Exodus 17:1-7 "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. 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? 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? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. 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. 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. 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?"
In Exodus 12:51, we are told that the LORD brought Israel out of the land of Egypt “by their armies.” It is highly unlikely that Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to have a standing army in their midst. The word army is better understood in this sense that the LORD brought them out in ranks or groups. Their exodus from Egypt was organized according to the plan and purpose of God.
As they journeyed in the wilderness, it would appear that this continued to be the case. When we find in verse seventeen that they journeyed “after their journeys” this is most likely a reference to the fact that when they moved, they still moved in ranks. They did this according to the LORD’s command. When they pitched their tents, they found no water for themselves or their livestock.
Once again, rather than waiting on and looking to God, they took up complaint against His servant Moses. They demanded that Moses give them water to drink. Moses knew, and so should the children of Israel, that Moses did not have the power to just make water appear. Yet, they needed someone to blame for their current lack.
Moses cried unto God, and God answered him. The LORD instructed him to take the elders of the Israel with them to the place He would show them. There Moses was to strike the rock where God stood before him. Water would come out of the rock that Moses struck sufficient for the needs of the Israelites.
When things are difficult for us, we may often chide (quarrel) within ourselves and question whether the LORD is with us. The LORD stands before us on the Rock of our salvation. That Rock was smitten once for our deliverance. We should not faint or doubt that the LORD is with us after He has led us to His Rock.