We are moving into chapter seventeen of Exodus with our word for today with both the verb and noun forms. צָמֵא thirst, be thirsty, to feel the need to drink. The verb is used 10 times in the Old Testament. The noun is used 17 times in the Old Testament. The noun is used to identify God’s great compassion in providing for his creation. Isaiah 41:17 The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched בַּצָּמָ֣א with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. Psalm 104:10-13 He makes springs pour water into the ravines; it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their צְמָאָֽם thirst. The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
Here is an example of both verb and noun forms used in the same passage. Right after Samson killed a thousand Philistines with just a jawbone of a donkey he was dehydrated. Judges 15:18 Because he was very וַיִּצְמָא֮ thirsty, he cried out to the Lord, “You have given your servant this great victory. Must I now die of בַּצָּמָ֔א thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” Let’s look at how both are used in our chapter today. Exodus 17:3 But the people וַיִּצְמָ֨א thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock בַּצָּמָֽא with thirst?” This as we have already looked at is what unbelief looks like. We will see many more examples of this as we go through the Bible. Unbelief fails to take into account God’s character which lends us to trust him because he cares for us more than we can even comprehend.
Isaiah predicts this future kingdom where Christ will meet all of our needs that includes thirst. Isaiah 49:10 They will neither hunger nor יִצְמָ֔אוּ thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water. Jesus identifies himself as being the one who is the water of life to the woman at the well. John 4:13-15 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” Then Jesus goes on and shares with her the good news that he came to accomplish which was to bring everyone back to God the father’s side through his death on the cross. I’ll close with these Psalms about our need for God as one thirsts for water and how God alone satisfies us. Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul צָמְאָ֬ה thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 63:1-5 You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; צָמְאָ֬ה I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
