TUESDAY 02 November 2021 “Rephidim” Exodus 17:1-7

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Have you ever found yourself in a leadership role with complainers or grumblers all around you? What did you do to pacify the grumblers and find solutions to the problems? For Moses, this was a frequent challenge and today let’s watch as God provides one of the most memorable solutions at a place called Rephidim.

You’ll recall yesterday we watched as these 1 million traveling people experienced God’s provision of manna and His instructions about how to manage a daily delivery of it. The Exodus record says: “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses…the people said ‘Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst in the desert? Then Moses cried out to the LORD, ‘What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me!” (Ex. 17:1-4) Second only to our need for air is our need for water, so we understand their complaint, don’t we, my friends? One of the first lessons in traveling is to make sure you have a plan for water, no matter where you are going or how you are traveling, right?

These 1 million people have now been traveling nearly two months since leaving Egypt. They are in what we know today as the Saudi Arabian desert. Water is scarce, any oasis is very valuable in the desert. But they aren’t simply wandering around out in this hot desert, Almighty God Himself is leading them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. That is why Moses could write that they have been moving ‘as the LORD commanded.’ So when several days pass and they have no water there is only one place the responsibility lies… the God who is leading them! But we’ve learned, already several times, that God leads these people to position them for experiencing His almighty power and learning great life lessons. So what do you suppose God has in mind this time, as these people face great thirst with no water?

The record says: “The LORD answered Moses, ‘Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb…” (Ex. 17:5) Have you noticed how hard it is to make wise decisions when surrounded by the noise of people clamoring for your attention, and the deadline of decisions needing to be made, and the expectations of those who need answers from you, right now?

That’s why the first lesson for Moses here is found in God’s brief statement: “Walk on ahead of the people.”

In short God was teaching Moses… ‘get away from the noise, the pressure… come and be still with Me, and I’ll give you the answers that you need.’ Now my friends, can you apply that to your personal situation, in your personal and professional and family life? Where do you go to find a quiet place for decision making? And if you can’t get away, do you have the ability to go quiet in your mind and heart when wise decisions are needed from you?

Secondly did you notice what God instructed Moses to take with him as he walked away from the people to a quiet place?

Yes, that’s right, the staff which he had used so many times before in miraculous experiences with God. What’s significant about this? There was nothing magical about that staff, right? It was important Moses get away from the people to meet with God but not empty handed. That staff would be the tangible reminder for Moses of so many previous miracles God did as He met the huge need of the people. It was ‘miracle debris’ for Moses as it reminded him of God’s past miracles! So, do you have anything in your home, which reminds you of God’s past miracles in your life, which you can take with you into your quiet places of meeting with God, when you really need important answers from God?

Third, do you see Moses was to take some of the elders of Israel with him to go to that quiet place?

This was to be a shared experience. God was continuing the process of leadership development which He had begun way back in Exodus 3:16. Do you remember when God met with Moses at the burning bush God instructed Moses to meet FIRST with these elders and explain his burning bush experience and God’s strategic plan to rescue the Hebrew slaves. These elders were men trusted by the Israelites. They had been instrumental in explaining to the Hebrews what God was doing with each plague. Especially the final plague. It was these men Moses instructed to pass the word quickly and carefully so the people would know how to participate in the Passover miracle and be safe from the angel of death. Now, surrounded by thirsty, grumbling people, the elders also needed an encounter with God, and God wanted to further develop them as leaders of the people! If you are in any leadership role in your business, or church or extended family or your neighborhood or even among your friends… how do you see God developing you as a leader that honors HIM and follows God’s lead?

Fourth, do you notice the posture and position God promised Moses? “I will stand there before you by the rock…”

God was promising Moses more than a voice, even more than a burning bush. God was promising Moses His Presence near a very large rock, a specific place of encounter for Moses. But also, God was going to ‘stand there’ by the rock, not just ‘be there’. Now, I can’t tell you if that meant Moses actually saw a physical presence standing by that rock, but I can assure you Moses was confident and fully aware that God was there in all His power, paying close attention to the needs of the people and ready to bring an answer. Do you have the ability to sense the Presence of God with you, especially in difficult or even crisis situations?

Finally, the Exodus record indicates the answer God provided for Moses to the problem of 1 million thirsty people: “Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” What? A solid rock in the desert, which would suddenly split open and start pouring out cool, fresh, pure water? That would be another miracle of Red Sea proportions wouldn’t it? Perhaps you also notice this isn’t just any old rock in the desert. The record identifies it as “…the rock at Horeb.” Now does that ring a bell in your memory? HOREB was the mountain where Moses first encountered God at the burning bush in Exodus 3. Was this a very large rock at the foothills of this great mountain? From the moment they walked through the Red Sea, I can assure you Moses was thinking about and watching to see how God would direct the cloud to lead him and all these people to Horeb, because at the burning bush God had promised He would bring the rescued Hebrews there! (Ex. 3:12)

Moses’ response to God’s instructions is simple and clear: “So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And Moses called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and they tested the LORD saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?” (Ex. 17:5-7) Even though the people had followed the cloud, because the cloud had led them to where there was no water, they began to consider that perhaps God had deserted them, abandoning them to die in the desert. But this great miracle of a water spewing rock proved God was not only there, but God was fully aware of their desperate need for water and His solution became far more than simply a temporary, quick drink. This rock produced a new oasis in the desert! We don’t know exactly who wrote Psalm 95, but listen to these words: “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the desert, where your fathers tested and tried Me, though they had seen all I had done…” (Ps. 95:6-9)

We have no description of how the people and all their animals responded to this water spewing rock in the desert, but I don’t think we need a written explanation do we? We know what thirst is like and we know how delighted and almost delirious with joy thirsty people become when suddenly cool, pure water is made available to them! So let’s just sit down right here and watch 1 million people and all their animals enjoy God’s provision of water from a rock in the desert! I think it’s safe to assume the cloud over them did not move for several days, as the people enjoyed God’s overflowing, miraculous provision for them, in the desert! And I urge you to ponder the four lessons Moses learned here. Do you remember them?

First… get away from the noise as you seek to hear God’s voice and His answers to the challenges that you face.

Second... take with you something which reminds you of previous times God has met your needs miraculously.

Third… take a few good and Godly friends if the challenge you face is very significant, especially if it is a leadership challenge.

Fourth… expect to meet with God in all His glorious presence and power, and be prepared to DO exactly what God instructs you to do for the accomplishment of His purposes, for His glory and for your growth!

Now here’s a worship song to help us ponder all these great truths, today…

Today’s Scripture is Exodus 17:1-7.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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