Exodus 17:1-7

“To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust him in the dark—that is faith.”- Charles Spurgeon.

When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Meribah.” Jesus is referring to the event we read today in Exodus 17. In verse 7, we see that Moses called that place “Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord saying, “is the Lord among us or not.” 

The passage from Deuteronomy is about Israel being challenged by the circumstances, and once again, as they have done it before, they failed and doubted God’s presence among them. Exodus’s passage gives us a great insight into the sin Israel committed by “testing” or “tempting” God. The dialogue Jesus had with Satan and Israel’s attitude in the wilderness had something in common, that is doubting. In the wilderness, Satan was trying to make Jesus doubt. When Israel was in the wilderness they doubted that God was with them.

The Exodus from Egypt was a decisive experience for the Hebrews. They were suddenly free by God and gained new confidence, optimism, and hope. However, when the Pharaoh began pursuing, they were ready to return; when the chariots trapped them in front of the waters, many were ready to give up. When they reached the wilderness, they were also ready to go back to the Egyptian “pots of meat.” When they found dry land and needed water, they lost hope and complained; they blamed Moses and God. 

They were insecure with the promised land they could not see, and their trust in the Lord fled; complaint, doubt, and fear took over. Most of the time that happens, when our confidence sinks to its lowest level, our complaints tend to sound their loudest. 

It seems like the Hebrew people had a short memory problem. From one miracle to the next, they forgot Yahweh’s faithful character; they forgot God’s protection and provision. It was hard for them to understand that Yahweh could and would care for their needs. All they had to do was continuing trusting. But they struggled with the idea of trusting God beyond the limits of their grasp of the future. As Spurgeon said, they only trusted God in the light, when everything was going fine, when it was simple and easy to trust. However, when they could not see a way out; when trust and confidence were needed, they failed; that is when quarrel, doubt, and distrust appeared.

Deep down for Israel, trust was a fragile element in their relationship with God. It was hard for them to trust God. It was much easier to trust touchable resources or complain and point fingers; they could not understand that dependence upon God is not about “one being in control.” one having everything we need whenever we need it. But, it is all about to “let go, and let God.” It is about knowing that God loves me, and He will take care of me.

Lack of water made Israel asked, “Is the Lord among us or not.?” That I believe for God was an offensive question. As I recalled last Sunday in chapter 15, they sang a praise song, a thanksgiving song because God opened the sea, and they could walk on dry land; they were singing because God destroyed pharaoh’s army. In the same chapter, we are told that bitter water was turned into sweet drinking water to quench their thirst. In chapter 16, they asked for meat, and God sent quails; they were hungry, and God gave them bread. They saw bread coming down from heaven, and they ate. And one chapter later, after all these miracles, they asked, “Is God among us or not”? They asked it while witnessing the pillar of fire at night and the cloud over their heads during the day.

Israel is only an archetype of all humans; doubt is part of us, not only Israel. Doubt emerges when we feel threatened, helpless, and not in control. Sickness and lack of basic needs can make us feel like we are alone like God is not by our side. The word of God gives us a solution to our doubts, and that is trust. Trust in what God can do, trust-based in what God has already done for us. How can we do that? Not forgetting that every miracle God does in our life is a means to let us know who He is. Every blessing is a reminder of His love, commitment, and faithfulness to us.

 How can we increase our trust in God? How can we fight the doubts that come to us? By remembering what God has done in our lives. By bringing to our memory His wonders, His many wonders as psalm 40:4 says, “You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”

One of the most common words I find in the Bible specially in the Old Testament, is the word “remember.”

Isaiah 44:21 “Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you; you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you.

God’s faithfulness for Israel and us cannot be doubted. Israel was thirsty, God gave them water from a rock; Israel was hungry, He made bread come down from heaven. When I see these miracles, I can conclude that God is willing to do the impossible for His people. Remember, you and I are His people, and He will do the unthinkable to help you and me.

If Israel is the archetype of those who doubt, they also are the archetype of those God has helped, protected, and provided in miraculous ways. Deuteronomy 8:28 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. God provided Israel a land full of milk and honey and harvested from vineyards they did not plant; they dwelled in houses they did not build. What God did for His people in the past, He will do it for His people today. Do not worry more than you have to, rest in the loving and everlasting arms of God. He is our Provider; He is aware of all your needs. He has heard your cry out and prayers.

Deuteronomy 15:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you.  God wanted Israel to remember, not just for them to be grateful, but also for them not to doubt. Whatever God did in the past, He was willing to repeat it in the future. Because whatever He did for Israel was out of love, and God’s love for His people, for us, you, and me, endures forever. If doubts have come to your life for whatever reason, the solution is the same today as it was in the past: to remember…