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Exodus 17

the second book of moses, called exodus
Moses · c. 1446–1405 BC
Chapter the Seventeenth
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.
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?
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?
And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
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.
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.
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?
Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:
For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
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Chuck Smith on Exodus 17

Verse by verse, the C2000 series. Permission granted by The Word For Today.
Verses 1-2 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 they pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink. Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water to drink. Moses said unto them, Why chide you with me? why do you tempt the LORD ( Exodus 17:1-2 ). Now their murmuring and their complaining was really classified by Moses as a "tempting of God". We are warned in the New Testament concerning the failure of the children of Israel because they were guilty of tempting God, and proving Him, murmuring against Him. And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that you have brought us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? ["Why have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us with thirst?"] Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What am I going to do with these people? they're ready to kill me ( Exodus 17:3-4 ). Verses 3-4 Poor Moses. I'll tell you the position of leadership is not an easy position. Moses didn't have an easy task at all. Here the people now ready to stone him. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, where you smote the river, take it in your hand, and go. And behold, I will stand before you 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. And he called the name of the place Massah, [Which means "temptation"] and Meribah, because of the chiding [Or the "striving"] of the children of Israel, because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not? ( Exodus 17:5-7 ) Verses 5-7 So first of all it was their hunger. Now God has promised to provide all of our needs according to His riches and glory. Having led them out, God would've provided and taken care of them. Their first complaint was that of their hunger, the second was that of water. These are two necessities, food and drink, especially in a wilderness area. So I think that it is important to notice that though Moses was really upset with the people, there's no indication that God was upset with them, for their needs were natural needs. Now the way they were going about the accusations that they were making were extreme and wrong; and yet, their need was a natural need. God recognized that. God does not show any displeasure with the people; so much as He does show with, as Moses actually shows to the people. But God now tells Moses, "Take the rod and strike the rock and water will come forth." Now in the New Testament we are told that these things are all figures. It doesn't mean that it's mythology. It's actual history. But they all have a spiritual counterpart. We are told by Paul that that rock was Christ. Now you remember Jesus, on the last day of the great day of the feast cried, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink"( John 7:37 ). This was the Feast of Tabernacles in which they were celebrating how God preserved their fathers through the forty years of wandering in the wilderness. A part of the preservation was the providing of the water out of the rock. So during the Feast of Tabernacles, the priest would go down to the Pool of Siloam with these water jugs. They would fill them with water, and they would come back up to the steps where several hundred thousand Jews would be gathered in the Great Temple Mount area. In front of all of the people, as they were singing the Halel songs, the priest would pour the water out on the pavement there of the Temple Mount. That was to remind them how that God gave water to their fathers out of the rock in the wilderness. This was just sort of weaved in to the celebration of Tabernacles, the Booths, where they had to make their little booths, again to remind them how their fathers lived out in the wilderness for forty years. So this pouring out of water ceremony was a reminder of the water out of the rock, this experience. Now Jesus, even as He took the Passover and applied it to Himself personally, and said, "This bread is My body broken for you. This cup is My blood shed for the remission of your sins". Now here at the Feast of Tabernacles, on the last day, the great day of the feast, they would not go down and get the water. They didn't pour out. They'd do it for the seven days of the feast. The eighth day, the great day, they wouldn't do it, which was symbolic of the fact that we are now in the land that God promised to our fathers. We don't need the miraculous water out of the rock. On that day as the people were gathered, the great assembly of people there on the Temple Mount, Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirsts let him come unto Me and drink. And he who drinks of the water that I give, out of his innermost being, there will flow rivers of living water"( John 7:38 ). So Paul tells us that Jesus is the rock. He is the rock from which the living waters flow. In that land where water was such a premium, and thirst is almost constant. The idea of Christ as the water of life is probably much more significant than it is to us here where you just go turn a spigot on and just go get a drink whenever you're thirsty. There you really had to think about water. You had to-you had to be constantly thinking about water. Wherever you go you'd have to think about, "Well where will I get my water?" The water supply was an important thing. So Jesus, the fountain of living waters, and so the final invitation of Revelation, "Is him that is athirst, let him come and drink of the water of life freely"( Revelation 22:17 ). Partake of Christ. So Christ is the rock, the fulfillment of this Feast of the Tabernacle. The rock, from which the water flows, the water of life, by which we might have life. Now this is why when later on the people came to Moses again, and they were thirsty, and Moses went in before the Lord, and said, "God I can't stand it, these people are complaining again." God said, "That's all right Moses, go out and speak to the rock, and water will come forth." Moses went out and he was angry with the people. He said, "Must I smite this rock again and give you water?" And he smote the rock with his rod. Water came forth. But God called Moses in, and said, "Moses that was a bad mistake. I told you to speak to the rock. You disobeyed Me; you misrepresented Me before those people. Because of that Moses, you can't go into the Promised Land." "Oh God please, I'm sorry, please let me go in." "Don't talk to Me anymore about it, Moses. It's the way it's gotta be." Why? Because now the symbolism is broken. You see the rock was smitten, and from the smitten rock comes life, from Jesus being smitten, there comes forth life to you. But once the rock has been smitten, it never needs to be smitten again. He died once and for all, so that we need not to smite the rock to get the water. All we need to do is by faith, ask, speak to the rock and water will come forth. So we are not in the position of smiting the rock, that has already happened. Christ was smitten and the water of life came forth. Now all that is necessary is just speak, ask, and ye shall receive the water of life freely. So the whole scene here as God was setting the thing up. Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim ( Exodus 17:8 ). Verse 8 Now Amalek was the grandson of Esau, who was of the fleshly seed, and represents the flesh. So in scripture, Amalek is always a type of the flesh, the flesh-life, the fleshly seed. There's a spiritual seed; there's a fleshly seed. There's a spiritual side of my nature, there is a fleshly side of my nature, and the spirit and the flesh are in conflict. A constant warfare, my spirit lusting against my flesh, my flesh against the spirit, these two are contrary. Every child of God knows what it is to have a conflict with his flesh. Now Amalek is a type of the flesh. Here God's people, the spiritual seed is coming in to take the land, but the flesh is the first thing that moves in the way to stop them, and to hinder them from going in and taking, and possessing that which God has promised to give to them. One of the biggest barriers to our receiving the full promises of God for our lives is our flesh. The flesh is always warring against the spirit. Our flesh would keep us from entering into the fullness of God's promises, and into the fullness of God's blessings. Amalek came out to meet them, the picture of the flesh, and fought with them. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, and fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said unto him, and he fought with Amalek: and Moses, and Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses; hands were heavy; and so they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat on the stone; and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword ( Exodus 17:9-13 ). Verses 9-16 Joshua of course is the name "Jesus" in Greek, which means, "Jehovah is salvation". So God's salvation. Joshua was sent to fight against them, was put over the servants of God, and fought against Amalek the picture of the flesh, and they prevailed. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book ( Exodus 17:14 ),

Commentary on Exodus 17

Whosoever Will · the Seven Threads Commentary

Exodus 17:1

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:2

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:3

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:4

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:5

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:6

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:7

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:8

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:9

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:10

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:11

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:12

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:13

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:14

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:15

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19

Exodus 17:16

Three days after the Song of Moses, after the LORD is my strength and song and salvation, after the horse and rider thrown into the sea, the people cannot find water and they murmur against Moses. The speed of the transition is the whole point. This is not a different people than the ones who believed and sang. It is the same people, now in different circumstances, responding with complaint rather than trust. Thread 4 is in the murmuring: the same genuine human agency that produced the believing at the sea produces the murmuring at Marah. Both responses are genuinely theirs. The wilderness becomes the test that reveals whether the faith at the sea was emunah, the steadfast covenant trust that holds when circumstances change, or merely a momentary response to a spectacular event. Thread 1 is in Moses crying to the LORD and the LORD showing him the tree. God does not abandon the murmurers. He provides. The tree that sweetens the bitter water is another type reaching forward, the wood that transforms what is bitter into what sustains life.
Three days out of the greatest miracle in their history and they are murmuring. The wilderness testing begins immediately and the pattern of Hebrews 3:7-19 is already established: the same people who believed at the sea complain at Marah.
וַיִּלֹּנּוּ הָעָם עַל מֹשֶׁה (vayyillonu ha-am al Moshe): the people murmured against Moses: lun/lun (to murmur, grumble, lodge a complaint, the wilderness murmuring verb that will appear fourteen times in Exodus and Numbers; the wayyiqtol form describes the murmuring as the immediate next act after the failure to find water; three days from the crossing of the sea, the grumbling begins)
threads t1 · t4 · see Numbers 14:1-4 · 1 Corinthians 10:5-11 · Hebrews 3:7-19
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