Israel had just been mightily redeemed and delivered from Egypt. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had done as He had promised: He saved his people from slavery, brought them safely through the Red Sea, and soundly destroyed their enemy through powerful signs and wonders. Yet in no time, barely started on their desert journey, the people found themselves unable to trust in their self-evident Savior. Already, they were threatening and grumbling against God’s man Moses because they were without water. So God instructed Moses to strike a rock with his staff, producing a miraculous outpouring from which the people could drink. Moses then called that place Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:7)—meaning “testing” and “provoking”—because they had tested and provoked God through their unbelief of His presence and power.
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