Scripture Exodus 17:1-7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 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 test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do for this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Sermon “Faithfulness Flows”
This week we step away from our journey through Matthew’s gospel—don’t worry, he’ll be back. Instead, we find ourselves in the book of Exodus, with the Israelites as they travel through the wilderness. This passage takes place not long after their escape from slavery, their crossing of the Red Sea (or, Sea of Reeds), and their celebration song and dance on the far shore. But only three days later, the song of victory still echoing in their memories, water problems begin. They come to a place where the water is undrinkable—it’s bitter, and Moses cries out to God for help. And God helps. About 10 days later their food supplies are dwindling, and they again complain to their leaders. And again, Moses cries out to God for help, and God supplies manna in the mornings, and pheasants in the evenings, and the people are cared for by the faithfulness of their God.
So here we are, a little later, and again—water problems.
The people have come from the wilderness of Sin—a name completely unrelated to our word, “sin.” But the letters in the word suggest support and care of those who are bowed over with burdens or pain. They come to a place called Rephidim, which means, “land of rest,” and make camp there. But immediately the people complain—now there isn’t bitter water; there’s no water.
I know you know how important water is. Our bodies contain an average 66 percent water. The breakdown is interesting. Our bones are composed of 22 percent water, muscles are 76 percent and blood is 83 percent. Lungs are 90 percent, and our brains are actually 95 percent water. My friend Kimberly riding to Morocco, and took part in an expedition riding mules. The guides warned her party about dehydration. They told them, when you get cranky, drink. The next thing that happens after you get cranky is, you pass out.
Here are some things water does for your body, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control. Water helps your body regulate its temperature; it lubricates and cushions your joints—at least, your healthy joints; it protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues (such as brain matter); and it helps to remove toxins from your body.
So, when the people complain, you can imagine they may well be in the cranky stage, having arrived after some days or even weeks of walking. And no water.
So they start quarreling with Moses—a word that actually means something more like, filing a complaint in court. Moses is their leader. This problem is his responsibility. But Moses is still a relatively new leader. He’s only been with these folks a few months, at the most. So he responds defensively. Why are you litigating with me? Why are you testing the Lord?
Interestingly, though, the Lord doesn’t mind. In fact, when the people come with reasonable complaints—undrinkable water, no food, no water—God gives the people exactly what they need, without hesitation. On the other hand, when their complaints get… silly, let’s say, God does get angry. Like the time they complain about the lack of onions in the wilderness. Onions, in the wilderness, are officially a luxury. No water, however, is about life and death. The people don’t want to die. They don’t want their children to die, or their animals. This is a reasonable complaint about a truly urgent problem.
God tells Moses what to do. Moses is to take some elders with him—which is interesting: witnesses? accountability? Whatever it is, God wants the elders to understand how this miracle comes about. God tells Moses where to go—to a specific rock, upon which God will be standing—which is also fascinating! Will Moses be able to see God? Apparently, God’s presence on the rock will be clear to Moses, who is one of just a handful of individuals in scripture who have such an experience. Moses is to tap his staff on the rock. In his Working Preacher Commentary, Matthew Schlimm reminds us:
[Moses] sets forth with his trusty shepherd’s staff, which has played a role in multiple miracles involving snakes (Exodus 4:2-4), blood-red water (7:14–25), thunder and hail (9:23), locusts (10:13), and the splitting of the sea (14:16).[i]
The title of this commentary, by the way, is “Even though Moses is far from perfect, he is smart enough to consult God about his problems.” Fair enough.
Water flows. All the elders witness it. God does it again. God shows up for God’s people in moments of near-catastrophe and helps them avoid it. God is faithful.
The psalm for today, assigned to go with this passage, is about just this, the faithfulness of God. It contrasts the faithfulness of God with the foibles of people—one of which is this incident. But I think the psalm gets this particular foible wrong. It’s not wrong for the people to ask for water—even to demand it. They are where they are because God is leading Moses, and Moses is leading them. There’s no sign God is irritated in the least (which is more than we can say about Moses, who seems pretty panicked). But for no reason—God is faithful. The people are cared for.
In fact, throughout scripture, you could say, God’s faithfulness flows. God is there when the hardest and most difficult things happen, whether the people take notice or not. God is present when there are obstacles to overcome, when there are rivers to cross, and when there are battles to be waged. in fact, at this part of the Exodus story—from the moment the people crossed the Red Sea—God has been visible to the people, leading them, as a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. At no point does this cease to be the case, until the 40-year-sojourn is completed. God is faithful.
We’ll be talking a lot about faithfulness in this stewardship season. God’s faithfulness is particularly important to remember on this World Communion Sunday, when each of us gathers around a mystical table. Millions and millions gather around Christ’s communion table every week, every day. And God meets them—meets us—there with the bread of heaven, just as God provided the manna in the wilderness. God is faithful. God is faithful to each of us, every day, in every way.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
[i] Matthew Schlimm, Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost: “Even though Moses is far from perfect, he is smart enough to consult God about his problems,” Exodus 17:17, Working Preacher Website, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-26/commentary-on-exodus-171-7-12.