In today's passage we see how the unrest among the Israelites nearly came to violence, with Moses in danger of being stoned by the people. They had come to the oasis at Rephidim only to find no water, and they began to criticize Moses. Moses recognized that the real problem was they didn't trust the Lord. God told him to strike a rock with his rod and a spring of water miraculously came forth. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock represented Christ, who would be the source of living water. Moses' rod represented God's power, and with it God's authority. And so the people's trust in Moses as God's representative was restored for a time.
We are often quick to mistrust those God has put in authority over us when things don't go the way we think they should. God has told us to honor and respect our spiritual leaders despite their flaws (1 Timothy 5:17). In doing so, we honor the Lord who has appointed them.
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow (Hebrews 13:17 NLT).
Jim Jensen, Prophetstown, Ill.
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