It was a time when the people of Israel were passing through a great, hot desert. God had delivered them from captivity in Egypt, and Moses was now leading them through the wilderness to the land God had promised them. The sun burned down from the sky, and there was little shade. Everyone was thirsty, because there was no water to drink.
The people began to worry and became impatient. “Moses, why did you bring us out of Egypt? Here we shall all die of thirst!” they cried. Moses knew that God had always cared for them. He reassured the people, but they did not trust in God’s care. They grumbled and argued.
Moses went to a quiet place to pray. “Lord, what shall I do?” he asked. “The people are desperate and angry, because they have no more faith. They need water.” God answered Moses: “Go before the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take also the staff with which you struck the Nile in your hand. I will stand before you on a rock at Horeb.”
Moses followed God’s instructions and went with the elders to the rock at Horeb. Everyone watched intently to see what would happen. Moses lifted his staff over the rock, as God had told him, and struck it. Suddenly, quite unexpectedly, fresh, clear water gushed out of the rock! The water flowed abundantly, and the whole people were able to quench their thirst. Everyone drank, and God had miraculously provided for them.
Moses called the place Massa and Meriba because the Israelites had fought there and put God to the test. Although they did not trust at first, they learned again that day that God loves them and always cares for them.
Message of history
From this story we can learn that God always cares for us, even if it sometimes seems hopeless. We can trust Him and believe that He will find ways to help us.
Bible passage
The story of The Source of Water from the Rock is found in Exodus 17:1-7:
“And all the congregation of the children of Israel set out from the wilderness of Sin, their day’s journeys according to the command of the Lord, and they encamped in Rephidim; but then the people had no water to drink. Then the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you tempt the Lord? And when the people there thirsted for water, they murmured against Moses, saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, that you should cause us, our children, and our cattle to die of thirst?” Moses cried out to the Lord and said, “What shall I do with this people?” It doesn’t take much for them to stone me! And the Lord said to Moses, “Go before the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you, and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the Nile, and go.” Behold, I will stand there before you on the rock of Horeb, and you shall strike on the rock, and water will flow out for the people to drink. And Moses did this before the eyes of the elders of Israel. And he gave the place the name of Massa and Meribah, because of the challenge of the children of Israel, and because they had tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
