Lent
March 9, 2020
Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’
I remember reading somewhere that humans can survive without food for several days but going without water for three or more days is deadly. Water is necessary for life. Grumbling about not having water to drink reflects the fear of death by dehydration. A people who lived around desert land were no doubt acquainted with such disaster. Panic, giving up, anger, even hoarding water supplies would be normal responses to such a situation. The Israelite refugees from Egypt were demonstrating their humanness.
God provided for the Israelites repeatedly in desperate situations like this, but they seem to have short memories and limited faith. One aspect of the role of a leader is to demonstrate faith in the face of trials seeking solutions when none are in sight and setting examples of cool heads and perseverance.
We live in a world full of similar chaos. In 2019, An unprecedented 70.8 million people have been forcibly displaced worldwide, and 37,000 people are forced to flee their homes every day due to conflict or persecution*. We drink water from faucets with little thought of how we routinely have fresh, tested, clean water available simply by turning a knob. One of the roles of Christ followers like you and me is to be the rock that provides water for those caught in the wilderness of being a refugee from their homeland for whatever reason.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the water we drink daily. Help us make sure all your other children have the same opportunity to have water to survive. Amen.
*See https://reliefweb.int/report/world/world-refugee-day-2019
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.