Next week’s children’s lesson for the church:

Water from the Rock

Exodus 17:1-7

God continued leading His people through the wilderness, moving them toward the place where He would give them His law and make His permanent promises to them. Along the way, they ran out of water, as they had before.

It would have been good for them to remember the last time that happened. Because then they could have prayed, and God would provide. But instead of trusting God and asking Him to help again, they complained again. They went to Moses and used very harsh words to attack him. “Why did you lead us out of Egypt to a place of no water?” They asked. “Did you just want to kill us and our children and animals, dying of thirst? Is God really with us, or not?” They were so upset that Moses felt threatened and intimidated. Has anyone ever been so angry with you that they made you afraid? That’s how Moses felt that day. So Moses cried to the Lord for help. That was the right thing to do.

“Lord, what do I do with these people?” Moses asked. “For they are so angry they’re ready to pick up large rocks and throw them at me to kill me.” God didn’t want Moses to focus on the rocks he thought the people were about to hit him with. There was another rock God wanted to show Moses. Not a rock of anger. But a rock of solid help from God for all the people.

God told Moses, “Walk past the people in front of them, taking some of the elders with you. Carry the staff you struck the Nile River with to turn it to blood in Egypt. Come to Me at the great rock of Horeb. Then you shall strike the great rock, and I will make water gush out of it in a stream, and all of the people will drink.”

Now you must understand that this would be a miracle. Rocks don’t have streams of water inside them. But God is the Maker of everything in heaven and earth. He can do anything, even miracles like causing abundant water to flow out of a rock. Moses obeyed God. He struck the rock with his staff, and water flowed from it like a mighty waterfall. Every thirsty person and animal had as much as they needed.

The New Testament tells us that this rock was God’s way of giving us a picture of what Jesus would do for us. Jesus spoke of “living water,” that when He gave it to someone it would be eternal life. The rock and the water from it were a metaphor. A symbol of Jesus and the eternal life He gives. Jesus came, and He was struck like the rock. He died for our sins. And His blood flowed from Him, becoming like living water that cleanses our sins and gives us eternal life when we believe. At the end of the Bible, in Revelation, which Dave is teaching later, Jesus promises to give the water of life for free to anyone who wants it. You can have it today. If you believe in Jesus, and believe He died for you and rose again, He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life.

God and Moses wanted the people to learn these lessons and always remember them. So the place was named Massa and Meribah, words that mean “testing” and “quarreling.” This is because the people tested the Lord and quarreled with Moses. We need to learn not to put God to a test or fight with each other when we’re in need. Instead of testing and quarreling, trusting and praying is the answer.