Moses Messes Up at Massah and Meribah
Exodus 17:1-7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ 5The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He called the place Massah* and Meribah,* because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (NRSV)
There’s our first reading for Sunday, September 25, Proper 21, Year A. We are reading Bible stories from Exodus. God through Moses has led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt into the wilderness, bound for the Promised Land. But this is a “stiff-necked” people, which is to say, they are whiners, stubborn, with no gratitude, they don’t appreciate anything. A dour bunch, they are constantly on the grumble. Last time, they were complaining that there wasn’t enough to eat in the wilderness, this time it’s because they’re thirsty and there’s no water in sight. So, Moses consults with God, who tells Moses where and how to get water.
Unfortunately for Moses, he does something wrong and his mistake is deadly for him personally. This same story is told also at Numbers 20f, which goes into it at some length. In the Numbers 20 account, which differs slightly from Exodus 17, the Lord tells Moses to take his staff and command the rock to bring forth water. Either Moses wasn’t listening, or he has gotten the big head about “his” power. Instead of taking his staff and commanding the rock as the Lord told him, he takes his staff and strikes the rock. He also apparently fails to give thanks to the Lord in the presence of the people, for the gift of water, thus implying that the credit is his own. For this failure, this rebellion, the Lord is angered and tells Moses that he will live to see the Promised Land but will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
Sure enough, when the time comes years hence, God takes Moses to the top of Mount Nebo where there is a magnificent vista, shows him the Promised Land, and there Moses dies. Thus, for Moses the great Exodus ends at Deuteromony chapter 34 and leadership of the Children of Israel passes to Joshua.
The rabbis are not certain about the nature of Moses' sin. In the Exodus account God tells him to strike the rock. In the Numbers account God tells him to command the rock, but he strikes it. In neither account does Moses give God the glory for the miraculous gift of water. Regardless, it seems like such a small sin to require such heavy punishment; why couldn't God have forgiven Moses what seems to us to be such a minor failing? In fact, some scholars think the Numbers story may have an etiological element to explain the apparent injustice of Moses dying before entering the Promised Land.
Whatever, it makes a good Sunday School lesson.
TW+