The Message, September 27, 2026: "God Provides," Exodus 17:1-7

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
September 30, 2026

 

“God Provides”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Exodus 17:1-7

            I am not a parent. But I used to be a child. I remember the back seat perspective of what long car rides were like. As I recall, the longest car trip that we ever took as a family was to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. And I think that I can figure out why we did not go on any other long trips.

            “I am hungry!” “I have to go to the bathroom!” “I am feeling car sick.” “Scott is taking up too much room!” “Eric is touching me!” “When are we going to be there?!”

            I do not remember any of the things that our parents said in reply. I can only imagine.

            We had rented a beach house … but the week that we were there a hurricane was churning off the coast. We could not go in the water. The wind was so strong that when I tried to fly a kite, the string burned my fingers. The water in the shower smelled like sulfur so no one wanted to take showers. We came out smelling worse than we went in! We spent most of our “beach” vacation inside.

            Grumble, grumble, grumble.

            We did go to Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers Museum. We did go crab fishing and had quite a successful catch. We did find all kinds of things washed up on the beach because of the storm. We did have a great time … but when I sat down to write, all that I initially remembered was the grumbling.

            When I was at the church in Beverly, Massachusetts, the highlight for many of the youth in the church was the annual canoe trip down the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. It was an amazing trip. Two weeks in the protected and most unspoiled wilderness during which we traveled over one hundred miles. Obviously, it was a trip that required a lot of cooperation and teamwork among the participants. Some paddling days were quite long, especially if the wind was blowing. We slept in tents, had to carry all of our food and gear with us. We had to find spots with potable water and fill up five-gallon water jugs and lug them back to camp. We had to find and cut our own firewood. We had to carry out all of our trash.

            Of course, it was not all work. We could swim and play. There were a couple of fire towers that we were permitted to climb. There were … still are … two abandoned logging trains in the woods that we could visit. We could jump and swim in Allagash Falls. We could sit around the campfire and tell stories about our adventures and whittle little gifts for our canoe partners. We had vesper services in some of the most beautiful spots as the sun sank behind the trees and mountains.

            However, there was one year when it rained … and rained … and rained. It rained for thirteen out of the fourteen days. Everything was wet and gross. No one had any dry clothes left. We sat huddled under the tarps that we set up over the picnic tables … and grumbled. We were miserable. I was the leader of that particular trip, and there were some days when I wished that we had just stayed home. Taking the kids to the mall would have been better than that!

            Until … that day about half-way through the trip when I realized that the only ones that were grumbling and miserable were the adults. The leaders. The kids were having a great time. They did not care that it was raining. They did not care that they were wet. Who cares if you go swimming in the rain!

            Finally, “Moses” here realized that we were out in this amazing wilderness, but we … the adult leaders … had blinders on. So, we had canoe races around the island. We had water Olympics. The adults realized what the kids already knew … being together was the part that mattered, and the rain just made it more interesting!

            Now, I understand that it is a bit of a leap to journey from a near miss hurricane vacation or a two-week youth group canoe trip to the Exodus experience for the Children of Israel. You can see some obvious differences. Whether it was Cape Hatteras or the Allagash, we knew our destination and we knew how long it would take to get there. And once we were there, we knew what to expect … for the most part. But the Israelites had no idea where they were going, how long it would take, or what might happen to them along the way.

            One scholar wrote, “They had not been in the wilderness for very long. It had only been about two and a half months.” If you were to ask my wife, Renee, she would tell you that two and a half DAYS would be more than enough! Thankfully for Moses, Renee was not on that wilderness sojourn.

            We know that the Children of Israel had a complicated, sometimes difficult, relationship with God. They were God’s Chosen People. God promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation, give him the land of Canaan, and bless all families on earth through him. (Genesis 12) And yet, they were often at odds with God.

            Without going through a weeks-long exegesis of the Hebrew scriptures, we can summarize their relationship as such. They celebrated when God blessed them but then bitterly complained when things got difficult. And then, whenever God did something else that was new and wonderful and creative and life-giving or life-sustaining they celebrated as if all of their problems had been solved forever. Which, or course, would always lead to the next great disappointment.

            These episodes in Exodus may be the greatest examples of not seeing the trees for the forest.
            God had heard the groaning of the people and sent Moses to deliver them from slavery in Egypt. After several displays of God’s awesome power that we know as the plagues, Pharoah agreed to set the people free. Until he changed his mind and pursued them.

            God was leading them from captivity. The People of Israel found themselves on the shore of the Reed Sea and knew for certain that they would perish. They complained against Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die?! Were there not enough graves in Egypt?!” But God delivered them. (Genesis 14)

            A few days later, the people arrived at Marrah but found that they could not drink the water. It was too bitter. They complained against Moses, “What shall we drink?” But God delivered. (Exodus 15)

            A few weeks later, the People of Israel were hungry … and they complained against Moses. “We should have died at the hands of the Lord when we were still in Egypt.” So, God provided manna … bread of heaven. God delivered. (Exodus 16)

            And here we are at our text for today. The People had made their way to a place called Rephidim and they could find no water to drink. This time they quarreled with Moses. The Hebrew word “rib” can refer to a simple argument, or it can refer to the bringing of a lawsuit. In this case, the people made a demand of Moses, “Give us something to drink!” If he failed to do so, they would find him in breach of his “contract” with them. Essentially, they were accusing him of failing to successfully deliver them from Egypt and to the Promised Land. They even went so far as to accuse him of attempted murder. “You brought us and our children and our livestock out here to die. You are trying to kill us, Moses!”

            And as we heard, Moses knew that he was in trouble. At that point he might have even been in mortal danger. So, he appealed to God. “What should I do, Lord? These people are ready to stone me!”

            Let us be clear. The Children of Israel’s grumbling and complaining were well-founded.  The Egyptians had pursued; the sea was too wide to cross; the water was too bitter to drink; food was scarce; the water ran out altogether. Doubt set in; fear overtook them. They had no idea where they were going. They had no idea what else might happen to them. They were not in any way, shape or form in control. The natural outgrowth of doubt and fear, and loss of control is anger. So, the people complained and quarreled. 

            It is easy for us to see with the safety of time and distance. In each instance, God provided: deliverance, sweet water, food, water from the rock. These were the early days of the wilderness wanderings, and God persistently guided the people and provided for them.

            This whole episode is about the saving power of God, and it is about the faith or lack of faith of the People of God. But as you and I may know from our own personal experiences, in the midst of the wilderness it can be difficult to trust. When you are walking in dry and barren and desolate territory and fear for your health, your well-being, your life faith can wane. It may seem as though the people were asking for catered dinners. It may seem as though they wanted to ring a bell and summon God to do their bidding. What they really needed to know was that God was with them.

            God could have said, “Do not put your God to the test.” God could have said, “Oh ye of little faith.” But instead, God told Moses to ‘pass before the people.’ “Yes, Moses, walk through that angry mob that is enraged with you. I will be with you as I have always been with you.” And God instructed him to take the staff that he had used to touch the Nile. “Take the staff, Moses. The people will recognize that as a symbol of my power and my Presence. That staff which set the people free from Egypt will once again offer them life! Remind them once again, Moses, that I am with them.”

            God could have said, “Do not put the Lord Your God to the test.” But God did not do that. Instead, God complied. God gave them life-sustaining water. God provided.

            God does not say, “I love you,” once … and then never says it again.
            God does not say, “I will take care of you,” once … and then say, “You are on your own.”
            God waits for us at the end of the driveway every day.
            God speaks to us every day.

            God cares deeply for each of us and walks with us when we find ourselves walking in places of fear and doubt.
            God provides for us and reveals Godself to us. God continues to do so time and time again even when our trust falters. God does not say, “Tough luck, kid. You shoulda trusted more when ya had the chance.”
            God is always present with us even when we believe that God’s provision or care do not come as quickly or in quite the form as we would like.

            It can be difficult to trust at times. It can be difficult to relinquish control. It can be easy, and quite natural, to blame someone when we struggle. It is even natural to romanticize our former circumstances, even when they are awful. At least we know what to expect … even if it is painful.

            But when we look back, or look around, we can see God. When we look back or look around, we can remember or recognize the ways that God provides for us along the way. When we look back and look around, we can hear God speak those wonderful words, “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

            Be still. God is with us. Amen.

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