“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.”
My Notes
What Does Exodus 17:1 Mean?
"And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the LORD, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink." Israel arrives at Rephidim ACCORDING TO GOD'S COMMANDMENT — following divine direction, obeying the travel-orders — and finds NO WATER. The obedience leads to the crisis. The commandment produces the thirst. The following of God's direction results in arriving at a place of LACK. The destination God chose has NO provision — yet.
The phrase "according to the commandment of the LORD" (al pi YHWH — upon the mouth of the LORD, at the command of the LORD) means Israel is WHERE GOD TOLD THEM TO BE: the camp at Rephidim isn't a wrong turn. It's the COMMANDED DESTINATION. God directed them HERE. The arriving-at-waterlessness is GOD'S ROUTING, not Israel's wandering. The crisis is at the APPOINTED location. The thirst is at the COMMANDED campsite.
The "there was no water for the people to drink" (ve'ein mayim lishtot ha'am — and there was no water for the people to drink) states the CRISIS that God's own routing produced: the commanded destination has NO WATER. The people who obeyed the command arrive at a place of LACK. The provision that should accompany the obedience is ABSENT — not permanently (God will provide from the rock, verse 6) but INITIALLY. The gap between the arriving and the providing is the TEST.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What place of lack has obedience led you to — and might the lack be the setup for provision?
- 2.What does arriving at a crisis THROUGH obedience (not disobedience) teach about God's routing?
- 3.How does the gap between arriving and providing describe the wilderness test?
- 4.What pattern of obedience → lack → provision is operating in your life right now?
Devotional
They followed God's command. They arrived at Rephidim. And there was NO WATER. The obedience led to the crisis. The divine routing produced the thirst. The commanded destination had no provision — yet. The gap between the arriving and the providing is the test that defines the wilderness.
The 'according to the commandment of the LORD' makes the destination DIVINELY CHOSEN: Rephidim isn't a wrong turn. It's the RIGHT destination — commanded by God, directed by divine guidance, arrived at through obedience. The waterlessness isn't the result of DISOBEDIENCE. It's the result of OBEDIENCE. The people who followed God's command found themselves at a place of lack. The obedience and the crisis coexist.
The 'there was no water' is the CRISIS at the COMMANDED location: the lack isn't punishment. It's SITUATION — the commanded campsite happens to have no water. The provision that WILL come (from the rock, verse 6) hasn't come YET. The gap between the arriving and the providing is DELIBERATE — God brings them to the waterless place SO THAT the water-from-the-rock can demonstrate divine provision. The lack is the SETUP for the miracle.
The PATTERN is: obedience → lack → provision: follow God's command → arrive at a place of need → receive divine supply. The pattern runs throughout the wilderness: no food → manna. No water → water from the rock. No direction → pillar of cloud. Each LACK is the setup for each PROVISION. The crisis is the CANVAS. The miracle is the PAINTING.
What place of LACK has God's obedience led you to — and is the lack the setup for the provision?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin,.... Where they had stayed some…
According to their journeys - The Israelites rested at two stations before they reached Rephidim, namely, Dophkah and…
Pitched in Rephidim - In Num 33:12-14 it is said, that when the Israelites came from Sin they encamped in Dophkah, and…
Here is, I. The strait that the children of Israel were in for want of water; once before the were in the like distress,…