Water from Rock, Battle with Amalekites

Following the miraculous provision of bread from heaven, here the people complained again because of a lack of water. The Lord then provided water for them supernaturally by asking Moses to strike his rod against a rock in Horeb, and water came out. Before this, the Israelites and Moses had a few exchange of words. We are not in a position to judge who is right or wrong in the argument. However, the Word of God is clear in v7 that the people tempted the LORD by saying "Is the LORD among us or not?"

One of the first battles that Israel engaged in was with the Amalekites. The incident recorded here was when Moses needed to stand on top of a hill with his hands raised throughout the battle in order for the Israelites to win. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the battle and thus was preparing Joshua to play a bigger role in leading Israel.

We know that the God promised to give land to Abraham's descendents and the land was chosen specifically. The land in question was already inhabited and so we will read of the accounts of Israel having to battle the existing occupants for the land. This may seem rather unfair that God promised land to Israel and so the previous occupants of the land need to be forced out, and in many cases destroyed. Such a conclusion would be wrong because the previous occupants were not innocent by-standers, there is indication the God had His own purpose in destroying some of these civilisations, and the reason is not to simply create space for Israel; in v16, it explained:
“Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”



Exodus 17

Water from the Rock

 1 Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.”
So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?”
3 And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!”
5 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 So he called the name of the place Massah[a] and Meribah,[b] because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”


Victory over the Amalekites
  
8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;[c] 16 for he said, “Because the LORD has sworn: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”