Page 16 - May 2026 - Truth & Tidings

Setting the Scene at Rephidim A Sudden and Strategic Attack
Exodus 17 records one of Israel’s earliest Immediately after this miraculous
and most formative conflicts. Only weeks provision of water, “Amalek came and
earlier, they had been delivered through fought with Israel at Rephidim” (v8). The
the Red Sea and had their first experiences timing is significant. The Amalekites were
of divine provision in the wilderness. a powerful nomadic people inhabiting
Having crossed Sinai under the guidance the Negeb desert regions. The new water
of the pillar of cloud and fire, they came source would have been of strategic value
to Rephidim, a highland wadi approxi- as controlling water in desert regions
mately 1,500 feet above sea level. often meant controlling movement and
They arrived “according to the com- commerce. From a human perspective,
mandment of the LORD” (Exo 17:1) ; the conflict was predictable. Yet Scripture
1
however, the absence of water provoked presents it as more than just a territorial
sharp contention. The people quarrelled dispute.
with Moses, demanding water he himself This was Israel’s first military encounter
could not provide, and accused him of after redemption. The people were numer-
leading them into the desert to die. Moses ous but inexperienced. Weeks earlier they
interpreted their complaint not merely as had been slaves, with limited opportunity
frustration but as testing the Lord. Their to arm or prepare for combat. Amalek, by
demand was framed not as trust but as ac- contrast, was hardened by desert life and
cusation. “Is the LORD among us or not?” accustomed to warfare. They attacked
(v7), they said. Faith presents dependent mercilessly, targeting the weak and weary
requests to God; unbelief makes defiant at the rear of the camp. This calculated
ultimatums. cruelty left a lasting impression, recalled
Moses “cried” to the Lord (v4) – a word repeatedly in Israel’s history (Deu 25:17;
denoting distress and urgency. God in- 1Sa 15:2).
structed him to go and strike the rock at A Battle Fought in Two Places
Horeb using the same staff with which he
had earlier struck the Nile. Water flowed, Moses responded by appointing Joshua
and the people drank. To preserve the to lead selected men into battle. Then
lesson, Moses called the place Massah and he ascended a nearby hill with the staff
Meribah – “testing” and “quarrelling.” of God in his hand, invoking memories
of earlier confrontations with Egypt. As
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the the battle unfolded, a striking pattern
ESV unless otherwise noted. emerged. When Moses held up his hand,

144 TRUTH kTidings May 2026