“In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?”
The Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, grumble to Moses due to their thirst for water. This happens not long after their deliverance from slavery under Egyptian rule, a time in which God had made provisions and performed miraculous judgments against Egypt to ensure their freedom. As a declaration of His love, the manifestation of His power had been in full display for the Israelites many times, yet, despite the evident magnificence of His works, they seemed to have easily forgotten Him.
I find myself instinctively shaking my head in disbelief of the Israelites’ hardened hearts, fear, and lack of faith in the face of suffering. Yet, I am quickly reminded that when faced with any adverse circumstance, or perhaps a situation that is even mildly inconvenient, I too grumble like the Israelites. I am often consumed with worry, disbelief, and waste my time complaining to anyone who will listen. In my imperfection, human frailty, rebellion, and forgetfulness, I repeatedly fail to seek help from our sovereign, omnipotent, and loving Father. Moses exemplifies faithfulness and trust in God in his response to this challenge:
So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!”
Moses demonstrated remarkable faith and resilience in the face of suffering. Through his actions and cry out to God, Moses proved that he was a man of faith who had not forgotten God’s fidelity, divine authority, and protection. By crying out to the Lord to share his grievances, Moses acknowledges God’s power, provision, and demonstrates ultimate trust in Him. Although Moses shared in the Israelites’ suffering in the wilderness, he consistently asks for God’s guidance in prayer and remained faithful to His instructions. Moses surrendered the Israelites and their suffering to God, to which our Father responded with a way to save them from their thirst.
The LORD answered Moses,“Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.”
In obedience, Moses follows God’s instruction by striking the rock, from which water miraculously and abundantly flows, quenching the thirst of the hundreds of thousands of Israelites. The Israelites’ suffering was quickly alleviated by the seemingly simple act of a wooden staff piercing a rock, foreshadowing the passion and suffering of Jesus.
Despite our own failures and forgetfulness, God never ceases to meet us in the wilderness of our lives. We can cry out to Him in surrender when we are troubled, seek refuge in His love, and find rest and reassurance in His faithfulness. Through this passage, we are reminded of God’s desire for us to depend on and trust in Him. May we remember all the ways that the Lord has led us in the wilderness, humbled us, tested us, all so that He can see the true condition of our hearts, and so that we may be reminded of His goodness and the richness of His love.
Father God, we know that when your will is to send us into the wilderness, you are seeking to bring us closer to you. We give thanks for the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of your son, Christ Jesus. That through our suffering, hunger, and thirst, you have provided us with Living Water that flows freely from our faith in our Rock, Christ Jesus. We know that salvation exists for us all because Christ, from whom abundant grace and blessings flow, was pierced on the cross. Thank you for your grace, love, and endless compassion. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.