Again, instead of asking the Lord for water with humility, they quarrel with Moses. They test the Lord by saying "Is the LORD among us or not?" - we can relate to this - whenever we are going through a tough time and see no way out we start to wonder whether we have done something wrong and whether the Lord has abandoned us. This is never the case as you can see, even though Israel was being very stubborn and annoying and even Moses himself was started to get very frustrated and even though the people insisted on breaking the Lord´s commandments, he still watched over them. All they had to do was be patient and wait on him, but they lacked the faith and trust in the Lord to be able to do so. If they had trusted the Lord and had asked him with Faith, how much more of a blessing or faster do you think the Lord would have had brought the water? We can also see the Lord again, providing the people´s necessities - why not earlier? why when they felt like they where all going to die? Maybe to test the people and see how much faith was in them? Maybe to show his power through such a dire and hopeless circumstance? Would it have been so awesome if the Lord had provided water when no one was thirsty?  Read less

Its understandable for them to freak out - traveling through a desert for 3 days without water. The Lord had done many miracles before them to save them from the Egyptians and from the burning sun and darkness of the desert, yet when facing a much simpler problem they freak out (would God have saved them from the Egyptians to have them die in the desert of thirst?). When trouble comes knocking, don´t grumble but instead switch your focus to the Lord and cry out to the him like Moses did (the all power Lord your God who is capable of changing any circumstance) . The people decided to grumble instead of having faith in the Lord to provide. How many times has the Lord saved us and helped us in our lives? No matter your problem remember that he is your help and savior, as he has done in the past he will do in the present and may he rescue you so that his name may be glorified. Also note that God did not just give them water, but asked Moses to take action - an action that might have seemed a bit absurd at the time (a piece of wood, really? whats that going to do?) but that required faith and trust that the Lord would do the rest - a leap of faith. Just like the opening of the ocean, it did not just open but it opened after Moses had faith and raised his staff as the Lord had asked.  Read less

And the Lord went before them Who is called the Angel of the Lord, ( Exodus 14:19 ) ( 23:20 ) , not a created but the uncreated Angel, the Angel of Jehovah's presence, in whom his name, nature, and perfections were, even the Word and Son of God, the Lord Christ, see ( 1 Corinthians 10:9 ) who went before the armies of Israel, as their King, Leader, and Commander: by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; through the Red sea, and the wilderness, at the edge of which they now were, which was untrodden, and trackless, and the way through it very difficult to find; and being a sandy desert, as soon as a path was made, it was immediately covered with sand, and to be seen no more: this cloud was not an ordinary one, but extraordinary, supernatural, and miraculous; in the superior part of it, it was in the form of a pillar, rising upwards towards heaven; in the lower part of it, it was more spread, and covered the camp of Israel; for, besides the use of it to show the way through a trackless wilderness, it was a shelter and protection from the scorching heat of the sun in a sandy desert, where there was scarce anything to screen them from it, to which the allusion is in ( Isaiah 4:5 Isaiah 4:6 ) ( Numbers 10:34 ) ( 14:14 ) ( Psalms 105:39 ) this cloud was an emblem of Christ, who has sometimes appeared clothed with a cloud, ( Revelation 10:1 ) of the obscurity of his human nature, of the fulness of grace in him, and being in the form of a pillar, of his uprightness, firmness, stability, and visibility in it; and of the use and benefit he is to his people, partly to show them the way in which they should go, by his Spirit and word, and lead them in it by his own example, whom it becomes them to follow, he being a wise, safe, and constant guide; and partly to shelter and protect them from the heat of a fiery law, from the flaming sword of justice, from the wrath of God, from the fiery darts of Satan, and from the furious persecution of wicked men, sometimes compared to the violent heat of the sun, ( Song of Solomon 1:6 Song of Solomon 1:7 ) and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; whenever they travelled by night, as they sometimes did, and in those hot countries it was very agreeable; and this pillar of fire gave them light when the moon shone not, and was a direction to them which way to go: sometimes it is night with the people of God, a night of darkness and desertion, of drowsiness, sleepiness, and carnal security, or of affliction and distress: Christ is the light and comfort of his people, and by his Spirit and word illuminates, guides, and directs them what to do, and where and how to walk: to go by day or night; to direct them in their journey, whether by night or day: this was but one pillar, though Aben Ezra thinks they were two; but it may be observed they are mentioned as one, and that the pillar of cloud in the night was a cloud of darkness to the Egyptians, and gave light to the Israelites, ( Exodus 14:19 Exodus 14:20 Exodus 14:24 ) , see also ( Numbers 9:21 ) and it is easy to observe that what appears as a cloud or smoke in the daytime, looks like fire in the night: so when Alexander's army was on the march, as a signal, ``fire was observed in the night, and smoke by day,'' as says the historian : nor can, this account of Moses seem incredible to the Heathens themselves, as Clemens of Alexandria observes , since they relate a story somewhat similar to this, which they profess to believe; as, that when Thrasybulus brought the exile Grecians from Phyle, and willing to do it secretly, a pillar was his guide, and as he passed in the night through untrodden paths, when the moon shone not, and it was a dark winter night, a light was seen going before him, which brought them safe to Mynichia, and then left them: indeed this was not so extraordinary and miraculous, if true, as this pillar, as Bishop Patrick observes, because it was but for a night, whereas this continued all the forty years in the wilderness, until the Israelites came to Canaan's land, as follows: the Arabic geographer speaks of exhalations arising out of caves at the sides of mountains, which in the daytime looked like smoke, and in the night time like fire.  Read less

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go Gave them leave to depart out of Egypt, and even urged them to be gone in haste upon the death of his firstborn: that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; the land of the Philistines was the Pentapolis, or five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, which lay between Egypt and Canaan; and their way through it to Canaan, out of Egypt, was the nearest they could go; and was, as Aben Ezra says, about ten days' journey; but Philo the Jew says it was but three days' journey; and it seems, by the sons of Jacob going to and fro for corn, that it was no very long journey: for God said: within himself, or he declared the following reason of so doing to Moses: lest peradventure the people repent: which is said not as ignorant or doubtful, but, as Aben Ezra says, after the manner of men: when they see war: the Philistines coming out against them to hinder their passage through their country; they being a warlike people, bold and courageous, and the Israelites, through their long servitude, of a mean, timorous, and cowardly disposition; and indeed as yet unarmed, and so very unfit to engage in war, and therefore would at once be intimidated: and they return to Egypt; judging it more eligible to continue in their former bondage, than to fall a prey into the hands of such fierce and cruel enemies. This is the only reason mentioned for not leading them this way; but there were other secret reasons for it, which afterwards opened in Providence, as the doing that wonderful work for them, leading them through the Red sea as on dry land, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it; and by being brought into a wilderness, a solitude, they would be in the fittest place to receive and attend to the body of laws given them, and where they were formed into a commonwealth and church state, previous to their entrance into, and possession of, the land of Canaan; and here also they were humbled, tried and proved, and had such instances of the power and goodness of God to them, as were sufficient to attach them to his service, and lay them under the greatest obligation to him, as well as would be of use to strengthen their faith and hope in him in future times of difficulty and distress. ----------------------------------------- What might have seemed like the best and most logical way to go was not the one designated by the Lord for several reasons : their need to be tried in order to grow spiritually in the future which would leave to a whole array of different situations in the future far beyond their understanding and comprehension which the Lord understood and had planned for them and their lives that would end up being better in the long run, gods knowledge of the future telling him that they would end up going through heavy tribulation which would make them flee and go back to Egypt (causing lots of harm and no good). Remember the Lord knows the past, present and future and he only wants whats best for you . Have faith in him and trust that he will lead you to the best path, even if there are other paths that look much better and logical  Read less

One Step at a Time “… I being in the way, the Lord led me…” (Genesis 24: 27 KJV) When we discover the context of these words of Scripture we realize they are teaching us a principle of how God often works in the lives of His people. It is easier to steer a moving vehicle than one that is stationary. God can sometimes steer us more easily when we are moving. That’s why we will find that one step frequently leads to the next step when we have faith to be led by the Holy Spirit. The words above were spoken by Abraham’s servant who was commissioned by Abraham to travel to the land of his people to find a wife for Isaac. As he journals the events of his search he writes that while he was in the way the Lord led him he encountered the family of Rebekah. When he met her he knew that his search had ended. We who are committed followers of Christ were commissioned two thousand years ago to go to all nations and make disciples for Jesus Christ. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Like the servant of Abraham, as we embark on the adventure of obeying our great commission, we should expect that each step will lead to the next step. We don’t always have to know where the road leads as long as we know it is the right road. While we are in the way our Lord has commissioned us to go we must have the faith to take that first step and then, one step at a time, expect our Lord to show us His will about the next step.  Read less

and I will be to you a God; their King and their God to rule over them, protect and defend them, and their covenant God and Father, giving them various spiritual privileges, the adoption, the glory, the covenant, the law, service, and promises: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God; by the promises fulfilled, the favours granted, and the deliverances wrought for them:  Read less