Wednesday May 25, 2022

Scripture Ex. 17: 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. ² So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” ³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” ⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” ⁵ The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front 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. ⁶ I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” ⁸ The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 

– Are you prepared to hear a difficult truth?  Grumbling and complaining is not only an affront to God, it is an open door for the enemy to attack.

– Time after time God intervened for Israel, delivering them, saving them, providing for them; but with each new challenge they returned to the captivity of complaining. 

– They were a freed people but they lived as though they were still in bondage! 

– Christ has won your freedom but you too can choose to live in bondage. 

– The people of God were literally delivered out of Egypt but their heads were still stuck in that awful place!  They allowed problems and trials to defeat them spiritually, then the enemy came in and attacked them mercilessly. 

– Conversely, their only hope of salvation was through faith!  The true servant of God, Moses stood up and raised his hands toward heaven by faith!  By faith he held his hands up to God and kept them uplifted to God until the battle was won! 

– Whining, complaining, and feeling sorry for yourself will erode faith, offend the Lord who is your savior, and open the door for the enemy to attack you and to take you captive!  Faith in God that perseveres will push through the pain as well as the threat and hold fast to God!