Exodus 17:3, commentary and pictures

Thirsting at waterless Rephidim, the people murmured against Moses and charged him with bringing them with their children and cattle up out of Egypt to kill them with thirst. They had been brought there by the express command of the Lord leading in the pillar of cloud, who knew the lack and could have taken them elsewhere. Their murmuring against Moses was against God Himself, chiding and tempting the Lord and questioning whether He was among them, which gave the place the names Massah and Meribah. God Himself led them into that strait to test their faith and loyalty, to reveal their helplessness and teach them to call upon Him as a thirsty child upon a father, and their emergency was His opportunity that patient trust and remembrance of His goodness would have shortened. He answered by causing life-giving water to flow from the smitten rock, a symbol of Christ smitten that the water of life might flow to the thirsty, and every follower of Christ comes to such a Rephidim and must not imitate that unbelief but remember past mercies and hold confidence firm to the end.

Thirst and Complaint at Rephidim

The thirst described took place at Rephidim, where there was no water to drink, after Israel had been brought there by the express command of the Lord leading in the pillar of cloud. He who led them knew beforehand the lack of water there, and He could have taken them elsewhere, yet He brought them there to test their faith. Thirsting there, the people murmured against Moses and charged him with bringing them with their children and cattle and livestock up out of Egypt to kill them with thirst. They accused him of bringing them and their families and their cattle out to die of thirst, rather than humbly asking God for help.

Their murmuring against Moses was ultimately against God, for in chiding Moses they were tempting the Lord and questioning whether the Lord was among them. This gave the place the names Massah meaning Temptation and Meribah meaning Strife. Their distrust grew into suspicion that Moses intended to kill them through hardship so he could take their possessions, and they were about to stone him.

They complained in this way soon after God had slain the firstborn of Egypt to deliver them, brought them out with a high hand, fed them with abundant food and angels' food, covenanted and promised to bring them to the promised land, and long supplied their needs. Yet continual blessings had made them forget their dependence, and although they had recently received abundant food and had promised to trust God, they quickly forgot and failed. God answered their need by causing pure, life-giving water to flow from the rock, showing He was guiding and protecting them. The rock was a symbol of Christ, who would be smitten so the water of life could flow to the thirsty, and the stream continued flowing but was stopped shortly before the people returned to that place as another test whether they would endure or murmur again.

Test of Faith and Trust

God Himself brought Israel into that strait, waterless, hard place at Rephidim, knowing there was no water there, in order to test faith and to prove faithfulness and loyalty to Him. The trial was meant to reveal helplessness and dependence, to teach calling upon the Lord for aid as a hungry and thirsty child calls upon a father, and to show whether trust would hold when faith was tried under His own command.

Being led to such a Rephidim is not separation from Christ nor failure of His love, for Christ Himself leads there because He sees it is for His people's good and for His name's glory. In mercy He does not always place them in the easiest places, lest in self-sufficiency they forget that the Lord is helper in time of necessity, and He longs to manifest Himself in emergency and reveal abundant supplies independent of surroundings. He has power in His own time to turn flinty rock into life-giving, refreshing, cooling streams, to turn bitterness to sweetness, and to reveal matchless love through miracles of grace even where He could have led elsewhere.

Their murmuring when brought to the test was rebellion, distrust, unbelief, and short-sighted faith that dishonored God and grieved Christ. It forgot their heavenly Leader and His already proved power as ever-present Saviour, vented wrath and bitterness on Moses, and placed them where they could not appreciate His mercies. Instead of humbly asking God to provide, they blamed Moses for their inconvenience and thirst, showing unbelief after deliverance and provision.

Their emergency was God's opportunity, and patient trust strengthened by remembering His works would have shortened the test. If they had waited patiently for Him, revived faith, and recounted His great goodness and wonderful works in their behalf, He would have shortened their time of trial.

Perplexity and need should lead not to murmuring, fretting, doubt, and despondency, but to humbly asking God for help and seeking Him in prayer, trusting His kindness, love, power, and guiding hand. The right response is trusting faith, prayer for the Holy Spirit to bring past manifestations of power to mind, lifting the voice in praise and thanksgiving for past mercies, helping others worse off, and going forward with full assurance that He is an ever-present help in trouble.

Warning and Blessing for Today

Everyone who takes up the cross to follow Christ comes to a Rephidim of his own, a strait waterless place of disappointment, privation, grievous trial and difficulty. There the temptation presses to think that God has failed, does not love, and is not with His people, concluding from suffering and straight places that He has ill-used them and left them. That temptation must not be followed by imitating Israel's unbelief, doubt and despondency, but by remembering God's past power and love, trusting His guiding hand, and holding confidence firm to the end.

The failure at Rephidim stands as an ensample for those upon whom the ends of the world are come. Israel had seen God slay the firstborn of Egypt to deliver them, bring them out with a high hand, feed them with angels' food, covenant with them and promise to bring them into the promised land, yet when brought to the test they rebelled in distrust, forgot their heavenly Leader, vented wrath and bitterness on Moses, dishonored God and proved untrustworthy, placing themselves where they could not appreciate His mercies. Their murmuring was chiding Moses, tempting the Lord, and questioning whether the Lord was among them, instead of resting in peaceful assurance that the Lord who commanded their journey knew better and could be trusted. If they had waited patiently for Him, revived their faith, and recounted His great goodness and wonderful works, He would have shortened their test, for their emergency was God's opportunity. The warning is against dishonoring God today in the same way by complaining in difficulty and by fault-finding with brethren and circumstances when tested and tried, for continual blessings can make the heart forget dependence, unbelief can arise quickly, and the heart must be guarded against anything that comes between people and God.

God permits such a Rephidim trial of thirst and murmuring to reveal true, steadfast principles in contrast with selfish, ambitious sentiments. It brings out the gold of character and shows the faith cherished in the Lord's instrumentalities. At the same time it exposes the spirit of those unfit for a leading position without thorough conversion, showing how easily souls are deceived and misled by temptation, how little faith some professed believers have in God, and how much confidence they have in themselves.

When rightly met, such a Rephidim experience for workers and the church becomes a blessing. It leads to self-examination, establishes faith on better principles, and produces striving for higher moral perception and better preparation for work in its various lines. Sincere, honest, earnest, God-fearing souls are given clearer light in which to walk and be blessed, and minds formerly biased in wrong directions are set right with a lesson never to be forgotten and of lasting benefit.