YEA Lesson Library

The Lesson

God commanded that the Israelites leave the Sin desert and go to Rephidim. When they arrived there was no water! We know that water is essential to life. Without it, you really can't live very long. Being without water can be very serious.

We need two or three quarts of fluid every day. Dehydration occurs when we take in less fluid than we lose. The progressive effects of dehydration are serious. When a child becomes dehydrated, heart rate increases, blood flow to the skin decreases, and body temperature rises steadily to dangerous levels. When the Israelites’ thirst began to torment them, they asked Moses, "Why did you ever take us out of Egypt. Why did you bring us here to die, with our children and cattle too?"

Life had become desperate for the Israelites. They went beyond their usual griping and complaining and started growling and wailing. The cattle didn't have any water either. By this time, they could have been complaining as well. It must have been a terrible noise.

Moses must have felt like shouting, "shut up" at the top of his voice. He did tell them to be quiet and asked, "Are you trying to test God's patience with you?" Am I saying that God could get impatient with them when they didn't have water, an essential to life? Read on.

Moses started praying. "What shall I do?" he asked God. "For they are almost ready to stone me." How would you have liked to have been in Moses' shoes? Poor Moses got the blame for every bad thing that happened, and little or no credit for the good things they had and the blessings they received. Doubtless, the Israelites were uncomfortable, but that was no excuse.

Jehovah came to Moses' rescue. "Take the elders of Israel with you and lead the people out to Mt. Horeb. I will meet you there at the rock. Strike it with your rod - the same one you struck the Nile with - and water will come pouring out, enough for everyone." I doubt that Moses wasted any time doing exactly what God told him to do. The water began to gush out. I'm sure he must have prayed a silent prayer saying, "Thank you, Lord."

Moses named this place Massah, which means "tempting Jehovah to slay us." It was sometimes referred to by the name of Meribah, which means "argument" and "strife," because it was here that the children of Israel argued against God and tempted Him to slay them.

Have you ever wondered if God acts arbitrarily? Does He randomly pick a person and say, "I think, today, I'll give Jo Blow a severe trial without any rhyme or reason?" Or does God have a purpose behind every trial you have? If so why would He? "He uses circumstances to develop our character. In fact, he depends more on circumstances to make us like Jesus than he depends on our reading the Bible. The reason is obvious: You face circumstances 24 hours a day.

"Jesus warned us that we would have problems in the world. No one is immune to pain or insulated from suffering, and no one gets to skate through life problem-free. Life is a series of problems. Every time you solve one, another is waiting to take its place. Not all of them are big, but all are significant in God's growth process for you. Peter assures us that problems are normal, saying, 'Don't be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you'" (The Purpose Driven Life, page 193).

We are God's children the same as the Israelites of old. He knew what was best for them and He knows what is best for us today. He knows that for us to become all that we can be, life cannot be a seamless trip with no pain or adversity. Why? 1 Peter 4:13 tells us to be glad when trials come our way. Now that's not easy to do. It certainly wasn't for the Israelites. When their parched throats cried out for water and there wasn't any, they were not happy about it.

God looks at the big picture. He has something far greater in mind for us than this physical life. This is because "these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterwards you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory in that coming day when it will be displayed" (TLB). Man's glory is temporary like a tattoo, body piercing, beautiful flowing hair, or a good body. God's glory is lasting throughout all eternity.

You've read the scripture that says, "I would rather be a doorman of the Temple of my God than live in palaces of wickedness" (Psalm 84:10b, TLB). This is a very worthy goal. But God wants you to set your sights even higher than making it into His Kingdom as a doorman. The Bible says we are saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for our sins. But we are rewarded according to what we do - our works. 2 John 8 tells us, "See to it that you win your full reward from the Lord. For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will leave God behind; while if you are loyal in Christ's teachings, you will have God too. Then you will have both the Father and the Son" (TLB).

The Israelites' complaints tempted God to slay them. This is something we must be very careful not to do. The flip side of the coin is wanting God to give you your full reward. Study carefully the Parable of the Pound in Luke 19:13-27. The more you do with what God gives you, the greater your reward will be. When trials come, will you complain like the Israelites and make God want to slay you? Or will you get busy now and make the most of every trial you face?