Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev. Dr Linda Stargel, Academic Dean and Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Biblical Languages, for writing this devotional.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
Exodus 17:1-7
Water from the Rock
17 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarrelled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarrelled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Devotional
“Is the Lord among us or not?”
After leaving Egypt, Israel travelled from place to place as God commanded. How this guidance was received is unclear. Eventually, they camp at a place with no water and begin to quarrel, exasperating Moses and testing God. Finally, the reason for their behaviour is explained. They want to know, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Israel is understandably disoriented and fearful in their homelessness and wilderness situation. What kind of proof of God’s presence was Israel looking for, that would calm their anxiety and cause them to trust? Since the Sea-crossing, they have witnessed varied concrete indications of God at work—bitter water was made sweet so they could drink it (Ch. 15), and manna and quail were provided to satisfy their hunger (Ch. 16). Did Israel require spectacular changes in conditions to be convinced of God’s presence?
The Old Testament narratives offer countless other stories of people experiencing the “absence” or “hiddenness of God,” especially after they cry out to God but don’t receive a response that transforms their circumstances (e.g. Job 23:3-9, Psalm 10:1; 13:1-2; 22:1-2). We are not too different from these ancient peoples. We also experience times when God seems hidden and may equate unchanged circumstances with God’s absence.
Is it possible that we, like Israel, depend too much on the visible transformation of circumstances as proof that God is with us? Are there other, more reliable, indications that we can rely on? This question deserves thoughtful conversation within the community of faith. This devotion is intended just to ask the question and start this conversation.
God the Father is a spiritual being in triune relationality with the Son and the Spirit. Perhaps God’s presence with us must be encountered in more spiritual and relational ways. Inwardly, for example, we may experience a sense of guidance, peace, or assurance. In community, we may sense God’s presence through the nurture and care we receive. What else? Join the conversation with the link or QR code below: https://www.mentimeter.com/app/presentation/alipxvhwhtgt2i7k94x28fnsxgef3uu4/edit?source=share-modal
Prayer
God, you are too complex and amazing to be limited by our finite imaginations. Nor do our circumstances always change when you are present. Reveal yourself to us in ways we cannot even envision. And may we encourage one another on this journey to experience your presence in new ways and places. AMEN.
Linda Stargel (Academic Dean; Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Biblical Languages)