At the start of the Exodus, God empowered Moses to perform many miraculous signs before Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, to demonstrate that Israelites’ exodus project would be a divine will to secure freedom for His people.
For an example, Moses struck the river with his staff, turning the water into blood and leaving the Egyptians without anything to drink. And, perhaps most famously, God used Moses to part the waters of the Red Sea, creating a dry path for the Israelites to walk through to safety. And the waters of the Red Sea had closed behind them, leaving the Egyptian chariots’ drowning in the Red sea waters. hey were finally free for the first time in 400 years. They sang a song of triumph for hours and their hearts were full of praise for days.
Yet, only a few days later, the joy of that miracle began to fade. That song of praise turned into a chorus of complaints. The reality of the hot, harsh desert took its place.
The human heart can be incredibly fragile, easily tossed back and forth by the changing circumstances of life. Once they were safe from the hard labour of Egypt, the Israelites stopped being thankful and started complaining. Fear had been silenced at the sea but started to whisper in the camp again.
They spoke of the “good old days” back in Egypt. In a nutshell, they chose to forget the bitterness of their chains and chose to remember the food they used to eat. They quickly traded the trust they had just promised for worry over a few physical challenges. However, God did not turn away in anger. He heard their impatient cries of “Why did you bring us here to die?”—and responded with grace this time as well.
One morning, the Israelites woke to find a strange, flake-like substance on the ground. It looked like frost. They called it “Manna,” which means “What is it?” It was bread from heaven. It was not earned; it was not bought. It was given simply because God provided them. Day after day, it appeared. It was a clear reminder that God was present, sustaining them even when they were ungrateful.
This story sounds like a mirror for us today. We often stand on the other side of our own “Red Seas” after seeing God do impossible things for us. We often complain about the small struggles in our daily lives. We forget the big miracles because we are focused on our immediate needs.
Humans are so easily habituated to complaining. When life is easy, our faith feels strong. But as soon as the water runs dry or the road gets bumpy, we quickly forget the big miracle at the sea. We look at our current discomfort and assume that God has abandoned us.
And yet, like the manna in the desert, God’s grace remains steady. He meets our complaints with bread. He invites us to stop looking only at what we lack. He asks us to see the One who is walking with us through the desert. Yet, we still complain whenever things do not go our way. The human heart can be so fragile and volatile.
Now, we’re ready to look at today’s passage from Exodus 17. The basic story line is this. The Israelites are in the desert of Rephidim. Once again, there is no water. Once again, their fear and worry turn into sharp, impatient complaints against Moses and against God. They even asked, “Is the Lord really among us or not?”
We understand they are thirsty. Tens of thousands of people, along with their children and livestock, cannot survive without water in desert. However, how could they possibly doubt God’s presence after all the miracles they had witnessed just a few days before? Again, it is a matter of the human heart. When we doubt God’s presence in life, we raise a direct challenge to His goodness toward us. And sooner or later, we come to forget who is leading us.
In the Exodus story, God gives Moses a strange instruction. He tells him to take the staff he used to strike the Nile and go to the rock at Horeb. God says, “I will stand there before you by the rock.”
This is a very interesting part. The original Hebrew text can also be translated as, ‘I will stand there before you on the rock,’ rather than ‘by the rock.’ This is a significant distinction. When you stand by a rock, you are separate from it. But when you stand on the rock, you are one with it. Whatever happens to the rock now happens to you as well.
When Moses stroke that rock, a miracle happened. Fresh, cool water poured out, enough for the entire community to drink. But there is a deeper mystery in this scene that points us toward the Cross of Jesus Christ.
In a profound act of divine humility and sacrifice, God placed Himself in the position of the rock. When Moses swung the staff, he was, in effect, striking the very presence of God to bring life to a rebellious people. When Moses raised his staff to strike the rock, he had to strike the presence of God first.
It is a powerful picture of what Christ would later do on the cross. Just as Moses’ staff had to strike the presence of God on that rock to release the living water, Christ was struck for our sake. On the cross, the life of God was poured out so that we could be satisfied. The life-giving water did not come easily. It was the direct result of God being broken for us.
We look at our dry circumstances and doubt or even deny by saing, “Is God real?” But the story of the rock teaches us the truth. God does not abandon us in our thirst. He stands in our place, allowing Himself to be struck so that grace can flow into our lives.
Imagine you and your family are on a train heading to the most beautiful place in Australia. Along the way, the train occasionally passes through a long, dark tunnel. You didn’t expect this, and you don’t like it. Yet, you and your family would never dream of getting off the train every time the train get into the tunnels. Why? Because you trust that it will eventually take you to the Idyllic destination.
The challenge for us today is to realise that the “desert” is not a place where God has abandoned us. It is a place where He is refining us. It is a place of school of discipleship where we keep growing.
In short, we have a perfect leader and provider. Yet, we often fail to rely on His full power. As a result, we frequently miss seeing how God is working in our daily lives. God is, and has always been, a good and generous Provider. He doesn’t just provide for our needs; He provides Himself.
Another reading from Romans this morning reads: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” To truly experience God’s goodness and provision, we must always keep God first and make His purpose for our lives our highest priority. Then, all things will work together for good whether it be the Red Sea or the desert.
Once we accept the simple fact that God is inherently good—even when our path is dry or bumpy —that’s when we learn to stop the cycle of complaining, and walk in the steady, quiet confidence in our faith journey. Our God is not a distant divinity. Our God walks with us and in us. God is good always. He is a real, perfect provider.
Amen.
