Exodus 17:7, commentary and pictures

The place was named Temptation and Strife to stand as a memorial of the people's quarreling and of their testing of God by questioning whether He was with them. They asked this at waterless Rephidim, where God Himself had led them in the pillar of cloud to test whether they would trust Him in distress after all His promise and provision. That question was unbelief that put God to the test, forgetting His mighty deliverance from Egypt, His leading with a high hand, and His feeding them with angels' food. To tempt God is to distrust His word and demand fresh proof of His presence and love after He has already given evidence, and to ask for what He has not promised. Every follower comes to the same Rephidim when want and hardship arise, and the lesson is not to murmur as Israel did but to wait patiently, remember past mercies, and trust that He will open the rock in His own time.

Names and Wilderness Setting

The place was called Massah, meaning Temptation, and Meribah, meaning Strife or Chiding, as a memorial of Israel's quarreling and testing of the Lord by asking whether He was among them. The names preserve both their chiding and their tempting of Him in that question of unbelief, asked despite His care and provision. The setting was Rephidim, where there was no water.

Israel had been brought there by the express command of the Lord Himself, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud as General of the armies of heaven and as Christ. He who led them knew there was no water there, and He could have led them elsewhere. He brought them there to test whether they would trust Him in distress and remain faithful after His promise to bring them into the promised land. He had tested them soon after they left Egypt by giving water from the rock, and when the water later ceased He tested whether they would trust or murmur again.

When thirsty the people chided Moses instead of humbly asking God for help. They blamed him, accusing him of bringing them with their children and cattle out of Egypt to die of thirst. They vented wrath and bitterness upon him in rebellion and distrust. God showed His presence and leading protection by giving pure water from the rock at Horeb when Moses struck it before the elders. Christ caused it to flow, and they should have trusted and asked simply for the water He had already provided in kindness.

Tempting the Lord Explained

The question whether the Lord was among them was unbelief that put God to the test, though He had cared and provided for them, had given mighty works and evidence of His leading, and had met their needs. It was even criminal unbelief to doubt His presence when hardship came and to demand evidence of it. Tempting Him means seeking proof in distrust rather than trusting what He has promised.

It forgot repeated manifestations of His power and love in slaying the firstborn of Egypt to deliver them, in bringing them out with a high hand, in feeding them with angels' food, and in covenanting to bring them into the promised land.

Tempting God means putting His word to the test and manifesting distrust by demanding evidence of His presence. It means asking for proof of His word or His love after He has already testified, and asking for what He has not promised. Petitions are to be presented because He will fulfill His word and because He loves, not to prove whether He will fulfill it or whether He loves.

Satan urged Christ to commit the same sin by seeking proof that He was the Son of God after God had already testified that He was.

By murmuring and lack of faith Israel dishonored God and grieved the heart of Christ, showing short-sighted faith and unbelief despite His already proved care as an ever-present Saviour. They put themselves where they could not appreciate His mercies and proved to be a people He could not trust. Doubt and unbelief dishonor God, grieve His love, paralyze spiritual energy, and tempt a withdrawal of mercy, yet His love remains unchangeable and His mercy returns again and again.

Trust Tested in Hardship

Every Christian who takes up the cross comes to such a Rephidim, where want and difficulty after beginning to follow Christ bring speaking of doubt. There disappointment, privation, grievous trials and strait places that He sees and permits prompt the question whether the Lord is with them. In conscience-stricken despondency they reason that suffering proves wandering from God, and complain that He has failed and does not love because difficulties are not removed.

Being led to Rephidim does not prove that God has failed, abandoned them, or does not love. It is Christ's doing for their good and for His name's glory, and He may permit difficulty for their good to test faithfulness and loyalty. Difficulty in following God does not mean His absence, and the trial is meant to expose helplessness, teach seeking His help, and reveal His provision.

In mercy He does not always place them in the easiest places, lest in self-sufficiency they forget He is helper in time of necessity. He leads them into hard and straight places to test faithfulness and loyalty, to make them feel helplessness, and to teach them to call upon the heavenly Father for aid as a hungry thirsty child calls its earthly father. There He longs to manifest Himself in emergency and to reveal abundant supplies independent of surroundings through miracles of grace and matchless love, turning flinty rock into life-giving cooling streams. The full measure of burdens He bears and would gladly bear for childlike faith is known only when face to face with God.

The lesson is not to imitate Israel's murmuring and short-sighted unbelief when brought into difficulties. Their emergency was God's opportunity, and patient faith that waited, revived faith, and recounted His goodness and wonderful works would have shortened their test. Instead they are to remember His past power and love and past manifestations, pray for the Holy Spirit to bring them to mind, and behold His glory in Christ in adversity as well as prosperity. They are to believe He is as willing to help as before and as on former occasions, trust Him to open the flinty rock and give cooling streams in His own time and to turn bitterness into sweetness, and go forward with praise, thanksgiving, full assurance and abiding confidence and hope firm to the end that He is an ever-present help in trouble and is with them always to the end.

Rephidim also describes a trying process for workers and the church. It reveals the contrast between true steadfast principles and selfish ambitious sentiments, reveals gold of character and the faith cherished in His instrumentalities, and exposes distrust to call to self-examination. It proves a blessing by leading to self-examination, establishment of faith on better principles, striving for higher moral perception and better preparation for work, seeing all things in clearer light and walking in that light, and setting right minds biased in a wrong direction, with lessons never forgotten and of lasting benefit.

The question whether the Lord is among His people calls for earnest self-examination whether His grace is ruling the life and whether one is building up His cause. That loyalty to God and fellow believers is shown by putting down unkind thoughts, self-importance, self-righteousness and contempt for others. It is shown by kindly comforting, encouraging and strengthening fellow Christians.

The wilderness provision when the rock was struck was commemorated by the water-pouring ceremony at the Feast of Tabernacles. That ceremony pointed to Christ the living Rock whose death would make the water of life flow to the world.