Water from the Rock
17 1 The whole community of Israel set out from the Wilderness of Sin, traveling stage by stage as our Father commanded, and they camped at Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put our Father to the test?"
3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"
4 Then Moses cried out to our Father, "What should I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me."
5 Our Father said to Moses, "Go out ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take in your hand the staff you used to strike the Nile, and go." 6 "I will be standing there before you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink." And Moses did so as the elders of Israel watched.
7 He named the place Massah and Meribah, because the people of Israel quarreled and because they tested our Father, saying, "Is our Father among us, or not?" 1 1 v7 Massah means "testing" and Meribah means "quarreling" — the place was named for how the people doubted whether our Father was really with them.
Our Father Wins the Battle
8 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose men for us, and go out to fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of our Father in my hand." 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Now whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands stayed steady until the sun went down. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 Our Father said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in a book and read it aloud to Joshua: I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."
15 Moses built an altar and named it the Father-Nissi — "our Father is my banner" — 2 2 v15 Moses named the altar “our Father is my banner” after Israel’s victory over Amalek, won while his hands were lifted to our Father. 16 and he said, "A hand upon the throne of our Father! He will wage war against Amalek from generation to generation." 3 3 v16 "A hand upon the throne" is a war oath: Amalek struck first against our Father's rule, so he pledges to fight them forever.