The First Striking of the Rock

Exodus 17:1–7  |  November 8, 2026  |  BCBC/IOUC  |  Rev. Paul Wang

Introduction

Why did Moses strike the rock? Once something happens the first time, it can easily happen a second time, right? Today’s passage tells us about the first time Moses struck the rock. In fact, the second time, God did not tell Moses to strike the rock. He told him to speak to it. But Moses followed his old habit and simply assumed he should strike it again. Water did come out, but because of this, Moses was not allowed to enter Canaan! Let us look at our first point.

I. No Water, and the Quarreling Begins

If the Chinese saying is “Food is the people’s first necessity,” then for the Israelites we might say, “Water is the people’s lifeline,” right?

First, the stops along life’s journey. We naturally want to know the entire process, the complete plan, and the big picture. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a five-year plan—or even a hundred-year plan? But behind this desire is often a need to be in control. Whether in personal life, in the family, or even at the national level, this mindset can easily lead to an authoritarian way of managing things. Yet God often guides us only to the next stop, one stop at a time. He does not give us control over the entire journey. That is why Scripture says, “All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim.” Who could have imagined that God would lead them through forty years in the wilderness?

Second, a place of rest. Our passage mentions a place called Rephidim, whose precise location remains unknown. Traditionally, some place it in Egypt’s Wadi Feiran on the Sinai Peninsula, while others locate it in the northwestern Arabian Peninsula. But whether we look at archaeology or history, we cannot ignore the biblical framework: where Rephidim was depends on where Mount Sinai was! Geographically, Rephidim was the Israelites’ last stop before arriving at Mount Sinai. The name “Rephidim” may be understood as “a resting place,” or “a place of support and refreshment.” That seems rather surprising, doesn’t it? It is as though God “leads me beside still waters,” but there is no water! Can you imagine that?

Finally, give us water to drink! The Bible says, “There was no water for the people to drink.” And what happened? That became their reason to quarrel: “Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’” At first, the Israelites seem to have a reasonable complaint. After all, drinking water is a basic need for survival! This reminds us of Esau asking Jacob for the red stew, and in doing so despising his birthright. In much the same way, the Israelites overlooked their identity as God’s called people. Does having no water justify quarreling? Their way of speaking to Moses, God’s servant, showed not only a lack of courtesy but also a lack of basic respect. It sounded like an order: “Give us water to drink!” We do not want anything else—we just want water! Let us look at the second point.

II. The Complaining Escalates

Once the seed of quarreling takes root, it begins to multiply, like dividing cells or a virus that grows stronger and escalates.

First, testing the LORD. I believe Moses, as God’s servant, had the Holy Spirit with him and could recognize the deceit and stubbornness in the hearts of the Israelites. On the surface, they were asking Moses for water. But in reality, they did not truly believe God was with them—which means they did not truly trust God! What was the logic in their hearts? If there is water, then God is here. If there is no water, then God has left—or perhaps there is no God at all! This helps us understand why Moses later said in Deuteronomy, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah” (Deuteronomy 6:16). When the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He quoted this very verse (Matthew 4:7). And here is our comfort: where Israel failed in the wilderness, the Lord Jesus was victorious in the wilderness.

Second, crying out to the LORD. The Israelites were anything but polite to Moses. Their words were sharp and hostile. Moses said in his prayer, “They are almost ready to stone me!” These were all members of God’s household, yet they could harbor such vicious thoughts! They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” Once complaining escalates, it becomes a rejection of the very meaning of God’s saving work in the exodus. It goes from demanding water, to wanting to go back to Egypt, to a violent willingness to stone Moses. What is the difference between Moses and the people? Moses prayed to God, while the people complained to Moses! What about you? When trouble comes, do you vent your anger at people, or do you turn toward God in prayer?

Finally, following the LORD. Be assured: when people begin plotting against God’s servant, God will act! Scripture says, “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.’” The important thing is this: God will speak to His servant! His word becomes a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. God told Moses to take the staff, which represented the presence of God’s power. God did not tell him to take all the elders of Israel—perhaps Moses could no longer have managed that. Instead, he was to take only a few elders, perhaps just two or three, and “pass on before the people” in the Lord’s name. This would serve as a testimony and also give everyone an opportunity to repent. Let us look at the third point.

III. God Commands Moses to Strike

The staff in Moses’ hand had once struck the Nile and turned its water into blood. It accompanied Moses throughout his life and, together with Moses, became an instrument mightily used by God.

First, the God who is Immanuel—God with us. Imagine Moses, with only a tiny handful of elders, trembling as he walked past a crowd of furious Israelites. Yet God gave him this promise: “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb.” Horeb means “dry” or “desolate.” It was at Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, that God had first called Moses. This was the source of confidence for God’s servant: where God calls, He also provides. God did not tell Moses to strike the rebellious people with his staff. Instead, He told him to strike the rock on which God Himself would stand. Paul says, “And the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). Christ was struck for our sins, so that we might receive the living water of eternal life.

Second, Moses following the example of the Lord. God commanded Moses, “You shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Before Moses struck the rock, he had already been exhausted in body and spirit. It was as though he himself had been struck. Not only had he experienced being struck, but he also came to understand something of what it meant to strike the Lord. In the crucifixion of Christ Jesus, every one of us has a part—without exception. The striking of the rock became a matter recorded for history: there were witnesses, a historical record, the testimony of Scripture, and generations of believers who have read about it, right up to this day.

Finally, the place of quarreling receives its name. For generations, the Israelites would remember this place as Massah, meaning “testing,” and Meribah, meaning “quarreling.” Even today, God’s children continue to test Him and quarrel. Yet in the wilderness God has left us the image of a rock that was struck: the Lord Christ Himself! The prophet Isaiah says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The sermon draws a connection between Moses striking the rock and Christ being struck through the Hebrew root נָכָה (nakah), “to strike.” Christ being struck is both humanity’s shame and our hope!

Conclusion

Well, praise the Lord! Moses’ first striking of the rock should have been the only time. The second striking in Numbers 20 makes this first event all the more precious. For Jesus Christ was offered once for all (Hebrews 9:28); He does not need to be crucified again! At that time, Moses did not understand the fullness of God’s plan of salvation. Nor did he listen carefully to God’s will. He rashly struck the rock a second time. This remains a warning for you and me today.

Let us pray together…

Scripture Reading — Exodus 17:1–7

17:1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.

17:2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”

17:3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

17:4 So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

17:5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.”

17:6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarreling], because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the LORD by saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”