Exodus 17 - Outline of Exodus (Book Notes menu page)

17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin,
after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD,
and pitched in Rephidim {meaning: "resting places"}:
and [there was] no water for the people to drink.
17:2 Wherefore the people did chide {ie., strive, contend} with Moses,
and said, Give us water that we may drink.
And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me?
wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?
17:3 And the people thirsted there for water;
and the people murmured against Moses, and said,
Wherefore [is] this [that] thou hast brought us up out of Egypt,
to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
17:4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying,
What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
17:5 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel;
and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb;
and thou shalt smite the rock,
and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah {"temptation"}, and Meribah {"contention"},
because of the chiding of the children of Israel,
and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?
  the people thirsted... murmured... tested God {cp. v.7b}... -
    Unbelief questions God: 'What shall we eat' (Ex 16:3) and 'What shall we drink' (v.3).
    Faith is satisfied with God, and finds in Him its 'resting place' (cp. Mat 6:25-34).
  the rock (v.6) - A picture of the One who is faithful and true, even when our faith falters.
    cp. Deu 32:4; Psa 61:2; 78:35; Gen 49:24; 1Pet 2:6-8
  thou shalt smite the rock...- with the rod which smote the river. (v.5.6)..
  - In Egypt, the rod smote the river, exercising judgment upon a false god,
    while making the LORD known (Ex 7:17-21).
  - Here, the rod is exercised in judgment upon the sin of Israel
      (ie., their faithless murmuring and complaining),
      but the judgment falls upon the smitten Rock. cp. Isa 53:4,5
    water out of the rock - cp. 1Cor 10:1-4; Joh 7:37-39
    - When judgment fell upon Egypt, the waters became blood because of sin, and no one could drink.
      When judgment fell upon the Savior, His blood was shed for our sin,
      so that we may drink living water, the life giving stream, which flows from Him...
  - The outflowing of the Holy Spirit, opened to believers by the smitten Rock (Christ who died for us),
      supplies spiritual life, which endures trials and overcomes temptations. Rom 8:2,10,11
      cp. 1Cor 10:13 (the Lord will "make a way of escape" {alternate translation: "bring forth an issue"} out of temptation...)
  - The Rock, smitten once, was not to be smitten again.-
    1. The disobedience, of Moses and Aaron, on this point (at a later occasion, Num 20:8-12),
       was punished by exclusion from the promised land.
       - Why such a severe penalty, for these otherwise faithful leaders?
           Because their action had distorted the picture of Christ's finished work.
           Christ's one sacrifice, offered once for all, is sufficient to meet all our need.
           The believer, having obtained access before the Throne of Grace through Christ, is simply to speak to Him regarding his need (cp. Heb 9:25-28; 10:11-22; 4:14-16). To 'smite Him again' would be a shameful demonstration of unbelief (cp. Heb 6:6).
       - Yet, observe the Grace of God toward His erring leaders...
           When Moses struck the rock on that second occasion, he struck it 'twice' (Num 20:11). Apparently, nothing happened with the first strike. So, he compounded his error by striking again. Rather than striking him dead for his disobedience, the LORD graciously provided water for His rebellious people, and graciously preserved the status of His leaders in the eyes of the people.
    2. The attitude, of Moses and Aaron, at their second approach to the Rock (in Num 20:10),
       was also inappropriate.
         While there was reason to be angry with the rebellious people, these leaders exalted themselves as though they themselves had the ability to "fetch you water out of this rock."
         The believer's approach to the Rock should be in an attitude of humility before Him, dependence upon Him, and patient waiting for Him, rather than of demanding or commanding Him to take an action. 1Pet 5:5-7
17:8 Then came Amalek {a nation descended from a grandson of Esau, Gen 36:12},
and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek:
to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
17:10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek:
and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
  ...Amalek... fought with Israel in Rephidim {ie., 'resting places'}.-
    While Israel was at rest and refreshed by water from the Rock, Amalek ambushed the camp, taking advantage of those who were weak and on the periphery (Deu 25:17,18).
  Joshua - This is the first mention of Joshua in the OT.
    Here, he serves at the direction of Moses, as captain of Israel's army. In time, he would become Moses' successor, to lead Israel into the promised land.
  Hur - Four men with this name are mentioned in Scripture, in different time periods.
    According to Josephus, Jewish tradition identifies this Hur as the husband of Miriam, Moses' sister.
17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed:
and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
17:12 But Moses' hands [were] heavy;
and they took a stone, and put [it] under him, and he sat thereon;
and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands,
the one on the one side, and the other on the other side;
and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
17:13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Write this [for] a memorial in a book, and rehearse [it] in the ears of Joshua:
for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:
17:16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn
[that] the LORD [will have] war with Amalek from generation to generation.
  Jehovah-nissi - meaning: The LORD is my banner.
    He is the believer's assurance of victory. He is our King. Our battles are fought with His resources, not our own.
  go out... fight with Amalek.-
    Up to this point, the LORD fought for His people (Ex 14:14). Now, He fights in or by them.
    Christ defeated Satan (corresponding to Pharaoh) for us. Now, the Holy Spirit wars against the flesh (corresponding to Amalek) within us (Rom 7:18-25; 8:1-15; 2Cor 10:3-5; Gal 5:16,17).
  when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed...-
    Note that the battle was not won on the battlefield, but in the place of prayer. cp. Eph 6:17,18
  but Moses's hands were heavy...-
    The flesh, being weak, could neither prevail in battle, nor continue in prayer. cp. Mat 26:41
    But the One to whom we lift our hands, helps us in our weakness, and never wearies in His work of intercession for us. Rom 8:26,34; Heb 7:25
  with the rod of God in mine hand... (v.9) - The power was not in Moses' hands,
    but in the "rod of God" by which judgment was exercised upon sin, whether the unbelief of Egypt, the contention of Israel at Meribah, or the opposition of Amalek at Rephidim. The LORD's judgment upon sin will finally prevail to put away sin entirely. (cp. Isa 49:1-10; Heb 9:28)
  the remembrance of Amalek to be wiped out... (v.14-16) -
  - Because the descendants of Amalek sought to destroy Israel, though they were related to them,
    God purposed to destroy Amalek's name and nation. cp. Deu 25:17-19; cf. 1Sam 15:1-3,7-11, where fleshly wisdom preserved what God designated for destruction.
    Because Israel could not (or would not) complete this task, Amalek would continue to trouble them throughout OT times. But final victory is assured. cp. Psa 83
  - Amalek, like his forefather Esau, pictures the flesh, which is contrary to God and His ways. Rom 8:5-8
      In this life, believers continually struggle against their own fleshly nature, prevailing to the extent that they yield to the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16-26). But there is coming a day, when the battle will be done, and the flesh will no longer trouble God's people. 1Cor 15:51-58; Php 3:20,21

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