Psalm 95:8-9

Psalm 95:8-9

Do not harden your hearts

The Israelites have left Egypt and are on their way to the Promised Land, the Lord God has proved His love and care and protection by liberating the people and providing them with everything they need. But it was not enough, they grumbled and complained, especially when their water supply ran low. They quarrelled with Moses and demanded water; the rebellion grew so venomous that Moses feared for his life and pleaded with the Lord to help him. The problem was not just the lack of water, it was their lack of faith. The Israelites did not believe that the Lord would provide for them, they judged the situation from a human perspective and left God out of it. They doubted His care and that He was actually with them in the wilderness, despite previous miracles of deliverance and provision of food and water. On this occasion Moses was instructed to speak to the rock of Horeb and, of course, water flowed and continued to do so throughout the next 40 years of journeying. This sad location was given the name of Massah which means testing and Meribah, which means quarrelling. (This incident must not be confused with another Meribah where Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it and was thus banned from entering Canaan.)

The salutary lesson that we learn from this event is that once we have seen the miraculous power of God at work and we have experienced His guidance and provision, He expects us to keep trusting Him. Anything else is rebellion or “hardening of the heart” and it is foolishness to test the Lord in this way, as Israel found out, to their cost!

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