The Message, October 1, 2023: "Great is God's Faithfulness," Exodus 17:1-7

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
October 03, 2023

 

“Great is God’s Faithfulness”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Exodus 17:1-7

            If the Ancient Israelites had had Tik Tok, or any other social media platform, there is no doubt that this episode would have gone viral. Anyone that has spent any time at all scrolling through Tik Tok, or YouTube, or your platform of choice has seen the plethora of videos of neighbors and strangers yelling at each other. Some of them have even found their way onto the evening news.

            Did you see the riverboat incident in Montgomery, Alabama?
            Did you see the story about the guy in New Jersey whose neighbors cut down a bunch of his trees so that he (the neighbor) would have a better view of the water?
            Have you seen the videos of neighbors assaulting one another over parking places?

            It is all ridiculous. And, of course, the bystanders, rather than try to resolve or deescalate the incident pull out their phones and start recording. “This is going to go viral!!”

            There were not ancient cellphones present during the Exodus story, but this episode was recorded for all to see. The people of Israel were trudging through the heat of the desert, hauling their children, leading their livestock, and carrying what few possessions they had. I have no doubt that they were thirsty. Medical experts say that in those conditions people could actually suffer life-threatening thirst within just a few hours. So, their discomfort was certainly legitimate. Their thirst was real. However, their grumbling was misplaced.

            In fact, they did more than grumble. They voiced their dispute with Moses. The Hebrew word for “dispute” was one that was typically used in legal or judicial proceedings. Essentially, the people were suing Moses. Apparently, they believed that he had not lived up to the terms of his contract.

            They were angry and they had to direct their anger somewhere. Obviously, they could not blame God for their circumstances, so they aimed their ire at Moses. During their trek through the wilderness, they had run out of water, then they ran out of food, and in the telling of this episode that had run out of water again! In their minds, Moses had failed the People of Israel.

            “Moses … did you bring us out here to die?! Our children, our livestock are all going to die, and it is your fault!!” (Of course, one might point out to them, ‘What is your alternate plan? Go back to Egypt? Appoint a new leader? Because, quite frankly, who would like that job?’)

            With their ancient cameras recording, the people shook their fists and aired their grievances against Moses.

            Rather than yelling back at them, Moses turned to God. “What am I to do?! I told you when you first spoke to me from the bush, O God, that I was not going to be good at this job. I asked you what would happen if they did not want to listen to me. And look at them now, O God! They want to kill me!!!”

            Now, we know that if this would have been a courtroom drama, Moses could have presented a pretty overwhelming case for himself and for God. “Children of Israel, do you remember your captivity in Egypt and God setting you free? Do you remember the Reed Sea … when Pharoah’s army was bearing down on us, and God delivered us? Do you remember Elim … when you were thirsty, and God provided you with water? Do you remember when you were hungry, and God provided you with manna? Do you remember?”

            Obviously not. And the provision of the manna had just happened! We remember all of this, but the people of Israel do not. Apparently, they needed MORE proof. Apparently, they had not learned the lesson that God was trying to teach the people with the gift of manna. They were only able to gather one day’s worth because the extra would rot and spoil. The lesson … trust that God will provide for tomorrow … and the next day.

            God did not say it outright, but God was saying, “I am with you. I have always been with you. I was with you yesterday, I am with you today, and I will be with you tomorrow.”

            And God spoke to Moses, “Go before the people … run the gauntlet … then gather up some of the elders and go to the mountain. Take the staff, make certain that they see the staff, and go to the rock that I will show you. Strike the stone and water will flow forth.”

            Moses did as he was instructed. He took the staff, the visible, physical manifestation of the Presence and power of God, he went before the people and gathered together the elders, and he went to the mountain. He struck the stone and the water flowed forth; enough water that it flowed all the way down the mountain to the people. God has once again provided for the people.

            And that was it. That drink of water took care of everything. After that lesson of God’s Presence and power, the people never grumbled again. There was never any more conflict or quarreling. There were no more divisions or disagreements among the people. The People of God placed their faith and trust in God and lived happily ever after. The end. Right? Wrong.

            As we sit here this morning, we know that the fairy tale ending was not what happened. We know that there has been quarreling and testing in the church and among the people of God since it began. We know that it will not be long before the Children of Israel would resume their grumbling. We know that they will create the Golden Calf, and so on. We also know that Jesus Christ, the physical Word of God, came to us because the people of God had failed to follow God’s Way. We know that the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters to the early church chronicle all sorts of conflicts among God’s people.

             We also know that God has been present and faithful through it all. God did not throw up divine hands toward heaven and say, ‘That’s it! I have had enough! I see you, Moses! I hear you! These people are driving me crazy. They want to kill me too!’

            Ellie Holcomb is an author, as well as a singer/songwriter. One of her recent songs is, “Don’t Forget to Remember.” She also wrote an accompanying children’s story of the same title. The premise of the song and story is that people seem to keep forgetting to remember everything that God had … and has … done for them. People seem to forget to remember every way that God has been present with them and for them.

            We can certainly understand the desperation of the Children of Israel as they made their way through the desert. They did not read the Story of the Exodus. They lived it. But we read the story to remind us of the faithfulness of God. We read the story so that we will remember to remember.

            In every moment, God is with us.
            In every rocky wilderness moment, God is faithful.
            When we are parched and thirsty, when we hunger for peace, or comfort, or security, God will provide.
            God does not forget about us. God does not turn away. God is with us. God is always with us. Amen.

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