The Israelites, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. Miriam died there, and was buried there.
2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had died when our kindred died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? 5 Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to bring us to this wretched place? It is no place for grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates; and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went away from the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting; they fell on their faces, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 8 Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and your brother Aaron, and command the rock before their eyes to yield its water. Thus you shall bring water out of the rock for them; thus you shall provide drink for the congregation and their livestock.
9 So Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he had commanded him. 10 Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Listen, you rebels, shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff; water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their livestock drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me, to show my holiness before the eyes of the Israelites, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and by which he showed his holiness.
The Israelites are traveling through the wilderness and as they do there is much quarreling and dissension and everyone in the pack is frustrated and tired and also scared. They wonder if they will ever make it to the Promised Land, if they can survive the desert, and why on earth they said yes to leaving Egypt in the first place. They are pretty sure they are going to die of thirst right here. A part of them wishes they would die.
But then Moses pulls out his staff and strikes the rock; and what the Israelites discover are resources buried deep within that they never would have discovered without all the frustration and fear and desperation.
It is in the wilderness that we find the water within; and in the times of uncertainty and fear that we look inside and discover the resources God buried long ago for just such a time as this.
NOTE: We are reading the Bible together this year. Tomorrow's Lesson will come from Numbers 21-22.
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