The Rock of Life - Exodus 17:1- 7

Well good morning everyone and welcome to Faith Bible Church. It's good to see folks here and those that aren't here that are tuning in because of their health reasons and other out of town. We just pray that we could be a blessing to you and you'd be edified through the song and through hearing of the word and pastor does an amazing job of of conveying that to us and we thank the lord for him and for his faithfulness to to studying.

It takes time it takes you know it just doesn't come come to your mind and you read a passage and you're done it's it's it's concerted effort it's concerted studying it's it's sitting it's praying it's doing it over and over again and so we thank the lord for that effort.

It's a labor of love truly I'm sure and and we we're grateful recipients of that. For announcements just a couple here prayer meeting this evening at at six. If you haven't been before prayer meeting you know we just kind of sit around a table and we we we hear a little devotional and then we then we pray as the lord leads us and and it's not a you can just come and listen and pray in your own heart you don't have to say anything and so it's just a it's a good time to to be together and to pray to the lord lift our desires and our needs and wants up to the lord and and he hears our prayers.

Next week men we've got the saturday morning breakfast again we're going to do that again this is a second doing this having the study at nine o 'clock in the morning and there'll be a uh I was going to say secret speaker uh doing the devotional I don't know what what are the ladies what do the ladies call it.

I'm not. You'll just have to come and find out who it is. I was talking to my son-in-law yesterday and they've been their church has been going through uh john book of john toward the latter part in chapter 16 specifically and I think they may be speaking he may be preaching from that today but um it's it's really encouraging uh in the times that we live it's reassuring um it seems like that's a common theme of what we talk about is being encouraged you know we need to be encouraged um just like we need to be encouraged um and uh so john I would like to read a couple verses here from uh 16 verses 32 through 33 says indeed the hour is coming yes has now come now this is christ speaking to the disciples just right before he's taken to the cross.

Christ's Farewell Promise of Peace in John 16

So it's pretty relevant. It's good you know it's getting the hour is near. You will you will that you will be scattered each to his own and will leave me alone. And yet I am not alone because the father was with me these things I have spoken to you that in me you have may have peace in the you in the world you will have tribulation but be of good cheer.

I have overcome the world. Here's christ he's ready he's about prepared to die and he's saying be of good cheer. Um we look around and we can get discouraged at the things that are going on in the world and the wars and it's all very serious in our own personal lives.

But we need to be of good cheer. We have hope we can have peace and peace by definition in in the hebrew it says is it says means completeness it means soundness or welfare. And in the greek it means quietness or at rest or at peace.

We can have that as believers we have that. So let's hold on to that let's seize that and live our lives by that. So we can kind of live victoriously as we go out and face the world and face up all the difficulties that we come across.

God is there with us. He is near and be of good cheer. So let's pray together lord god we thank you that you have brought us together today father to to lift our voices to be to hear your words spoken.

God we are a feeble people. But lord you are strong and we can hold to you. We can rest in you. We can find peace in you father. God we pray for the needs of many here today those that are listening and father that most are not spoken father it's in their own hearts lord.

But there you reside there you give give that rest and peace and encouragement. And we thank you that you are near and god we pray that we would honor you today that your holy spirit would be with us.

That would help illumine our minds and our hearts. Father to understand your majesty your beauty because you are wonderful lord and worthy of our praise. So lord we commit our time to you now and just be with us father that we might honor you and give you glory in.

All things we pray in jesus name amen. I'll be reading from one corinthians chapter 10 verses.

One through five. That's one. Corinthians chapter 10 verses. One through five. For i do not want you to be ignorant of the fact brothers and sisters that our ancestors were under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea.

They were all baptized into moses in the cloud and in the sea they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink for they drank from a spiritual rock that accompanied them and that rock was christ.

Nevertheless god was not pleased most of them their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. May the lord add his blessing.

To the reading of these words bless the lord oh my soul my god thou are very great thou are clothed with honor and majesty and tis so sweet to trust in jesus. Let's stand.

Please turn with me to exodus chapter 17 verses one through seven. Exodus chapter 17 verses one through seven. Then all the congregation of the children of israel set out on their journey from the wilderness of sin according to the commandment of the lord.

And they camped in rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with moses and said give us water that we may drink. So moses said to them why do you contend with me.

Why do you tempt the lord. And the people thirsted there for water. And the people complained against moses and said why is it you have brought us up out of egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst.

So moses cried out to the lord saying what shall i do with this people. They're almost ready to stone me. And the lord said to moses go on before the people and take with you some of the elders of israel.

Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river and go behold i will stand before you there on the rock in horrib. And you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it that the people may drink.

And moses did so in the sight of the elders of israel. So he called the name of the place massa and mariba because of the contention of the children of israel and because they tempted the lord. Saying is the lord among us or not.

This is the word of the lord. Let us pray. Father we are thankful that you are always present with us. Thank you that you are a god who never abandons us. Father we pray that as we meditate on this text that we would really saturate on the fact that you are a god who dwells with us.

You're a god who always provides in your presence. Father we pray that you would change our mind renew our minds to know that you are a god who never abandons in jesus name. The historical event which we just read today is a significant warning against god's people when they start to doubt god's life giving presence.

Although this is a short narrative only seven verses long the old testament saints looked back to this event specifically as a firm warning to his people. Do not tempt the lord as they did in massa deuteronomy 6 16.

And this is an important text today because we often have a tendency of doubting god's presence or having a low view of god's presence when life goes unexpected as we planned when life suddenly gets harder.

And that's what the israelites faced in the text. They ran out of water and where they encamped had no water. And they started doubting god's presence. And this may have happened to you when an unexpected sickness arose unexpected passing away of the loved ones an unexpected tragedy tragedy in the world.

All of these things can often trigger us to think where is the lord in this. Where is god in all of this. And this text teaches us although god's people may doubt of his presence god's presence sustains them.

Although god's people doubt his presence god's people god's presence sustains them. God's people are sustained by god's very presence. First. Unfaithful people protest protest against god when they can't trust his guidance.

Unfaithful people protest against god when they can't trust his guidance. After two life sustaining miracles in the wilderness. Verse one sets the background for another test. Then all the congregation of the children of israel set out on their journey from the wilderness of sin according to the commandment of the lord and camped in refidim but there was no water for the people to drink.

The israelites are still in the wilderness. And the wilderness they it's called is the wilderness of sin. This is the hebrew word sin. So it's not sin as in transgression but that's the location was called.

They directly gave us the pronunciation of the word so this has. That's this wilderness. This the name of the wilderness doesn't have anything to do with sin although they did sin there. But that's not why it was named sin.

That's uh it's close to uh the mount sinai. That's why it's called the wilderness of sin sinai. Now the israelites are still in the wilderness which means they're still depending on the lord for daily supply of food as the previous chapter tells us that god started feeding them with the heavenly bread every day.

And it is hard to pinpoint where exactly they are in the wilderness of sin. But it is clear that they're approaching mount sinai. Mount sinai. So far the lord has only been gracious in supplying them with drinkable water and nutritious food.

And there's there has been no sign of abandonment from the lord. There's no evidence to suggest that the lord is not with his people. And we need to keep in mind two important factors here. First god's people are still led by god.

The lord is guiding them through the wilderness according to his commandment. It says according to his word god is revealing to them where they ought to go and where they ought to camp. Second they camp in rephidim in which there was no water.

These two factors set the context for the whole passage. God purposefully led israel to rephidim where there was no water. God who has been providing for every need intentionally camped israel in rephidim where there was no water.

And here we'll see that god is testing israel's trust in him. Now we have to recall israel was more than willing to trust god amidst great triumphs such as in exodus 1431. Right right after israel saw the whole army of egypt swept by the red sea swallowed by the sea they trusted the lord.

They trusted moses. They sang all together. The test here today is to see whether god's people will trust him when life gets tough. Will israel trust the lord when they are lacking water. When they're lacking something that provides them with life will they call out to him and depend on god because he has a perfect track record of providence.

After all it's often easy to trust the lord when life is going well when you're not placed in a circumstance when where you have to depend on the lord for the next day for the very day the very same day.

The question is can his people trust him through the hardship. Can god's people trust god through the difficulties. It's often easy to trust your pilot during a smooth flight. But can you trust him when there's a turbulence.

When they're when your coffee cup is shaking a little. When the kids are screaming even louder. That's the question that this test would show here. Israel's trust in the lord is tested and verse 2 shows us the sad result.

Therefore the people contended with moses and said give us water that we may drink. The word for content can be understood as to protest to strive against. The people protested against moses. Compared to the previous two hardships in the desert.

This is an escalation. Previously they were just murmuring they were grumbling oh we're hungry. Uh moses why am i here. Now they're outright protesting. There's an increase in volume and audacity. Give us water that we may drink.

The previous gracious responses from the lord did not make them more faithful but only made them more entitled spoiled rather than remembering how the lord provided drinkable water previously and waiting faithfully for another miracle in which the lord would provide water for them.

Instead they demand water from the lord's chosen leader. It's now his fault moses is hiding water from us. Moses response clarifies what israel is actually doing. Why do you contend with me. Why do you tempt the lord.

When israel is protesting against moses for water they're actually testing the lord. They are ultimately striving against not moses but the lord himself. In the end they don't have problem with moses but with god.

And verse 3 portrays this escalation of their protest. Why is it you have brought us up out of egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst. Their protest turns into an awful accusation.

This is similar to the accusation they made previously in exodus 16 3. However here again it is more intensified. It's wretched it up. While the last accusation was that moses tried to kill the whole assembly now they're.

They're accusing moses of intentionally killing not only them but their children and livestock. The the list of victims grew in this chapter in their faithlessness they again have reshaped god's redemptive history.

It is no longer out of god's grace that they are freed from the egyptian enslavement. But they're rewriting it as moses is leading them into the slaughterhouse in the middle of nowhere. And not only them it's their innocent children and their livestock too.

Israelites utterly failed the test. And this is not foreign to us. Unfortunately because we have a tendency of doubting god's presence when things do not go as planned. Many of us may have heard or even uttered such words ourselves.

Ah only if god were here he would have fill in the blank healed me of this disease. I wouldn't have lost my job. It could be anything. And this is especially hard when suffering is personal when it is affecting you to the core.

And evil is so rampant in the world. Unexpectedly violence arises whether in the city that you live in the very street the country. In the world. However we need to avoid what israel did in the wilderness and remember god's faithful presence for israel god was visibly guiding them everywhere they went for israel god was providing them with bread every single morning except on the sabbath.

For israel god miraculously intervened to save them from danger. Israel could have easily looked back at any of those miraculous moments to remember that god is with them. God is with us. He's in front of us.

There's the pillar of cloud he stopped so we camp. He's with us every morning. There's manna to gather that only came from heaven. Unless we think that israel had an upper hand. Let's remember how god is with us for christians.

For christians god is with us in a more personal and intimate manner. After all the pillar of cloud was for the hundreds of thousands of israelites in the desert. There wasn't a single pillar of cloud for each individual israelite it was for the whole crowd.

For christians the very presence of god dwells in us and he is called the holy spirit the third person of the trinity. And when he dwells in us that means he makes his home in us he abides in us. And this is so important for every believer because every believer has the presence of the holy spirit in him or her.

In fact in john chapters 14 through 16 which often often is called the farewell discourse because jesus is telling his disciples that he is leaving right after he's resurrected he's gonna send to his father's father's side.

The farewell discourse shows how sorrowful the disciples actually are. But what does jesus promise so that their sorrow may be away. After all jesus doesn't say stay sorrowful until i come back for the second coming.

He actually says i'm sending you an advocate a helper a counselor another counselor. And he's the holy spirit. What does that mean. It means when jesus is gone his people will enjoy god's presence through the holy spirit of god.

When jesus is gone his people will be comforted by the holy spirit of god. When jesus is gone his people will be guided by the holy spirit of god. When jesus is gone when the world is persecuting his believers his people will know what to say because of the holy spirit of god.

When jesus is gone physically his people will be able to commune with christ by the holy spirit of god. This same spirit is the very spirit who raised christ from the dead. And that spirit dwells in you.

I don't know about you. This is more personal than the pillar of cloud. Unlike the pillar of cloud which left after 40 years he will never leave you through the holy spirit. You have endless access with god the father and god the son.

Hmm you have access to the throne room that was not granted to most of the saints in the old testament. And with that how could we ever doubt god's presence. Second how does the lord provide for his people.

The lord's presence is the source of life. The lord's presence is the source of life. Unlike the previous two miracles in which god provided for his people the first one being from chapter 15 when the water was bitter and god made the water sweet and the second one being when they were hungry in the desert and god provided bread for his people.

The actual account of the miracle is not shown. We only know that the miracle happened because god told moses it will happen. Which shows that the focus isn't on the miracle but on god's very presence.

He is present with his people through his word he is present with his people as he provides now. Verse 4 tells us that the tension between god's people and moses grew so great that moses demands an answer from god directly.

So moses cried out to the lord saying what shall i do with this people. They're almost ready to stone me. The situation is so bad that moses's life is threatened. And this response is more desperate than ever before.

Israel is ready to stone moses because they falsely accuse him of a genocide. The word to stone happened once previously and that was used when israelites were scared that the egyptians would stone them for sacrificing animals in the land of egypt.

Now moses is the object of stoning. The very leader of god's people has turned into the enemy of god's people because of god's people's faithlessness. This is an ugly reversal. Now what does the lord do.

The lord instead of wiping out the this rebellious people he instructs moses how to supply drinkable water for his people. The lord graciously provides a way for his people to continue living. Go on before the people and take with you some of the elders of israel also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river and go behold i will stand before you there on the rock in horrib and you shall strike the rock and water will come out of it that the people may drink.

God will provide water for his people. When moses strikes the rock with his staff god will provide drinkable water for his people by using the same staff that made the river nile undrinkable for egypt.

Moses performs this miracle in front of the eyes of the witnesses. And moses did so in the sight of the elders of israel. Hence moses here focuses not on the miracle. We don't really get to see how much water was produced.

Well it was enough to sustain a nation of people in the wilderness. But that's not the focus. The focus is that god did it with his presence. He was on the rock and he instructed that the rock be struck.

And again it was done out of god's grace. These people didn't earn drinkable water. They didn't even earn a drop. They earned judgment. But god graciously provided water instead. But moses in order to remember how horrible israel acted he names the place massa and mariba because of the contention of the children of israel.

Massa means testing or trial. Mariba means protest or contention. And what was the root of this contention. They tempted the lord saying is the lord among us or not. In the end israel doubted god's presence to sustain them.

After all they saw the pillar of cloud in front of their eyes every day. The pillar led them to rephidim and they camped there following the lord. They followed the lord's instruction. Moreover their meals were provided by god from heaven.

Yet they doubted the lord's presence. They found all of god's previous gracious providence insufficient. They doubted god's character of faithfulness. And what does this miracle teach us. Ultimately it is god's very presence that provides life to his people.

The lord provides water that gives life to a whole nation of people in the middle of nowhere. And their livestock too from a rock in a desert. A rock naturally does not provide water more. So a rock in a desert would not even contain water.

After all it's the desert. The air is drier the sun is shining even at a greater intensity. You can't even find even a droplet of water in a rock in a desert. However the lord does the impossible to provide for his people.

And to prove a point god's people do not depend on their circumstances but on the very presence of the lord. God's people survive not because they have all the materials that they need but because of the presence of the lord.

It is god's presence that guarantees life to his people. Nothing else in the new testament. Paul saw a similar situation in the corinthian church when he wrote first corinthians 10 verses 1 through 5 drawing from this specific story.

For i do not want you to be ignorant of the fact brothers and sisters that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all pass through the sea. They were all baptized into bosus in the cloud and in the sea they all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them. And the rock was christ. Nevertheless god was not pleased with most of them. Their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. This is a stern warning to the church not to be like israel in the wilderness.

Israel was provided for in every single way that physically needed. They were provided with the spiritual food manna. They were provided with the drinkable water the water from the rock. God even provided them with water that accompanied them.

This idea comes from a jewish tradition that they believe that the rock at massa followed them all throughout the wilderness to continually provide drinkable water for his people. After all we don't hear about them grumbling about lacking water.

Now that's that's not in scripture that the rock followed them all throughout in the old testament. But that's the jewish tradition which really drives home the point that it is constant god's god's constant provision for his people.

Now paul is saying here what gave life to israel was not in the end the manna. What gave life to israel was not in the end the water but it was the presence of god. After all those who drank and ate still died and their bodies are scattered in the wilderness.

And paul makes a connection here the rock was christ meaning christ was the one who provided israel with life in the wilderness by giving them water. And in the same way christ provides life for the church.

For the church christ is the source of life because he died on the cross to give life to his people to provide the spiritual living water that gives eternal life to all. And paul's point is how much more do we need to treasure and remember christ's presence that gives life and avoid the way of rebellion that israel followed in the wilderness.

For the church we only have life because of christ's presence. That is how any of us has life. A church building can seat hundreds if not thousands of people on a given sunday. But without christ's life-giving presence.

It's a building full of dead people. It totally depends on christ's life-giving presence. And that's what we ought to look for. And that's what we ought to pray for. That christ's life-giving presence may give our church life may give our lost unbelieving family life.

And we experience christ's life-giving presence when christ is proclaimed when we proclaim the full counsel of god and through the holy spirit who dwells in all of us who believes. Let us pray. Father we're thankful that christ dwells in us.

Thank you that it is not our goodness that gives us life. It is not our past record that gives us life but rather christ's gracious life-giving presence because he died for our sin on the cross and is risen.

And father we thank you that we're never left alone because of the indwelling of the holy spirit that we have constant relationship with you because of the holy spirit whom christ sent after he ascended.

We pray that we would meditate on how you're always with us and how you're always providing for us. And how you're always protecting us. Because you love.