Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?” And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So, Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!” And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:1-7)

Ungrateful Hearts Filled With Rebellion

The Hebrews were a chosen people delivered by the Lord from Egyptian bondage with great and powerful signs. Moses brought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians, which the Hebrews witnessed. At the Red Sea, with no visible path to escape and the Egyptian army pressing hard against them, the Hebrews thought they were to be slaughtered. Moses showed the people the saving power of God by parting the waters of the Red Sea and commanding the Hebrews to walk across on dry land. When the Egyptian army followed the multitude into the sea, God brought the waters upon them and destroyed them.

Witnessing the signs of God’s power and wrath against the nation of Egypt was supposed to prove to the children of Abraham that the Lord would never forsake them. On the night of the tenth plague, God demonstrated his goodness and wrath when He saved all the Hebrews who placed blood on the doorpost and lintel and killed the firstborn in all of Egypt, including the animals. Death filled the land of Egypt except where the Hebrews lived. Faced with hopelessness, God again showed His power to save by delivering the Hebrews and destroying the greatest army on the earth.

It did not take long for the hearts of the Hebrews to forget the power of God. Shortly after crossing the Red Sea, the people (nearly two million souls) camped in Rephidim between the Wilderness of Sin and Sinai. There was no water there, and the souls of the people became discouraged. They would have known the Lord would provide for them if they had great faith. The images of the plagues and the bodies of the dead Egyptian army on the seashore were fresh in their minds. At that time, they feared the Lord and believed in Moses. When the people came to Marah, they found the waters bitter and undrinkable. God provided them with water. They later complained of not having enough food, and the Lord gave them manna.

At Rephidim, the people became so agitated that they demanded that Moses provide them with water. They accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to kill them and their children and livestock with thirst. God told Moses to stand before the rock in Horeb and strike the rock to bring water to the people. Moses did as the Lord commanded, and the two million souls were satisfied. Moses called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the contention of the people and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

How ungrateful the people are toward God. They had forgotten all the Lord had done for them in the past few weeks. How could a powerful God not have the desire to care for His people? The hearts of the Hebrews were filled with contention and disbelief because God did not serve them for their pleasures and wants. When God gave them the Law, He began by reminding them it was He who brought them out of the land of Egypt. The Sabbath was established to remind the people of their deliverance by the hand of God. Celebrating the Passover memorialized the dreadful night death swept over the land, killing all those not under the covenant of blood. The Hebrews were ungrateful for all that God had done.

There is a spirit of ingratitude when people question whether God is among them. In many cases, God is not among the people because of sin. Sometimes, people of God question whether God answers prayers or not because He apparently does not understand how important the requests are that come before Him. Prayers are demanded, not offered as petitions. How dare the people suggest that God was not among them after He had done so many incredible things in their presence? This same spirit can be found in those who complain to God. They think God should serve their every whim. The Bible is the testimony of the power of God, and from its pages, a heart of thanksgiving and gratitude comes to show how much He cares for His people. Stop complaining. Trust in God. Pray.