Exodus 17:1-7

Following God is easy when we know where He’s going. Following His lead is simple when we understand what He’s doing. When God makes sense, we’re calm. You know. He leads you to a great paying job with wonderful benefits, great working environment, room to advance and plenty of affirmation that you’re doing a good job. And we know that God did this for us, and we’re thankful that He did. Our God is so good. You’re family is doing great. Your marriage is wonderful, the marriages of your kids are healthy, you enjoy your time together at holidays, you love to do things together. And you know this is a gift from God. Our God is so good. And you’re healthy, you feel strong, you have energy to do things, things for God, and things for yourself. Your mind is healthy, your back is healthy, your knees feel great. And you see this health is from God. Our God is so good.

But then things start to go wrong. The job starts to drag, the benefits aren’t what you expected, the compliments don’t come as often. The marriage gets a little tough, the kind, loving words are few and far between. The kids are starting to have their struggles. And you’re not feeling so great. The knees are getting a little creaky, the mind is not as sharp as it was, you’re not feeling as energetic as you’re used to. And life doesn’t seem to be going as great as it was. When life was good, it was obvious, God is so good. When life is hard, the days are long, the nights are even longer, how can God still be good? And I know that we all know that God is still good. We’re supposed to know this, so we will know this.

But can we experience His goodness, when life is dry? Can there be a calmness, a peace, that assurance that comes from knowing that everything is going to be okay, because God is so good? And when life is dry and we seem to be running out of options, can we act like we’re in trouble? Can we complain? And what will God do if we do complain? If we don’t just accept it, how will He respond?

We get our answer here in Exodus 17. Just a couple of months out of Egypt, and the people are heading to the promised land. And each step along the way they’ve seen the miraculous power and loving protection of God. They couldn’t have taken a step out of Egypt, if not for the 10 plagues God sent. They would have been annihilate at the Red Sea, if not for the darkness God threw over the Egyptian Army, and the road He made through the Sea. They’d have starved to death if not for the manna. They’d have died from water poisoning at Marah, if not for God’s miraculous healing of the waters. And now they’re on the march again. And at first, at least n verse 1, they seem to be on track.

They’re going where God tells them to go. Which is a good idea, a safe way of going to the promised land. They look obedient and trusting, at least in verse 1. But by verse 2 already, there’s trouble again because:

Now remember, the people went where God told them to go. So, let’s understand. God told them to go to Rephidim, even when there was no water there, at least no obvious water. This was not a mistake on the part of the people, this was not a miscalculation on the part of Moses. This was God leading them to what looked like a dry spot.

And understand. There are over a million people who need water here. A million people. Old people and little children, people who work hard all day. This is serious stuff. The people are looking for water, H2O, and all they’re seeing are rocks. So, verse 2:

Notice who they quarreled with. Who brought them to Rephidim? God did. Who did they complain to? Moses. They went to the wrong person. If they were going to complain to someone, they should have complained to God.

But they didn’t. And Moses is getting attacked. Moses knows who they should be talking to, and he tells them in verse 2:

There are two tests going on here, two ways that the people are not trusting God. For one, they’ve been provided for again and again so far, and the people don’t remember. If God gave them a road through the middle of a sea, if He made bread rain from heaven, if He made water drinkable, don’t you think He’ll make sure they have enough water? Did they really think that God had gotten them out of Egypt just to turn them into buzzard food out in the desert? These people had seen real live miracles. They hadn’t just read about them, they’d lived them. Their ears had heard the cries of the Egyptians when their firstborn children had died. They were carrying the gold and silver in their pockets that the Egyptians had given them. They had every reason to believe that God was going to take care of them now.

But once again, they couldn’t see it. They couldn’t remember. And all of those reasons to believe God were thrown out the door when their throats got thirsty. Don’t get me wrong. Being thirsty in the desert is a serious thing. They’re not making a mountain out of a molehill. They’re just forgetting who made the mountains, and what He can do about dry throats. And here’s their second sin. Instead of turning to the Maker of mountains, instead of turning to their God in their fear, in their need, instead of going to the One who lead them there, they go to Moses.

Verse 3:

They point to their thirsty children, just look at the kids, and they are mad at Moses. They accuse him of trying to kill them.

And now Moses has real trouble. Not only is he thirsty himself, but now he’s getting mobbed. And look at where Moses goes with his troubles. He doesn’t get into a shouting match with the people. He doesn’t try to reason with them, argue them back into submission, put the blame back on their shoulders. Instead, verse 4:

Moses takes his troubles to the Lord, to the One who led them to this waterless place. He calls out for help to the One who is supposed to be their God, and they are supposed to be His people. He goes to the one in charge. Lord, you brought us here. Now what?

And the Lord answers. And He doesn’t say, "Oh, get over it. Be tough." He doesn’t say, "Hey, I gave you good brains. Use them. You figure it out." No, He tells Moses to go hit a rock. But the answer is not found in hitting a stone. It’s not that God pointed Moses to hit a crack in the rock, to hit it hard enough to open up an artesian well lying just below the surface. It’s not Moses that is bringing the water.

No, the real Source of power is standing right in front of them. The Lord says, in verse 6:

Now, we can be a little fooled, here, by what we’re seeing in verse 6. We can think that this story is about parched throats and dry faces and the lack of liquid. And then God, in his mercy, gives that liquid to keep them going. That’s what we see at first glance. God taking care of His people, giving us our physical needs, the stuff to keep us going.

But there’s something more mysterious, more wonderful happening here. And we don’t find out this mystery, this wonder, until we read all the way through the Bible to 1 Corinthians 10:3. Paul is pointing back 2000 years before him, 4000 years ago from us, and he’s revealing a secret. That manna that they were eating, that wasn’t just bread. That water they were drinking, that wasn’t just H2O in liquid form. In 1 Corinthians 10, we hear:

See, what they didn’t know that while the Lore was taking care of the thirsty throats, He was giving them something even more important. They thought they needed water in order to get to the promised land, but water was no where near the most important. They needed what God gave them. They needed Christ.

And here we are, out in the desert, walking, sometimes stumbling, toward the home that God has promised. We are on the way. We’re on a trip. We’ve been freed from captivity of sin by the death and resurrection of Jesus and we’re heading to a wonderful safe place, a home where everything will be perfect.

But we’re not home yet. We’re in the desert, and we haven’t made it to the promised land. And there is plenty around to make us nervous. There are some where actual food and water are scarce, and they wonder whether they will be able keep on living with their income level. And they wonder, where is God?

For most of us, we have food and water and transportation and health care. But we have enough to keep us nervous, too. We watch prices, and when we want prices to go up, they go down, and when we want prices to go down, they go up. We notice a lump where there shouldn’t be a lump. There’s a cough that won’t quit. The election is not going the way you wanted it to go. The family seems to be falling apart. A loved one is making hurtful decisions. Life seems uncertain.

So what do you do? Remember the two mistakes that the Israelites made? They didn’t trust the God who had brought them through so much, and they brought their complaint to someone else other than God.

So, if we want to keep walking toward the promised without quarreling and testing the Lord, then first we need to remember. We look back and we see what He has done, and what He has kept from happening. Remember that month, a year or so ago, when finances seemed tight and you wondered how things were going to get paid? They did, didn’t they? God is good. Remember going to the doctor, wondering what she was going to say? And everything was okay? God is so good. And remember when you didn’t know what you were going to do, it seemed like you were out of options, and then something happened and the confusion, the dilemma just seemed to melt. God is so, so good.

We have seen and experienced the goodness of God, but here’s where we run into trouble. We’ve seen His goodness, but we wonder if maybe this time He won’t come through. Maybe this time we won’t be okay. We’ve been trying to obey Him, live His way, but what if He just leaves us hanging this time, out on our own, for us to figure things out.

If that’s our fear, then we need to tell Him. If you just know what He’s going to do, or if you really don’t like what He is doing, then tell Him. Don’t complain to someone else, don’t just sit with the doubts stewing around inside. Tell Him. Use the words of the Psalms. When it seems He’s forgotten, ask Him, from Psalm 13

When the fear, the pain is too much, tell Him, from Psalm 4

When He seems so far away, out of touch, and doing nothing, tell Him, from Psalm 88

When you do, something will happen, something incredible. God will stand before you, and you will know. Water will come from a rock, but not the ordinary kind. He may bring the physical needs we’re asking for, He may bring the healing we crave. He may not. He may bring us home.

But He will bring something more important, and this is guaranteed. He’ll bring Christ into us, through His Holy Spirit. He’ll bring the peace of Christ, the hope of Christ, the faith of Christ, the strength of Christ. He’ll put the mind of Christ into our poor confused worrying heads. And with Christ in us and around us, we’ll make it home. There might be times that we thirst, for reconciliation, for security, for peace. And the circumstances might not change, the situation might stay the same, but the thirst will be quenched, by Christ.

When remember and we trust. When we talk to the right person. Because our God stands before us, pouring out His care.