Living in the Spirit
September 21, 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 was surprised to read that a shortage of water is one of the projected results of climate change* in my part of the world. Oklahoma is known for its investment in building lakes, probably because of the Dust Bowl. While we might view the Israelites as being whiners in the above scripture, they were realistic, having lived in an arid environment. Scientists project that humans can go without food for several weeks and survive. We die in three or four days without water**.
The Israelites miss the mark not from being frightened but from not being a part of searching for a solution. Moses and the elders went in search of an answer to the problem and found one. We tend to read similar scriptures as if Moses waved a magic staff, and all was well. Moses engaged with God in guiding his actions, but it took strength and fortitude, and hard work to implement the changes needed for the Israelites to survive and eventually thrive.
The Bible is the history of God’s working among God’s followers when one or some of them say to God, here is a problem, I am ready to do something about it and God responding “It’s about time, I am ready. Let’s go.” According to the story of the Israelites, they were enslaved for 400 years or so. We do not have that kind of time regarding addressing climate change.
Prayer: Creator God, you gifted us with the earth and all that is in it and charged us to have dominion over the planet in support of our needs. Forgive us when we have misused it and show us how we can restore it. Amen.
*https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
**https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-12-humans-survive-food.html#:~:text=Generally%2C%20it%20appears%20as%20though,around%2045%20to%2061%20days.
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.