NOTES for Exo 17:1-16
All the accounts of Israel's testing in the wilderness follow this pattern: unforeseen difficulties arise, and once again the same central question appears, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Then follow the Lord's indignation at their lack of faith, miraculous signs, and deliverance or punishment from God. The paradox is that the “right,” affirmative answer, “God is with us,” can testify to fanaticism and spiritual complacency just as it can to genuine faith. But the question asked of ourselves and one another, “Is the Lord with us or not?” can truly put everything in its proper place. Here in the wilderness, faith ceases to be a habit or an ideology and becomes what it is meant to be: a search, a hope, and a longing for God.