"Quarrel"

"...They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.  The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" - Exodus 17:1,2  (NRSV)       Click here to read the story in Exodus 17:1-7

There are some people you just cannot please.  The late singer Ricky Nelson opined in one of his songs, "..you can't please everyone so you gotta please yourself."  Unfortunately, too many people take his advice.  Take Israel, for example.  The people of God were captive in Egypt under a heavy burden.  God heard their cries and sent a man by the name of Moses, along with his brother Aaron, to rescue the people of God.  The Bible speaks of the climax of this rescue operation in spectacular fashion (Exodus 14). 

So what would you do after seeing God work so magnificently on your behalf?  You would praise him!  Ah, praise.  That is just what the people of God did.  Exodus 15 provides the lyrics for the great song of praise they offered to God.  My, how the people were grateful!  Perhaps you can guess what happened next.  That would not be hard because we all have engaged in this at some level.  Exodus 17 says the people "grumbled," or "quarreled" with Moses.  The great moving of God, followed by an outpouring of praise to God for that moving, has taken a backseat.  Apparently, the people of God did not feel God was keeping his end of the bargain.  The issue?  Lack of food and water.  They were hungry and thirsty.  They felt death was the only logical conclusion.  The journey began to make Egypt look pretty good.  How quickly they had forgotten where God had led them from!

And here lies the issue.  The word, "quarrel", or "reeb" in Hebrew means "to strive or contend," but it is steeped in the lanuage of legal proceedings.  It means "to make a case, debate, plead a case, dispute, or argue."  This action, then, stems from this deep seeded passion to have one's side presented.  My way, or my belief system is paramount to yours.  I need to be heard!  The Sunday morning sing a long has given way to the Tuesday mundane.  Forgotten are the great moments of God breaking into worship.  This is now about me and my wants!

It is worth noting that the place they were camped in was named "Rephidim."  The irony is that "Rephidim" means "resting place."  God, in his great love and compassion, had brought the people of God to a place of rest.  But, rather than rest, they fought to get their way.  They quarreled.  One may understand why Moses would be frustrated.  One may further be inclined to think of God's displeasure with you and I.  How often do we forget his goodness when our own wants and needs are taking center stage.  God was not going to lead them to the desert to die.  He was going to take care of them.  He desires to take care of you and I as well.

Rather than give up on the lot, like we are apt to want to do, God instructed Moses to hit a rock with his staff to produce water.  The people were refreshed, but only temporarily.  They would grumble, again, and God would provide, again.  It would not be in the manner the people wanted or expected, but provision would come.  When you feel like contending or quarreling for your rights, remember God has not left you, nor forsaken you.  He will provide in due season, maybe in an unexpected way.  When those around you are prone to contend or quarrel, take your staff and become a purveyor of his grace and presence.  Allow the "Living Water" to fill and refresh, not only your life, but the lives around you as well. 

Clara Williams penned these marvelous words:
Hallelujah! I have found Him- Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my every longings; through His blood I now am saved.

Want to join me at a Rock?

"Achor"

Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, For My people who have sought Me. - Isaiah 65:10 (NKJV).

In the Old Testamant book of Isaiah, the sixty-fifth chapter speaks on the themes of judgement, for those who reject God (v. 5), and restoration, for those who seek after God (v. 9).  Two groups, two choices, and two outcomes.  We are reminded that God is rich in mercy and has things under control... for those who seek after him.  No matter what we have faced, we find that the grace of God trumps it all.

One of the pictures of redemption and restoration painted by Isaiah tells of herds lying down in a valley called Achor.  In Hebrew, the word means "trouble".  The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia goes on to say, "serious or extreme trouble."  Do you have a happy place that you, at times, mentally travel to?  Chances are, that place is not like Achor.  The beach?  The mountains?  A golf course?  All of those are sure nice to think on.  But Achor?  No way.  I am sure the Israelites would just as soon forget such a place of trouble.

Joshua 7 tells the story of Achan who, along with a few others, took plunder from Jericho.  The issue?  They were told by God not to.  After losing favor with God, the Israelites are routed when they attempt to take the next city, Ai.  Furthermore, when Achan's sin is found out, he and his family are put to death.  The Bible says the place was called Achor from that time on.  So, no.  Achor is not a happy place.

Perhaps you have been, or maybe still are, in your own Vallley of Achor.  Perhaps it by your own choices, or maybe you were swept up by the decisions of others.  Be thankful that God is a Redeeming God!  Your place of trouble in the hands of the Master, becomes a place of tranquility and peace.  Our world shows the scars of man's sinfulness.  Choices are made, life happens, and we are left to make sense of it all.  We set up tent in Achor, always reminded of something awful from our past or present.

The good news of the Gospel is a message of restoration.  In Christ, the hopeless have hope.  In Christ, the weak are made strong.  In Christ, what was once a place of scorn and contempt, becomes a place of abundance and peace.  Relationships are healed, sinners are forgiven, the wayward find their way home, broken hearts are mended, and hope rises out of despair.  Whatever your "Achor" is, allow God to transform it by His grace.  We may show scars, but they become testimonies to His grace.  We are a people of hope!