Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net. Exodus chapter 17, verse 7,

and he called the name of the place Masa and Maraba because of the quarrelling of the people of Israel,

and because they tested the Lord by saying, is the Lord among us or not? So this is the last verse in this section of Exodus chapter 17.

It tells a story of God's people who he just provided right before this story,

bread from heaven when they were in need of food God provided,

bread from heaven, manna, to feed them on a daily basis. Well, now they get to a place

where they are in need of water and immediately begin quarreling with Moses. That's the word we see a

couple different times in Exodus chapter 17, quarreling, complaining to Moses. And Moses said to them,

this is back in verse 2, why do you quarrel with me?

Why do you test the Lord? And then verse 3 says, 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? So here are God's people. Again, remember the context. They've been delivered

out of slavery in Egypt. They've been brought through the Red Sea on dry ground. When they were

hungry, God has given them food from heaven. And now, as soon as they face a need for water,

they're grumbling and complaining, not trusting

that God will provide for them.

Like, it's almost easy for us to look back at this story and think, what were they thinking?

Why didn't they trust God?

But this is where we need to see a mirror of our own hearts and the tendency we all have to forget the faithfulness of God.

And this is why, just like Exodus chapter 16 is quoted and referred to at different points in

the Bible, the same thing happens with Exodus chapter 17. God intends for us to look back and learn from

this story. I think about Hebrews chapter 3, Psalm 95. Let me read from Psalm 95 verse 7. The Bible says

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