“‘Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:6b-7)
If you want to know the cost of conflict, look no further than our story today.
At the heart of the story is a miracle. Moses can strike a rock with his staff (the same one that parted the waters of the Red Sea) and water can come pouring out of it. Water. From. A. Rock.
Think about that for a second. Actually try to visualize it. What do you see? Is it that Moses punched a hole in the rock with his staff and water is coming out of the hole, as like a spicket? Or is it more like a sponge that is being squeezed and water is spilling out that way? The text doesn’t tell us and both images are equally hard to rationally envision. Rocks don’t give way to wooden staffs. Rocks aren’t porous and squishy like a sponge. And yet… there’s water.
Now, that’s the big thing that happens. And this isn’t just a parlor trick either. This isn’t David Copperfield and a magic show whose only importance is to entertain and amaze us. No, this water is needed. Desperately needed. Survivalists know that there is “The Rule of Threes,” which explains that humans can survive three weeks without food, three days without water, three hours without shelter, and three minutes without oxygen. Three days. That’s all Israel has before they’re all dead. That’s a long weekend, which – as we all know – is an oxymoronic statement because who has ever had a “long weekend” that didn’t also feel too short?
So, what is this story? It’s a story of Israel having their lives saved when life-essential water comes out of a rock in some manner. Wow!
But this is when we also learn the true cost of conflict because what actually predominates this story? Israel’s grumbling, Moses’ fear, and spiritual showdowns. Indeed, Moses even names the place where this miracle happens “Massah and Meribah,” which translate to “testing” and “quarreling,” respectively. Remember, this is the site of a miracle! Its name should be whatever the Hebrew is for “amazingly a rock like a sponge” or “rock water” or just simply “Hallelujah!”
But this is what conflict does. Conflict robs us of the full impact of miracles. It is the conflict that gets naming rights. It’s the conflict that gets highlighted and remembered. Sadly, this condition does not pass away with the fulfillment of the Old Testament in Jesus Christ. Even today, God’s people can still be known by their conflicts more than God’s miracles.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
No, we can choose to give the naming rights to our lives over to God’s work and our own angst. We can remember the health we still had in the midst of sickness, the joy we still possessed in the midst of sorrow, the hope we still held in the midst of despair. We can do that. We can remember those miracles instead of the heartache and trauma.
Let us do so. Amen.
