept bringing a charge against him (almost like one would in a legal case)! Moses' fear of being stoned gives us a clue as to the intensity of the quarrel with Moses! Think about this for a moment. What had just transpired in Ex 15:22-26+? They had grumbled at Moses because the water was bitter! And Moses interceded and God supernaturally sweetened the water. And what did they learn about God (or what should they have learned)? He is their healer. He is Jehovah Rapha. Either the heat had affected their memory and given them amnesia (I am jesting of course) or they had a heart problem, a faith problem, a gratitude problem (I am not jesting here - see the diagnosis of their heart problem by the psalmist in Ps 95:8 and Ps 95:10). And it is amazing that even though Moses was clearly the one who interceded for them and the one who God used to graciously "heal" the water, they viciously attack him again! After all they have seen the Lord do, they are absolutely without excuse! The heart of Israel's problem in quarreling over water, was the problem with their hearts, which had not come to trust in Jehovah! THOUGHT - Frankly, when we as believers begin quarreling or complaining over some circumstance or something we think the Lord should provide for us, we are acting just like Israel and showing our failure to trust in the Lord with all our heart (Pr 3:5-6). Instead of complaining, quarreling or grumbling, we should manifest an attitude of contentment and gratitude, giving thanks in all things (1 Th 5:18+). See also Christian Contentment and Contentment-Devotional. David Thompson - They had already been through this and they saw God wonderfully supply their needs. You would think that they would have all learned their lesson. After they had crossed the Red Sea, they came to a place called Marah (Ex 15:23) and there was no good, fresh water to drink. We may recall that the people started grumbling and God had Moses throw some tree into the water and it became good water (Ex 15:26). God entered into a legal pact with Israel and said as long as you obey Me and follow Me, I will take care of you and provide for you (Ex 15:26). Israel had completely forgotten about the promises of God and the provisions of God. So here we are again. Israel needs water. You would have thought they would say well, God provided it before and He will provide it again. But this is another test Israel will fail. God will give His people many opportunities to get it right. No matter what the issue, God will present multiple opportunities to learn the lesson. In Israel’s case, she failed every time, all the time. Warren Wiersbe said, “every difficulty God permits us to encounter will become either a test that can make us better or a temptation that can make us worse” (Be Delivered, p. 104). It will be our response that will determine which it will be. (Sermon) John Hannah feels "This was worse than their murmurings of distrust at Marah (Ex 15:24) or in the Desert of Sin (Ex 16:2), for here they even quarreled with Moses (Ex 17:2) and were about to stone him (Ex 17:4)." (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)
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Cole adds that the staff "showed both the elders and the people that the power was not in Moses, but came from the Lord. Moses was just the man whom God used." And take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go - Notice Jehovah encourages Moses. How? He does not just say "take the staff" but the very one with which you "struck the Nile"! Jehovah is reminding Moses with this detail that His power was sufficient before in an "abundant water" situation and it will be sufficient in this "no water" situation. Think about this for a moment. Moses is in an arid desert. There is no water. There is probably not a cloud in the sky. It is hot and dry! And God is about to tell him to go strike a rock in the waterless desert. So to prepare Moses for to take this "leap of faith" God encourages Moses' faith. How? We know that faith comes by hearing (the reminder of "the staff with which you struck the Nile") and hearing by the Word of Christ (Jehovah literally speaks the Word in Moses' hearing). (Ro 10:17+). Bush has an interesting note regarding the command to take the staff - We hear the voice of God commanding his servant to take the ominous rod with which he had bruised and broken Egypt, and we anticipate that it is now to be an instrument of inflicting some fearful chastisement upon his guilty people. We can scarce repress an inward shudder in anticipation of the sequel. But how speedily are our apprehensions calmed? The rod is to be assumed for a purpose of mercy and not of wrath. It is to smite, not a sinful people, but a flinty rock. It is to draw forth, not a stream of blood from the heart of the offender, but a stream of water to cool his tongue, and to restore his fainting frame. How involuntary the exclamation, ‘Surely, O Lord, Thy thoughts are not our thoughts, Nor are our ways Thy ways!’ (Isaiah 55:8) Exodus 17:6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at 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. NET Exodus 17:6 I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb, and you will strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people may drink." And Moses did so in plain view of the elders of Israel. NLT Exodus 17:6 I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink." So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on. KJV Exodus 17:6 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. ESV Exodus 17:6 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. NIV Exodus 17:6 I 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. I will stand before you there on the rock : Ex 16:10 at Horeb: Ex 3:1-5 Exodus 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries || Dore Woodcut Moses Striking the Rock STRIKING THE ROCK AT HOREB We could also entitle this passage "Grace to Grumblers!" And there is no divine rebuke! In Exodus 16:3-4+, when the people complained about no food in the wilderness, without rebuke God graciously promised to rain bread from heaven on them. Aren't we glad God gives grumblers grace! Behold (02009)(hinneh) is an interjection meaning look, pay attention, and directs our mind to the text, imploring the reader to give it special attention. In short, the Spirit is trying to arrest our attention! And so hinneh is used as an exclamation of vivid immediacy (e.g., read Ge 6:13)!