Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Exodus
Book: Exodus
Chapter: 17
Overview:
The Israelites murmur for water at
Rephidim,
God sendeth it
out of the
Rock.
(1-7) Amalek overcome, The prayers of
Moses.
(8-16)
1-7 The children of
Israel journeyed according to the
commandment of the
Lord, led
By the
Pillar of
Cloud and
Fire,
yet they came to a place where there was
No water for them to
Drink. We may be in the way of duty, yet may meet with troubles,
which
Providence brings us into, for the trial of our
Faith, and
that
God may be glorified in our relief. They began to question
whether
God was with them or not. This is called their "tempting
God," which signifies distrust of him after they had received
such proofs of his power and
Goodness.
Moses mildly answered
them. It is folly to answer
Passion with
Passion; that makes bad
worse.
God graciously appeared to help them. How wonderful the
patience and forbearance of
God toward provoking sinners! That
he might show his power as
Well as his pity, and make it a
Miracle of
Mercy, he gave them water out of a
Rock.
God can open
fountains for us where we least expect them. Those who, in this
Wilderness, keep to
God's way, may trust him to provide for
them. Also, let this direct us to depend
On Christ's
Grace. The
Apostle says, that
Rock was
Christ, 1Co 10:4, it was a
Type of
him. While the
Curse of
God might justly have been executed upon
our guilty souls, behold the
Son of God is smitten for us. Let
us ask and receive. There was a constant, abundant supply of
this water. Numerous as believers are, the supply of the
Spirit
of
Christ is enough for all. The water flowed from the
Rock in
streams to refresh the
Wilderness, and attended them
On their
way towards
Canaan; and this water flows from
Christ, through
the ordinances, in the
Barren Wilderness of this world, to
refresh our souls, until we come to
Glory. A new name was given
to the place, in remembrance, not of the
Mercy of their supply,
but of the
Sin of their
Murmuring: "
Massah,"
Temptation, because
they tempted
God; "
Meribah," Strife, because they chid with
Moses.
Sin leaves a
Blot upon the name.
8-16 Israel engaged with
Amalek in their own necessary defence.
God makes his people able, and calls them to various services
for the good of his
Church.
Joshua fights,
Moses prays, both
Minister to
Israel. The rod was held up, as the
Banner to
encourage the soldiers. Also to
God,
By way of
Appeal to him.
Moses was tired. The strongest
Arm will fail with being long
held out; it is
God only whose
Hand is stretched out still. We
do not find that
Joshua's hands were heavy in fighting, but
Moses' hands were heavy in praying; the more spiritual any
service is, the more apt we are to fail and
Flag in it. To
convince
Israel that the
Hand of
Moses, whom they had been
chiding, did more for their safety than their own hands, his rod
than their
Sword, the success rises and falls as
Moses lifts up
or lets down his hands. The
Church's cause is more or less
successful, as her friends are more or less strong in
Faith, and
fervent in
Prayer.
Moses, the
Man of
God, is glad of help. We
should not be shy, either of asking help from others, or of
giving help to others. The hands of
Moses being thus stayed,
were steady till the going down of the
Sun. It was great
encouragement to the people to see
Joshua before them in the
Field of battle, and
Moses above them
On the
Hill.
Christ is
both to us; our
Joshua, the
Captain of our
Salvation, who fights
our battles, and our
Moses, who ever lives, making intercession
above, that our
Faith fail not. Weapons formed against
God's
Israel cannot prosper long, and shall be broken at last.
Moses
must write what had been done, what
Amalek had done against
Israel; write their
Bitter Hatred; write their cruel attempts;
let them never be forgotten, nor what
God had done for
Israel in
saving them from
Amalek. Write what should be done; that in
process of time
Amalek should be totally ruined and rooted out.
Amalek's
Destruction was typical of the
Destruction of all the
enemies of
Christ and his kingdom.