Exodus 17

         Verses 1-7: God leads the children of Israel from the wilderness of Sin to Rephidim where, once again, there is no water. (v.1) Rephidim is in the southern region of the Sinai Peninsula, near Mount Sinai, which is known today by the Egyptian Arabic name of Jebel Musa. (See map below, courtesy of Logos Bible study software.) For the third time in as many months, the children of Israel murmur and complain against Moses. (v.2-3) The word “chide” that is used in verse 2 means “to strive” or “contend with”, either physically or by using words. (Genesis 31:36, Numbers 20:3, Judges 8:1, Psalm  103:9) Moses’ answer: “Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?” (Deuteronomy 6:16, Psalm 78:18, 41, Matthew 4:7, 1 Corinthians 10:9) As always, whenever the Israelites grumble and complain against Moses, they are, in actuality, sinning against God.
           The primary difference, though, between this incident and the previous situation at Marah (Exodus 15:22-26) is that this time around the Israelites provoke and test God. That’s the meaning of the word “tempt” in verses 2 and 7. (This is also the same meaning of that word as it is used in Genesis 22:1 where God tested, or “proved”, the faith of Abraham.) Whereas at Marah God used the lack of water to prove the faith of the children of Israel, here the Israelites are now testing God’s sovereignty and His patience by deliberately rebelling and striving with Him. Their faith in God’s providence and power should have been stronger by now, especially when they had already been through this exact scenario only a few weeks earlier! Yet here they are again, grumbling and complaining against Moses because there’s no drinkable water, and this time Moses is actually afraid for his life because of the anger of the people. (v.4)
          And so, once again, Moses cries out to God, and God commands him to gather the elders of Israel at Horeb where Moses strikes a large rock with his rod. Fresh water gushes forth, and the thirst of the people is quenched. (v.5-6) (Numbers 20:10-11, Deuteronomy 8:15, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:15, 105:41, 114:8, 1 Corinthians 10:4) (NOTE: that cross reference of Numbers 20 is not the same incident as the one described here in Exodus 17. That incident is the second time that God brought forth water from the rock for the Israelites.)
         Moses calls this place Massah, which means “tempted” and Meribah, which means “contention”, for the people did test and quarrel with God. (Psalm 81:7) “Is the Lord among us or not?” (v.7) Even after deliverance from slavery in Egypt, the miraculous salvation at the Red Sea, the miracle of the bitter waters turned sweet at Marah, and, most recently, manna from heaven every morning and fresh quail every evening, the children of Israel STILL doubt and question the very presence of God in their midst! It seems incredible that they could be so shortsighted and weak of faith after going through all of that, but are we today any better? I can think of many times over this past year when I doubted God, even after all that I’ve seen Him do in my life since I cried out to Him three years ago! He has performed many miraculous changes, both within and without, yet I have still doubted His plan for my life and the direction that He has clearly marked for me. I have had to ask forgiveness many times just in the last few months because of my doubt and lack of faith. As much as I want to judge and condemn the Israelites for their failure to believe, trust and obey God, I must instead recognize my own failing to do just that, and then humbly ask God once more to grow my own faith and my trust in Him.
 
        Verse 8-16: The Amalekites are descendants of Esau. (Genesis 36:12, Numbers 24:20, 1 Samuel 15:2) Though this passage doesn’t specifically say why, the reason for this conflict is explained in Deuteronomy 25:17-19. The Amalekites took advantage of the weak and weary of the Israelites as they journeyed through this region. But even more importantly, they do not fear God.
        Joshua makes his first appearance on stage in verse 9. It’s clear that he’s a military leader, for Moses commands him to assemble an army to go fight the Amalekites. Moses, in the meantime, stands atop a nearby hill with Aaron and Hur. (v.10) (According to the Believer’s Bible Commentary, Flavius Josephus, a prominent Jewish historian of the first century, stated that Hur was Miriam’s husband, though scripture itself makes no mention of this.)
        Moses holds out his rod over the battlefield, and the fight goes well for the Israelites. But when Moses’ arms become weary and he lowers them, the tide of battle turns against the children of Israel. (v.11) So Aaron and Hur get a large stone for Moses to sit upon, and they each hold up an arm so that Moses can continue seeking God’s power on behalf of the Israelites. (v.12) We can reasonably infer from the passage that God must have instructed Moses to do this before Moses gave his orders to Joshua, even though the text doesn’t specifically say so. The reason for this is because God is again proving to the children of Israel that the battle belongs to Him alone. The Israelites’ should never depend on their own strength to win against their enemies. This is shown time and again throughout the OT. God honors Moses’ obedience, and the children of Israel win their first battle against the Amalekites. (v.13)
God then instructs Moses to “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.” (v.14) As stated above, the Amalekites do not fear the Lord, and they chose to fight against Israel, hence the reason for this judgment from God. This prophecy is eventually fulfilled. (1 Samuel 15:7, 30:17, 1 Chronicles 4:43)
        Moses builds an altar and calls the name of that place Jehovah-nissi (“YHWH Nissi” in Hebrew), meaning “The Lord is my banner”. Abraham built a similar memorial at Moriah, the site where God had directed him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. (Genesis 22:14) “The Lord hath sworn that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (v.16) Just as He had done with their father, Esau, (Genesis 25:23, Malachi 1:3) God is now pronouncing judgment upon the Amalekites because of the promise He made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3.