Dying of Thirst
Reflective Reading: Exodus 17
“Therefore the people quarrelled against 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?’ 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?’” (Exodus 17:2)
It was here that “he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarrelling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7)
The names Massah and Meribah give meaning to the conflict. Massah means testing and Meribah means quarrelling. Even though the Scriptures teach that contentions come only by pride (Proverbs 13:10), here in Exodus 17 the conflict is also due to their distrust in the presence of the LORD.
The children of Israel were angry about their circumstances. They had not matured enough in their faith to recognize that God was indeed with them. He demonstrated His power on their behalf with all the miracles that Moses displayed before Pharoah. All the firstborn children of Egypt had died, while the Israelite children lived. After the plagues, they experienced the parting of the Red Sea, the bitter waters made sweet, and the miracle of the manna. How could they possibly think God was going to let them die of thirst?
It doesn’t take long for us to forget all that God has done for us. What is it that causes us to forget so easily? Moses reveals that the root of the problem for the children of Israel was their lack of faith in the presence of God: “Is the LORD among us or not?”
If we are not convinced that God is with us in every difficult circumstance, then complaining and quarrelling are sure to follow. Certainly, there will be times when it appears that God is nowhere to be found, or perhaps that He has abandoned us. But it is in those darkest hours that God tests us, so that we might know the power of His deliverance and redemption. The darker the hour, the greater the deliverance!
One of my favorite passages of Scripture that speaks to the purpose of suffering is the first chapter of 2 Corinthians. Paul writes,
“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.”
When it seems as though we have the “sentence of death in ourselves,” or we will die of thirst (or loneliness, depression, rejection, etc.), we must not turn back to our “comfort idols.” These temporary “fixes” keep us enslaved and increase our thirst for more, leaving us feeling that we’re “dying of thirst.” This results in conflict, quarrels, doubts, and further distrust in the presence of God.
The children of Israel were so fickle in their faith that they wanted to go back to their life of slavery in Egypt. Sadly, many who can’t handle the testing go back to their old life, which seems safer and less demanding. What they don’t understand is that it keeps them in a state of insufferable loss and unattainable longings.
In Exodus 17, even the great Moses has developed an untrusting heart. Distressed about his circumstances, he believed that if things didn’t get better, he would die. So he cried to the LORD,
“What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (17:4).
God’s response to Moses is going to come as a surprise to some. In fact, it doesn’t seem to make much sense! God tells Moses:
“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” (17:6).
Strike the rock? Wait…that’s all he has to do? I wonder why Moses and the people didn’t ask God what to do earlier? So often we forget that God is for us and with us, and as a result, we don’t turn to him until we find ourselves embroiled in conflict. So there you have it. If you want to experience God’s deliverance, it can only happen through the striking of the Rock.
What does this mean? The Apostle Paul gives us some insight about this event in Exodus 17 when he writes to the church at Corinth.
“For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (I Corinthians 10:4).
The striking of the Rock refers to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection! Because Jesus was willing to be struck and to die on a cross, we can be filled and fulfilled.
As always, the Source and the Provider for our empty souls is Jesus. Because He was willing to be struck, we can be filled, or rather, be flooded by his love (Rom 5:3-5)!
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Resources:
Hungering and Thirsting – book or audio drama
The Robbers’ Cave – book or audio drama
The Runaway Darling – book
