Massah and Meribah is a place in Zion that God brought water from a rock. Massah means proof and Meribah means contentious. May there never be a place like this in our own life where we ask God to prove himself and get to murmuring and complaining against him. He’s never done anything to make us do that. We don’t need to ask for proof. God has never failed. He’s not a God of unbelief but we can become unbelieving people. Whatever we go through God leads the way. Just because water doesn’t come when we get thirsty doesn’t mean we need to start complaining. Be patient and wait on the Lord. Be faithful and follow him. He provides in due time even if he provides out of a rock.
Exodus 17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? 4 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 5 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?
God had this surprise and the people were spoiling it with the grumbling. Be glad you’re saved. We’re better off with what God puts on our us than what we used to have. For 400 years the children of Israel had heartburn from garlic and onions. God was now taking them to a land of milk and honey.
A rock doesn’t have water. However, God opened up heaven in this solid rock and made a channel from heaven. We’ll never have anything better than God. Quit the doubting, complaining and contention. We’re not deprived as Christians. We’re a people of God on the way to heaven. Even though we’re in the wilderness of this world God will take us out. You don’t have to go to a mystic. Open the Word of God and he’ll help us. The other day we bought some new kinds of pop tarts and the box had a horoscope on it. Look what that is teaching kids. They’re the usual buyers of pop tarts. How much better off it would be with a message from God and a verse of scripture. The Egyptians, the world around us, don’t want to go with us. But Jesus is there and is the only one who can lead us out. If we’ll quit acting deprived and letting the devil get to us we’ll be much better off. He convinces people to pray as if they should get everything they want. Even parents don’t give their kids everything they pick up at the store. Their attention span is short; they’ll look at it a minute and then mom can put it back on the shelf.
How thirsty are you? You are quenched. Are you in a dry spell? Don’t blame God. You have more water than a camel; it’s available to you. Israel wanted to be spoon fed every day like children. Don’t act like “young un’s.” Act like the children of God. If you’re not saved Jesus wants to save you. Know this: when you come to him you cannot stay in sin and serve him. You can’t get out of the spot of sin you’re in on your own either. God sent a Moses named Jesus Christ to lead us through this world. You won’t die of thirst in this walk with God. If you feel a little hungry you won’t die of starvation. God will supply what is needed. Take up the cross of Jesus, follow him and never look back to what you once were.
Moses told God he didn’t know what to do. They were just traveling through this place. Just over the horizon was greener pasture. Remember that the Lord is our Shepherd. Keep following the Lord because over the hill is green pasture and still waters. Follow him even if you can’t see it. You will one day.
God told Moses to tell them to listen. Moses was to take his rod and get them up to Horeb. God formed the law from a rock. Another time he put a cleft in the rock so Moses could see the hinder parts of God’s glory. He was going to use the rock again. God was going to stand on the rock. Moses was to take his staff, the same one that parted the Red Sea and brought dry ground, and smite the rock. When Moses hit the rock, water came out of it.
God is still on the rock. Are we close to him? We need to lay aside all the stuff and go to the Rock. Jesus too was smitten to give us the water of life. It took the death of Jesus to become our Rock of Salvation. God stood by his son and let him be smitten for our sakes. This was so the thirst of our soul could be filled forevermore. It doesn’t read that water came out of the rock but we know it did. Because of Jesus our need can be met; our wrongs can be righted and our sins forgiven.
They were to call the name of this place Massah because they wanted God to prove himself. What a sin to tell God he has to prove something to us. It was also called Meribah because the people fussed with God. Don’t excuse yourself and contend with God or anyone else. Look at yourself. God meets our needs. It’s time to come to the Rock. Is the Lord here? Come and see….or maybe it’s more correct to say look into your heart and then come to him.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 