After reading this text from Exodus 17, several thoughts came to mind. First of all, if God calls me to do something totally different, how likely am I to try it (vv. 5-6)? Then, if I do decide to attempt some unusual thing God tells me to do, how likely am I to encourage others to watch with me (v. 6)? (Hardly likely! No one wants to look like a fool with others watching!) How willing am I to accept help offered by others (v. 12)? If I do actually get something accomplished, am I willing to tell others what God has done (v. 14)? How would I feel if God kept others from remembering the wonderful thing I had done (v. 14)?
So, as you see, I don’t end up feeling too good about myself after reading these verses! (How about you?) But, let’s not miss the key thrust of this focal text: God meets the needs of God’s people. And note this: God does it through the hands of God’s people. Moses (v. 6) and Joshua (v. 13) are instruments in the hands of God.
Another thing comes to mind: What would be a good name for the circumstances of my life? In verse 7, there is a record that Moses called the place where all this took place “Massah and Meribah.” Those words mean “test” and “quarrel.” The people had been testing the Lord and quarreling about having no water. If Moses were to give a name to my life journey, what words would he choose? Words like Disappointment, Sadness, Loss? How about words like Victory, Hope, Joy? What words describe your experience with God?
Here is a pop quiz. Who are James, Tanielu, and Parker? What do they have in common? (Time’s up! How did you do on this pop quiz?) These three fellows are brothers. I know them and benefit from my friendship with them. My guess is that 99.8% of the readers of this commentary did not pass the quiz. That’s because you and I know different people. We live in different places. We have different opportunities. All of this to say that we may not be expected to hit a rock with a stick (as Moses did) and we may not be expected to struggle with Amalek (as Joshua did), but for each of us, our settings and our relationships provide possibilities for being implements in the hand of God.
What Someone Else Has Said: Carl Michalson (The Witness of Radical Faith, Tidings) wrote: “To consult the Bible is dangerous and fatiguing. We come across passages like ‘love your neighbor,’ ‘love your enemy,’ be ye perfect...’ Any moralist will concede that this is about the finest ethic we find in human history. But who can keep it?...In the Gospel, we have the assurance that God has not asked anything of us that (God) will not see through with us to a successful consummation.”
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Use me, Lord, even me...”
