Exo 17:1 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.

Here we have another incidence of murmuring and complaining. They were thirsty and scared. They were quick to forget the miracles that happened at the Red Sea, the Manna from heaven and the time the Lord made the bitter waters, sweet. Here again we have a vision of unbelief coming back among the people. We see also that we are the same. When things start to go wrong, how quick are we ready to give up and assume God has forgotten us. When Jesus said that He will never leave or forsake those that follow Him, He meant just that.

When bad happens, it is a good idea to read the book of Job. Job is a little hard to concentrate on, but it is a good explanation of why the faithful sometimes go through trouble. Sometimes it is just testing like in the case of Job. Sometimes trouble is a result of our own bad decisions and weaknesses and many times it is because we are full on plain old unbelief.

We must become dead to the world and alive unto God. We must take up the cross and follow Jesus through thick or thin, good times and bad. If we do not do that, we are not worthy of Him. We must hate our lives here and cleave to the Lord. The only way to overcome the flesh is to get to the place where God's will matters to us more than anything else on earth.

In the past many churches made the mistake of emphasizing a legalistic Christian religion instead of a being born again by the spirit and getting people to build upon the foundation of Jesus to the point where they serve Him because of love.

If we get to the place where nothing matters to us as much as Jesus, where the world is boring compared to Jesus, we wouldn't have to worry about what is right or wrong because the "want to" do evil would not be within us.

The reason many Christians have trouble with sin is because, they have not sold out to Jesus Christ, they have forgotten that He died for their sins and all strength comes from knowing that fact. They have forgotten that they can only overcome by the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. We can't live holy in our own strength or our own will power. We must rest in His grace, trust in His sustaining power and be confident in His love for us. He wants us to make it through.

Exo 17:2 Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the LORD?

Complaining does tempt the Lord to bring judgment. Faith and trust in Him makes Him happy with us. He still loves us when we fail but how happy we make Him when He sees our trust and faith. I can't see the Lord ever letting down someone who truly believes in Him with all their heart.

Exo 17:3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

If they would have only said, "We are thirsty, can you ask God to help us?" it would have been much better than accusing God of leading them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness.

We go through these doubts also. God may call us into the ministry and it goes great for a while with souls being saved and then boom, trouble comes. It could be church troubles, fighting, money problems, setbacks, dry services, church splits, rebellion, false doctrine or persecution. We may be tempted to wonder whether we are in the will of God or whether God has even called us into the ministry. I've seen many quit under pressure.

Exo 17:4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
Exo 17:5 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
Exo 17:6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Exo 17:7 And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, Is the LORD among us, or not?

Here again, God has mercy and gives them water to drink. All of us have trouble waiting on God.

Exo 17:8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

Perhaps their murmuring led to this unexpected trouble but it caused God to send a curse upon Amalek for coming against Israel.
We must not oppose anyone that is the apple of God's eye and in His service even if they make mistakes and it seems like God has forsaken them. God does not take back His gifts and promises.

Exo 17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
Exo 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Exo 17:11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

This again may have been God's way to show the people that He chose Moses and to chide with Moses at that time is to chide with God.
Some take this to mean that any person who claims to be God's anointed can't be opposed without God's judgment. This is not so. Not everyone who says they are anointed of God is anointed of God. Jesus warned of many false prophets and teachers that was to come and is now come into the world.

To disagree with the truth in God's word is not "touching God's anointed". We are to search the scriptures like the Bereans that were commended in the New Testament. We are not to follow false leaders. Some have followed false leaders to their deaths.

This anointing was given to only a few. Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Enoch, the apostles, and of course Jesus. There may be others but if they preach a false doctrine, we don't have to follow them. In any case we are never to harm anyone physically.

Exo 17:12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Exo 17:13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Exo 17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
Exo 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:

Meaning, "My banner".

Exo 17:16 For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Israel was God's chosen people and we dare not go against those God chooses whether or not we understand why He chose them. Amelek was cursed from that time forward.

Exodus 18