Two incidences of the waters of Meribah

[tonychanyt]

Soon after the Israelites left Egypt, Exodus 17:

1 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 quarreled 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?”

They saw God dividing the Red Sea not long ago, and now they wonder about the lack of water.

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 quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Massah means testing.
Meribah means quarreling.

A rerun happened 39 years later. Numbers 20:

1 In the first month, the whole congregation of Israel entered the Wilderness of Zin and stayed in Kadesh.

Desert of Sin at Rephidim before; Wilderness of Zin at Kadesh now.

2 There was no water for the congregation, so they gathered against Moses and Aaron. 3 The people quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD!

It's the same kind of quarrel over lack of water. This time, the solution was slightly different:

7 And the LORD said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff and assemble the congregation. You and your brother Aaron are to speak to the rock while they watch, and it will pour out its water.

Strike the rock before, but speak to the rock this time.

11 Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with his staff, so that a great amount of water gushed out, and the congregation and their livestock were able to drink.

Moses didn't do it right, but the miracle still worked. However, there was a serious consequence:

12 But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”

That's the 2nd incident of the waters of Meribah.

13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD, and He showed His holiness among them.

The first incident happened during the first year of the wilderness travel; the second happened in the last year.

These two events highlighted the recurring challenges of leadership, faith, and obedience throughout the Exodus narrative. They also illustrated the wearing down of Moses as a leader over the course of the journey.

 

[KevinT]

That's the 2nd incident of the waters of Meribah.

The first incident happened during the first year of the wilderness travel; the second happened in the last year.

These two events highlighted the recurring challenges of leadership, faith, and obedience throughout the Exodus narrative. They also illustrated the wearing down of Moses as a leader over the course of the journey.

I knew there were 2 instances of the water crisis, but didn't realize they were both called Meribah. Interesting!

Thanks
KT