Exodus
Chapter 17
Water from the Rock
The whole community of the people of Israel moved on from the desert of Sin, going from place to place as the Lord commanded, and encamped at Rephidim. But there was no water to drink.
The people complained to Moses, saying:
“Give us water to drink.”
But Moses replied:
“Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”
But the people thirsted for water there and grumbled against Moses:
“Why did you make us leave Egypt to have us die of thirst with our children and our cattle?”
Moses cried to the Lord:
“What shall I do with the people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
The Lord said to Moses:
“Go ahead of the people and take with you the elders of Israel. Take the staff with which you struck the Nile and go.
I will stand there before you on the rock at Horeb. You will strike the rock, and water will flow from it, and the people will drink.”
Moses did this in the presence of the elders of Israel.
The place was called Massah and Meribah because of the Israelites’ complaints, who tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord with us or not?”
Victory Over Amalek
When the Israelites were at Rephidim, the Amalekites came and attacked them.
So Moses said to Joshua:
“Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites in the morning. As for me, I will stand with God’s staff in my hand at the top of the hill.”
Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had directed, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
It happened that when Moses raised his hands, the Israelites would win, but the Amalekites would have the advantage when he lowered them.
As Moses’ arms grew weary, they placed a stone for him to sit on while Aaron and Hur, on either side, held up his arms, which remained steadily raised until sunset.
For his part, Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the sword.
The Lord then instructed Moses:
“Write this in a book as something to be remembered, and make it known in the hearing of Joshua that I will wipe out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”
After that, Moses built an altar and called it ‘the Lord is my banner,’
for he said:
“Take up the banner of the Lord! The Lord is at war with the Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Commentaries
Water from the Rock.
This is a new protest from people driven by their lack of water, accompanied by God’s attentive and compassionate response. Water and food, two vital elements for life, were provided by the mother to family members in ancient Near Eastern cultures. Here, the Lord patiently and promptly meets the needs of His people. This maternal aspect of the Lord, the invincible warrior who, with a mighty arm, led Israel out of Egypt, is emphasized. This passage should also be read symbolically: water is an essential element for life, while the rock represents the opposite, symbolizing extreme dryness in nature. These people cannot yet “produce” anything; they simply long for the life of Egypt and reject the idea of freedom. Only a process of formation can turn the rock-people into a source of water and bring the goals of solidarity and justice to fruition. Moses’ staff also plays an important role, “with which you struck the Nile” (5), indicating that it is the same divine hand, His teaching, that can strike and guide toward transformation.
Victory Over Amalek.
As if it were a result of the new life the people gained after drinking water from the rock, we see this victory over the Amalekites. This tribe, a neighbor of Judah, lived in the Negev, south of Israel, and controlled the caravan routes between Egypt and Arabia. Although their warrior strength is emphasized, this victory is achieved because Moses holds aloft the same staff with which he has already performed other wonders; it is another way of saying that God’s hand helps in defeating the enemies.