Reflections on Exodus 17

 

Exodus 17 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the LORD ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for them to drink.
2. The people started complaining to Moses, "Give us some water!" Moses replied, "Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the LORD to the test?"
3. But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, "Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?"
4. Then Moses prayed to the LORD, "What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!"
5. The LORD answered, "Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people. Also take along the walking stick you used to strike the Nile River,
6. and when you get to the rock at Mount Sinai, I will be there with you. Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink." Moses did this while the leaders watched.
7. The people had complained and tested the LORD by asking, "Is the LORD really with us?" So Moses named that place Massah, which means "testing" and Meribah, which means "complaining."
8. When the Israelites were at Rephidim, they were attacked by the Amalekites.
9. So Moses told Joshua, "Have some men ready to attack the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on a hilltop, holding this walking stick that has the power of God."
10. Joshua led the attack as Moses had commanded, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur stood on the hilltop.
11. The Israelites out-fought the Amalekites as long as Moses held up his arms, but they started losing whenever he had to lower them.
12. Finally, Moses was so tired that Aaron and Hur got a rock for him to sit on. Then they stood beside him and supported his arms in the same position until sunset.
13. That's how Joshua defeated the Amalekites.
14. Afterwards, the LORD said to Moses, "Write an account of this victory and read it to Joshua. I want the Amalekites to be forgotten forever."
15. Moses built an altar and named it "The LORD Gives Me Victory."
16. Then Moses explained, "This is because I depended on the LORD. But in future generations, the LORD will have to fight the Amalekites again."
    

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    The Israelites moved on, leaving the Wilderness of Sin and eventually coming to Rephidim where they made camp. They are said to have moved "from one place to the next according to the LORD's command," implying that they covered quite a bit of ground, and possibly a considerable amount of time, though no time period is given for their travel from the Wilderness of Sin to Rephidim. God established a means to provide them daily food when they were in the Wilderness of Sin, so food was no longer an issue, but water was a continual problem. Whether they had carried water with them from their last source or had found it along the way we don't know, but they arrived at Rephidim without water and there was none at this location.
    
    Despite God's provision for them in many ways previously and His daily provision of food, the people still chose to respond to their circumstances in the same way as before - to complain rather than trust. This time their complaints were more intense than any previously. So much so that Moses feared they would stone him. In reality, though, it was not Moses against whom they were complaining, but God. And Moses asked "Why are you testing the LORD?" (17:2) No hint is given that God was losing patience with the people's complaining. He simply gave Moses instructions for providing water. Moses gave the place two names, one meaning "testing" and the other "quarreling" to designate their testing of the Lord.
    
    While still at Rephidim, Israel encountered her first enemy since leaving Egypt. Amalekites, a nomadic people who were descendants of Esau, came to Rephidim to fight against Israel. No indication is given that Israel complained about this threat. Moses simply charged Joshua with forming an army and going to battle with these people. To signify the Lord's hand in giving Israel victory in the battle, Moses held up his hands. While he held them up Israel prevailed in battle and when he put them down Amalek prevailed. When Moses' arms grew tired he sat down on a rock and Aaron and Hur support his arms, one on either side. In this way, the Israelites defeated Amalek.
    
    Israel needed ways of remembering God's provision for them. On this occasion God had Moses write on a scroll and recite to Joshua, "I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven." (17:14) This message served not only as a reminder of the victory God gave Joshua in this battle but recorded for all Israel to know that when King David finally destroyed the Amalekites that it was God who did it. Also as a commemoration on this occasion of God giving them victory, Moses built and altar and named it "The LORD Is My Banner." (17:15)