Exodus Chapter Seventeen. Exodus 17:1-7: The Lord Provides Water for the Israelites at Rephidim

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1 Exodus Chapter Seventeen Exodus 17:1-7: The Lord Provides Water for the Israelites at Rephidim Exodus 17:1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? 3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? 4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me. 5 Then the Lord said to Moses, Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not? (NASB95) This pericope contains the first of two provisions by the Lord for the nation of Israel, namely water. Verse 1 tell us that the Israelites journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin as commanded by the Lord. Numbers 33:12-14 informs the reader that before camping at Rephidim, they stopped at Dophkah and Alush. Traditionally, Rephidim is thought to be located in present-day Wadi Refayld, which is near Jebel Musa, which is a supposed site of Mount Sinai. The Israelites were traveling from place to place in the wilderness of Sin as evidenced by the fact that the places stopped at are located in this wilderness. The NET Bible has the following note on Rephidim The location is a bit of a problem. Exod 19:1 2 suggests that it is near Sinai, whereas it is normally located near Kadesh in the north. Without any details provided, M. Noth concludes that two versions came together (Exodus [OTL], 138). S. R. Driver says that the writer wrote not knowing that they were 24 miles apart (Exodus, 157). Critics have long been bothered by this passage because of the two names given at the same place. If two sources had been brought together, it is not possible now to identify them. But Noth insisted that if there were two names there were two different locations. The names Massah and Meribah occur alone in Scripture (Deut 9:22, and Num 20:1 for examples), but together in Ps 95 and in Deut 33:8. But none of these passages is a clarification of the difficulty. Most critics would argue that Massah was a 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

2 secondary element that was introduced into this account, because Exod 17 focuses on Meribah. From that starting point they can diverge greatly on the interpretation, usually having something to do with a water test. But although Num 20 is parallel in several ways, there are major differences: 1) it takes place 40 years later than this, 2) the name Kadesh is joined to the name Meribah there, and 3) Moses is punished there. One must conclude that if an event could occur twice in similar ways (complaint about water would be a good candidate for such), then there is no reason a similar name could not be given. 1 Rephidim is the masculine singular proper noun r e p î ḏîm פ יד ים) (ר (ref-eedeem ), which means camping place or resting place. It was a station between the wilderness of Sin and the wilderness of Sinai. This name is related to the root raphad, which in Sabean Arabic means terraces, derived from the idea of support, which is appropriate for an area where rain is in short supply and thus must be carefully preserved. The journey 1 Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ex 17:1). Biblical Studies Press William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2

3 from Elim (Wadi Gharandel) to the Wadi Feiran resulted in the Israelites becoming very thirsty. This was a long trip. The text is clear that the Lord led them to this place in order to test their faith. Would they trust Him or would they not? Verses 2 and 3 say that the Israelites failed the test and complained to Moses about the lack of water. Notice again, that Moses teaches the Israelites that when they complain to him about the lack of water, they are in actuality complaining to the Lord since he is the Lord s servant and representative. Moses was simply following God s orders. Therefore, to complain to Moses was a complaint against the Lord. They were not waiting for the Lord to provide the water for them as evidenced by the fact that they complain to Moses thinking that their complaint will result in their receiving their demand for water. To put God to the test means that the Israelites were expressing doubt in the Lord s ability to provide for them. They again have failed to recall everything the Lord had done for them up to this point in the narrative. If they had, they would have kept silent and waited upon the Lord to come through and provide the water in His timing. They have forgotten that He has been faithful to them. Faithfulness is one of the attributes of God as related to moral beings (Deut. 7:9; 32:4; Lam. 3:23; Isa. 49:7; Hos. 11:12; Ps. 25:10; 33:4; 89:1-8; 91:4; 96:13; 98:3; 100:5; 119:75; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:18; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 2 Tim. 2:13; Jn. 1:9; Heb. 10:23; 1 Pet. 4:19; Rev. 19:11). It is one of the relative attributes of God meaning that it is related to God s relationship to men. Faithfulness characterizes God s loyalty to His covenant people Israel. Stuart has an excellent comment, he writes Testing God is demanding or expecting him to do something special for you, something you haven t earned and don t per se deserve. Not all testing, however, is sin. God s appropriate testing of Abraham s faith (Gen 22:1) or his testing of the Israelites faith in chap. 15 ( there he tested them, 15:25) is described with exactly the same vocabulary (the piel of nsh) as is employed by Moses here. What is impermissible is any of testing of God (how could his faith be in doubt and need testing?) since it amounts not to a genuine attempt to assess loyalty but an attempt to get something out of him earlier or in greater quantity, or the like, than would otherwise happen. Testing God always involves some degree of doubt about whether or not one s present circumstances are all that one deserves and whether or not God could or should have done a better job of providing one s needs. 2 Deuteronomy 6:16 prohibits the Israelites from putting the Lord to the test. Psalm 95:8 does the same. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, for the benefit of the 2 Stuart, D. K. (2007). Vol. 2: Exodus (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (389). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3

4 Corinthian church, the apostle Paul uses the Exodus generation as an example of those who put the Lord to the test and were disciplined by Him for it. The Israelites statement in Exodus 17:3 echoes their statement to Moses in Exodus 16:2-3 where in both instances they accuse him of attempting to kill them and their children and livestock. Exodus 17:4 says that Moses took this problem to the Lord, which is a good example for all of us. This was one of the great character traits of Moses (cf. 15:25; 32:30; 33:8; Numbers 11:2, 11; 12:13; 14:13-19). However, this is all he did correctly since he handled the Israelites protest incorrectly. In Exodus 16:6-8, he assured them that God will provide for them and that he was only God s representative. But here in Exodus 17:4, he is panicked and is in fear of his life. He is paying attention to his own welfare here rather than affirming and asserting the will of God. So Moses is showing a lack of faith in the Lord s ability to protect him as a result of the Israelites lack of faith in the Lord s ability to provide water for them. Therefore, this rebellion at Rephidim is noted in other places of Scripture as not only Israel s failure (Numbers 20:13, 24; 27:14; Deuteronomy 6:16; 9:22; 33:8; Psalm 81:7; 95:8; Hebrews 3:8) but also Moses and Aaron s failure (Numbers 27:14; 20:24; Deuteronomy 32:51; Psalm 106:32). So in Exodus 17:5-6, we have the Lord instructing Moses to get out in front of the people and take some of their elders and his staff with which he struck the Nile and then strike the rock at Horeb. This would result in water coming from the rock, which of course, would be another miracle that the Israelites had witnessed which was designed to inspire faith in the Lord. The rock is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ according to 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (cf. Psalm 61:2; 78:35; 1 Peter 2:6-8). In the same way that the striking of the rock produced the blessing of water for Israelite in dry land so the death of Christ produces the blessing of salvation in the devil s world crippled by sin. In verse 5, the phrase pass before the people in the Hebrew text literally means that the Lord wanted Moses to pass out in front of the Israelites. Moses staff would symbolize God s presence and power, which are both essential for a miracle to occur. Horeb is the masculine singular noun ḥō rēḇ ב) (ח ר (kho-rabe ), which is another name by which Mount Sinai is known (cf. Exodus 3:1). Exodus 17:7 says that Moses named the location of the water at the base of Mount Sinai both Massah and Meribah. The former means test commemorating this location as the place in which Israel put the Lord to the test and the Lord tested Israel s faith. The latter literally means quarrel, strife, contention or place of complaint memorializing Israel s complaining against the Lord William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 4

5 Exodus 17:7 is the only place in Scripture where these two words are employed together whereas Massah appears by itself in Deuteronomy 6:16 and 9:22 and Meribah appears alone in Numbers 20:13, 24, 27:14, Psalm 81:7 and 106:32. The rhetorical question is the Lord among us or not? demands a positive response from the Israelites and is a rebuke against them for their lack of faith in the Lord to provide water for them at Rephidim. Exodus 17:8-16: The Lord Provides Victory Over the Amalekites on the Battlefield Exodus 17:8 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand. 10 Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 13 So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. 15 Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; 16 and he said, The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation. (NASB95) This pericope contains the second provision by the Lord for the nation of Israel, namely victory over the Amalekites on the battle field. Verse 8 says that the Amalekites fought against the Israelites at Rephidim. Amalek was a grandson of Esau. His parents were Esau s son Eliphaz and his concubine Timna (Genesis 36:12). Genesis 36:12 Timna was a concubine of Esau's son Eliphaz and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz. These are the sons of Esau's wife Adah. (NASB95) The statement These are the sons of Esau s wife Adah does not refer to the children that Esau had with Adah but rather it refers to his grandchildren through his wife Adah since the children listed were fathered by his son Eliphaz who Adah bore to Esau. In the Hebrew and Aramaic languages there is no specific word for grandson so that the word son can refer to any descendant down the line. Genesis 36:12 is parenthetical since it deals with Esau s son Eliphaz s concubine, Timna who bore to him, Amalek. As we noted earlier, when the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River to possess the land of Canaan and to 2012 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5

6 annihilate the Canaanites, the Edomites, the descendants of Esau were not to be attacked according to Deuteronomy 2:1-5. However, the descendants of Amalek, the Amalekites did not come under this protection since he was a child of a concubine. The Amalekites were a warlike tribe, living south of Canaan on the road to the land of Canaan and when Israel did journey to Canaan, they stood against Israel to war. This first military confrontation was memorable because Aaron and Hur held Moses arms up as he held the rod of God so that Joshua and the Israelite army could defeat the Amalekites (See Exodus 17:8-16). Exodus 17:8-16 records God declaring war on the Amalekites from generation to generation. Israelite armies fought them in both Saul (See 1 Samuel 15:2) and David s reign (See 1 Samuel 27:8; 30:1-20) and they were eventually destroyed during the reign of Hezekiah (See 1 Chronicles 4:43). Negev has the following comment with regards to the Amalekites, he writes The son of Timna, concubine of Eliphaz, Esau s son (Gen. 36:12), the youngest of the dukes of Edom (Gen. 36:16). It is possible that at an early stage in their history the Amalekites formed part of the Edomite tribal organization. They were an ancient nomadic tribe in northern Sinai and the Negev. While they were in Rephidim the Israelites were attacked by the Amalekites (Exod. 17:8 ff.), and because of what happened then they were instructed to remember what Amalek did unto thee (Deut. 25:17 19). Ehud, son of Gerah, vanquished a coalition of Moab, Ammon and Amalek (Judg. 3:12 ff.). Gideon fought the Amalekites, who joined Midian and all the children of the east (Judg. 6 7). They were beaten again by Saul (1 Sam. 15:2 33), but only David succeeded in annihilating them completely (1 Sam. 27:8 9; 30:1 17). 3 The New Bible Dictionary has the following Amalek (Heb. amālēq) was the son of Eliphaz and the grandson of Esau (Gn. 36:12, 16). The name is used as a collective noun for his descendants, Amalekites (Ex. 17:8; Nu. 24:20; Dt. 25:17; Jdg. 3:13, etc.). Some writers distinguish the nomadic Amalekites normally found in the Negeb and Sinai area, from the descendants of Esau, because Gn. 14:7, which pre-dates Esau, refers to the country of the Amalekites (Heb. amālēqî). The distinction is unnecessary if we regard the phrase as a later editorial description. Israel first met the Amalekites at Rephidim in the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 17:8 13; Dt. 25:17 18). Because of this attack, the Amalekites came under a permanent ban and were to be destroyed (Dt. 25:19; 1 Sa. 15:2 3). On that occasion Aaron and Hur held up Moses hands and Israel prevailed. A year later, after the report of the spies, Israel ignored Moses command and sought to enter S Palestine. The Amalekites defeated them at Hormah (Nu. 14:43, 45). From the 3 Negev, A. (1996). The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall Press William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 6

7 days of the Judges two encounters are recorded. The Amalekites assisted Eglon, king of Moab, to attack Israelite territory (Jdg. 3:13), and later combined forces with the Midianites and the children of the E to raid Israelite crops and flocks. Gideon drove them out (Jdg. 6:3 5, 33; 7:12; 10:12). From the Exodus onwards, Amalekites were to be found in the Negeb, but for a time they gained a foothold in Ephraim (Jdg. 12:15). Balaam, the foreign prophet, looked away to their lands from his vantage-point in Moab, and described them as the first of the nations (Nu. 24:20), which may mean in regard either to origin or to status. Samuel commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites in the area S of *Telaim. Booty was forbidden. Saul pursued them from Havilah to Shur but captured their king alive. Later, Samuel slew Agag and rebuked Saul (1 Sa. 15). David fought the Amalekites in the area of p 28 Ziklag which Achish, king of Gath, had given him (1 Sa. 27:6; 30:1 20). The Amalekites declined later, and in Hezekiah s day the sons of Simeon attacked the remnant of the Amalekites that had escaped, taking their stronghold in Mt Seir (1 Ch. 4:43). 4 LeBron Matthews writes Nomadic tribe of formidable people that first attacked the Israelites after the exodus at Rephidim. Descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau (Gen. 36:12), they inhabited the desolate wasteland of the northeast Sinai Peninsula and the Negev. They were the first to attack Israel after the exodus (Num. 24:20). Israel won the initial battle (Exod. 17:8 16), but later was driven back into the Sinai wilderness by a coalition of Amalekites and Canaanites (Num. 14:39 45). Thereafter the Amalekites waged a barbaric guerrilla war against Israel (Deut. 25:17 19). Fighting continued after Israel settled in Canaan. Because of their atrocities, God commanded Saul to exterminate the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15:2 3). Saul disobeyed and the Amalekites were not defeated completely until late in the eighth century B.C. (1 Chron. 4:43). No archaeological data concerning the Amalekites has been discovered to date. 5 The Amalekites watched the Israelites make their way through the lower valley and were extremely concerned about them and thus launched an attack against them. The Israelites evidently had a little bit of warning since Moses has time to give instructions to Joshua, his top lieutenant to launch a counter attack against the Amalekites. In fact, Moses tells Joshua to launch an attack against the Amalekites on the following day. Therefore, the Amalekites must have sent messengers to the Israelites with the conditions of surrender, which was customary in such military operations in the Near East at that time. 4 Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996). New Bible dictionary (3rd ed.) (27 28). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. 5 Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B. (2003). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (54). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7

8 This is the first time that Joshua appears in the narrative, thus it is the first time in the Old Testament. He was the son of Nun, who was an Ephraimite. His name means Yahweh delivered. He, not Moses, leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. He was Moses servant (Exodus 24:13) and was with Moses when the latter received the Law from God (Exodus 32:17). He was also one of the twelve spies Moses sent to investigate Canaan (Num. 13:8). He and Caleb returned with a positive report. Of all the Exodus generation alive at that time, only the two of them were allowed to live to enter the land of Canaan (Num. 14:28 30, 38). The Lord chose Joshua to be Moses successor long before Moses death (Numbers 27:15 23; Deuteronomy 31:14 15, 23; 34:9). Joshua was at the helm of the nation during the conquest and the distribution and settlement of Canaan. He led in the covenant renewal at Mount Ebal and Shechem (Josh. 8:30 35; 24:1 28). He was able to challenge his people by both word and example. His pattern is a hard one to better. 6 While Joshua led the Israelites into battle, Moses went to the top of the hill at Rephidim along with Aaron and Hur and stretched his staff over the battlefield, which resulted in Israel gaining the advantage. However, when he got tired and let his hand down, the Israelites would falter. Aaron and Hur gave Moses a stone to sit on and they supported each of his hands so that he would not get tired which would result in a Israelite victory. Verse 13 tells the reader that Joshua and the Israelite army overwhelmed the Amalekites on the battlefield. However, he was merely the human instrument that the Lord used to accomplish this victory. Hur is mentioned also here for the first time in the narrative. He is mentioned in 17:12 as well as 24:14 and 1 Chronicles 2: The Hur mentioned in Exodus 31:2, 35:30 and 38:22 is another person more than likely. Stuart writes The staff had to be above Moses head symbolizing God s superiority to all his people as the leader in holy war so when Moses became so tired that he could not keep it above his head long enough for the Israelites to succeed against the Amalekites, an intervention was necessary. The problem was not Moses age or physical condition. He died a strong man. The problem was the fact that human beings cannot keep their arms above their heads indefinitely; anyone would eventually tire under the same circumstances. With Moses seated on a (low) stone and his hands held above his head by Aaron on the one side and Hur on the other, the staff could be above the height of his head because Aaron and Hur could keep their arms at a comfortable hanging height under Moses elbows, probably with their fingers locked together cradling his elbows. 7 6 Brand, C., Draper, C., England, A., Bond, S., Clendenen, E. R., Butler, T. C., & Latta, B. (2003). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (950). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers. 7 Stuart, D. K. (2007). Vol. 2: Exodus (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary ( ). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 8

9 In Exodus 17:14, the Lord commands Moses to memorialize this victory by recording the days events in a book. Moses was preserving the nation of Israel s early history. The Lord says to recite to Joshua that He will remove the Amalekites from the face of the earth. This was to give produce faith in Joshua for future battles against this nation since he was to in future years lead the nation in the place of Moses. It would emphasize with Joshua that he was under orders by God to exterminate the Amalekites. In Exodus 17:15, we have the record of Moses building an altar and naming it The Lord is My Banner. Commenting on this, Stuart writes The Hebrew word nēs, here translated banner in the NIV, does have that meaning in later Hebrew in the sense of a ship s ensign (Ezek 27:7), but in all earlier texts it refers not to something made of fabric or cloth but of a decorated pole held high and used as a signal marker or signal pole (Isa 5:26; 11:10, 12; 13:2; 18:13; 30:17 [where it is parallel to a word meaning flag staff ]; 31:9; 49:22; 62:10; Jer 4:6, 21; 50:2; 51:12, 27; Ps 60:4). It can also have the more generic sense of sign/warning (Num 26:10) and can as well mean just pole (Num 21:8) or ship s mast (Isa 33:23). Most often it is used in military contexts, where the nēs is a signal pole around which an army or army unit can rally, regroup, or return for instructions. Accordingly, Moses name for the altar makes use of those connections. Because Yahweh had supplied the sign of his favor/presence/power by the staff in effect a small military signal pole given to Moses and had done so in the context of a military encounter, Moses stated by the name of the altar that the staff he had held high during the battle was the signal pole of Yahweh, a visible rallying point for the army of Israel in holy war. 8 The fact that Moses builds an altar recalls the patriarchs building altars to memorialize theophanies and covenant promises. Noah started the practice (Genesis 8:20) and it continued with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-7) and his son and grandson (Genesis 26:25; 35:7). These altars were to worship the Lord in the sense of expressing gratitude for what the Lord has done or promised to do in the future. Therefore, Moses is carrying on a tradition of God s people in expressing thanksgiving to God for delivering the Israelites. Exodus 17:16 contains the Lord s promise to wage war against the Amalekites from generation to generation. This promise was fulfilled by King David who exterminated these people (1 Samuel 30). 8 Stuart, D. K. (2007). Vol. 2: Exodus (electronic ed.). Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (400). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9