Water from the Rock

September 28, 2014

Exodus 17:1-7

(Thanks to all the youth who helped to share this story by wandering through the wilderness with me!)

Our story from Exodus tonight needs a little background.

Long, long ago, the Israelite people were living as slaves in Egypt.  The king of Egypt, called the Pharoah, would not let them go.  They had to work when the Pharoah said work, and sleep when the Pharoah said sleep, and eat when the Pharoah said eat.  They were slaves in the land of Egypt, and it was a hard, hard life.

But God heard the cry of the people groaning in slavery.  And God choose one of them, named Moses, to lead them out of slavery into freedom.  Moses confronted Pharoah many times.  With God’s help, Moses performed miracles to convince the Pharoah to let the people go free.  When Pharoah changed his mind and sent his army after the Israelites, God parted the waters of the sea so that Moses could lead the people through and then God closed the waters so that the Egyptian army could not follow them.  Finally they were away from the Pharoah and his army – and they were safe and free.

It was such a great thing – everyone rejoiced!

And God promised to lead them into a land of safety and promise – a land that would be their own.  A land of milk and honey and peace.  They would have no more Pharoah – no more awful ruler.  No more slavery. 

Oh the people were happy!  They were dancing, they were singing, they were praying and thanking God!

Maybe you can imagine back to a time when you felt that way.  So you can imagine how the people might have felt as they began their journey together towards this promised land.   And with that feeling in mind, let us begin our story.

Narrator: A reading from the book of Exodus.  From the wilderness the whole congregation journeyed by stages as the Lord commanded.

When we find the group this morning, they’ve been traveling for a long time.  It has been at least a few months since they escaped the Egyptian army.  Grandparents, and parents, and kids and neighbors have all been making this journey together. They are carrying everything they brought with them out of slavery in Egypt, camping out in the wilderness as they make their way to this land promised to them by God.

Narrator: The Israelites camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.  The people quarreled with Moses, and said,

People: "Give us water to drink."

Narrator: Moses said to them,

Moses: "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?"

Narrator: But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said,

People: "Why did you bring us out of Egypt only to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"

 

The Israelites had rejoicing when they finally gained their freedom from the Pharoah and broke out of their slavery.  And I’m sure that feeling of joy and thankfulness stuck for a while.  But going to the promised land turned out to be a longer trip than they’d expected.  Camping was fun at first but they are tired on sleeping on the ground.  The people are tired of slogging miles and miles by foot through the wilderness every day.  Now they aren’t feeling so joyful.  Now they are mainly just exhausted and dirty and sore.  It’s hot during the day and cold at night.  They are hungry. They are thirsty.  They are bored.  

So now they start to quarrel among themselves, doubting they will make it, doubting that this path is any better than where they were when they were in slavery.  Are we there yet? Why did you pull us out of slavery for this?  We can sympathize with them, right?  Their life has turned hard. 

Think for a minute about what makes you feel that way.  What makes you grumble and doubt?

We all have times when we feel like we are moving slowly through the wilderness.

Narrator: The Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying,

People: "Is the LORD among us or not?"

The Israelites feel anxious and alone and so they ask this question – this big question that is at the heart of this story.  Is the Lord among us or not?  How can we know if God is with us in this endless slog?  They felt God with them before, when everything was going so well and they were rejoicing.  When the water was parting from them and they were in the midst of something amazing.  But now, feeling hungry and tired and bored, God doesn’t feel so close.  Now they just feel alone and uncertain.

This is a common question.  How can we know God is with us when we don’t feel God present?  How can we know God is with us when things are going badly, or when life just feels like a slog?

We get three ideas that might help from our story.  Listen!

Narrator: So Moses cried out to the LORD,
Moses: "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 

First, remember how in the midst of this story Moses cried out to the Lord?  When we are feeling stuck or overwhelmed and not feeling God’s presence, try crying out to the Lord.  It’s ok to share your frustrations and your worry and even your anger with God.  Try prayer.  God, where are you?  God, what am I going to do?  God, help me!

Narrator: The LORD said to Moses,

God: "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." 

Second, when Moses had no idea what to do, God reminded Moses that he actually already had what he needed to solve the problem.  For Moses, it was his staff.  This was the same staff that God gave Moses to perform signs before the Pharoah.  This was the same staff that God gave Moses to strike the water and make it part before the Israelites as they fled from slavery.  And now this same staff Moses could use to find water for the thirsty Israelites.  And the water was right there with them, just out of sight under the rock. 

Now, I know most of us don’t have miraculous staffs on hand to solve our problems.  And I know that most of us can’t get water to spring from a rock.  But maybe God was letting Moses know that when things are overwhelming and we don’t know where to start, if we just look around at what we have, if we just go and do what we are able to do, we will find God is there with us in that.  God’s grace, God’s love, is right there with us under the surface.  Even, and maybe most especially, in the hardest parts of our journeys.  Even if sometimes we don’t see it or feel it until things feel broken around us.

Narrator: And so Moses did as God commanded, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
 

In our story tonight, when God told Moses what to do, he brought with him the elders of Israel.  That’s the third idea.  We can’t keep our stories to ourselves.  Moses took the elders with him so that this story about God providing for them in the wilderness would continue long after Moses was gone.  The elders would tell this story, and their children would tell this story.  And so on and so on until here we are telling this story today.  When we tell these old stories about God being present with the people, and when we tell our own stories about God being present with us, we help others to find the presence of God.  And sometimes when we are not feeling God’s presence, we need to rely on the presence of other people who can share their stories about God. 

Narrator: So Moses struck the rock with his staff and water rushed out.  And there was water for all the thirsty people.

May we all find the living water that streams all around us!  Amen.