活水涌流
出埃及记十七章1至7节
1以色列全会众都遵耶和华的吩咐，按着站口从汛的旷野往前行，在利非订安营。百姓没有水喝，
2所以与摩西争闹，说：给我们水喝罢！摩西对他们说：你们为甚么与我争闹？为甚么试探耶和华呢？
3百姓在那里甚渴，要喝水，就向摩西发怨言，说：你为甚么将我们从埃及领出来，使我们和我们的儿女并牲畜都渴死呢？
4摩西就呼求耶和华说：我向这百姓怎样行呢？他们几乎要拿石头打死我。
5耶和华对摩西说：你手里拿着你先前击打河水的杖，带领以色列的几个长老，从百姓面前走过去。
6我必在何烈的磐石那里，站在你面前。你要击打磐石，从磐石里必有水流出来，使百姓可以喝。摩西就在以色列的长老眼前这样行了。
7他给那地方起名叫玛撒（就是试探的意思），又叫米利巴（就是争闹的意思）；因以色列人争闹，又因他们试探耶和华，说：耶和华是在我们中间不是？
信息分享
神为何要人受苦？神为何不满足人的愿望？神为何要延迟答允我们的要求？你曾否为你本人或你的朋友，提出过类似的问题呢？
这些难题可说是千古之谜。就正如经文中的以色列民，无法理解神为何领他们到一个全没有水源的地方，以致他们苦无水喝。但其实，神领他们到那里，是为了要他们学习另一项的功课。
可惜，以色列人并没有寻求神的心意是要他们学习甚么；他们只懂得向神和他们的领袖大发怨言。向神发怨言，是对神不敬的表现；它等于质疑神的带领。而且，怨怼的心态是很容易互相感染的；当一个人开始发怨言，其他人也很容易跟着抱怨。然而，埋怨只会消耗我们的精力；我们在困难中应保留精力，求神帮助我们去寻求解决的方法。
但神的恩慈无限。祂不单没有为着百姓的怨怼而责罚他们，反而吩咐摩西用杖去敲打磐石，接着便有水涌流出来。
被摩西敲打的磐石，果然流出活水。百姓只需轮流取水，就能解渴。神已经预备一切，百姓若还口喝，就只能怪自己，不能再埋怨神的供应不足。
摩西只需敲打磐石一次，水就源源流出。有趣的是，自从这次缺水之后，便一直要到四十年后的飘流尾声，当以色列人的下一代需要再次认识神的能力和神有充足的供应，才再出现缺水的事件（参民数记二十章1至13节）。
保罗在哥林多前书十章4节指出「那磐石就是基督」。那是指基督在各各他山上，为我们一次而永远地受苦。从基督那灵磐石中已经涌出了生命的活水，它是为我们白白倾流的；任何人都可以取这水喝，就能得着生命的饱足。
颂赞：
颂赞耶稣基督赐给我们生命的活水。
WATER FOR THE THIRSTY
Exodus 17:1-7
1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”
So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD? ”
3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? ”
4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel.Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not? ”
Message
Why does God allow suffering? Why doesn't God do the things we expect him to do? Why doesn't he act more quickly? Have you ever tried to answer questions like these, either for yourself or for someone else?
It is never easy to answer that kind of question. The Children of Israel could not understand why God had led them to a place where there was no water for them. But they had been brought there to learn another lesson in God's school.
Once more instead of learning from God, they were murmuring against him and against their leader. Murmuring dishonours God. It says that God doesn't know what he is doing. Murmuring is catching. When one person starts to do it, it soon spreads. Murmuring also wastes our energies, which could be used for God in other ways.
God is wonderfully gracious however. Instead of pouring out judgement on the people, he told Moses to hit a particular rock with his rod and water would come out. That is exactly what happened.
When Moses struck the rock, it gave life-giving water. All that the people had to do was to take and drink. God had done the rest. If they refused to drink and were still thirsty, it was their own fault and God was not to blame.
The rock was struck only once. It is interesting that the need of water is not mentioned again until near the end of the 40 years of wanderings, when a new generation needed a display of God's power and provision (see Numbers 20:1-13).
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:4 'that rock was Christ'. It is a picture of how Christ was smitten for us on Calvary once for all. From him has come the water of life and it is free for everyone to take it for themselves.
A PRAISE NOTE:
Thank God today for Jesus Christ, the wonderful water for life.