The site was named Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) because the Israelites tested the Lord by asking, "Is the Lord among us or not?" It is a question we still ask today in our moments of crisis. And the answer is the same: Yes. He is there, even in the driest places, ready to pour out what we need most.

Coming Savior connection: Here the New Testament gives us an unusually explicit interpretation. First Corinthians 10:4 says Israel “drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” That does not mean every physical detail of the struck rock is a coded prediction of the cross, but it does mean the apostle himself places Christ within the wilderness-provision story. This is one of Exodus’ clearest inspired Christological readings.