Psalm 81
"I tested you at the Waters of Meribah"
The events of Meribah play a huge role in the Torah and the Psalms. Two events are recounted, one in Exodus 17 and the other in Numbers 20. The first occurs near Mount Sinai, right after Israel's deliverance from Egypt, and the other occurs near the border of the Promised Land. Psalm 81 seems to be referring to the events of Exodus 17. Israel has just been delivered from slavery:
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
And yet, having just experienced this deliverance, the people cry out in distrust and dismay for water in the desert. From Exodus 17:
The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”
“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?”
But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!”
The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Interestingly, in Exodus 17 all the descriptions of "testing" are on Israel's side, the people "testing" God:
Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?”
He named the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
So the testing seems to be going both ways. God brings the Israelites into the desert where there faith is examined, tried, and tested. And the people, in turn, test God to see if God will bring them water. This testing of God from Israel's side is filled with unbelief and distrust. That theme is echoed in Psalm 81:
“But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel did not obey me.
So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.
If only my people would listen to me
and Israel would follow my ways,
I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.”
I don't know if this is an appropriate jump in associations, but in pondering this my mind kept going to that enigmatic petition from the Lord's Prayer: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Many scholars have pointed out that "temptation" might not be the best word here. "Trial" or "testing" is better. The NRSV renders the petition this way, along with an alternative reading:
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.And do not bring us to the time of testing,
but rescue us from the evil one.
I can't help but wonder if Jesus has Massah and Meribah in mind here, that the petition, as described in Psalm 81, is to be delivered from our "stubborn hearts," our wavering unfaithfulness. The petition "do not bring us to the time of trial/testing" is a petition to be delivered from the exposure of Meribah. Spare us such an examination! The petition is an acknowledgement of our frailty and failure and begs for mercy and deliverance. We can't pass the test, so we plead for help.
Title: The Testing at Meribah
Yvon Roustan ©
I tested you at the Waters of Meribah,
Where faith was tried under desert skies,
In the wilderness, the people's hearts saw,
Their doubts and fears, beneath glaring eyes.
The Lord your God led you from Egypt's shore,
Delivered from bondage, yet you doubted His might,
“Give us water!” the thirst for faith, they implore,
As Moses heard cries, in the dark of night.
Why did you bring us here, to this barren land?
To perish from thirst, with our cattle too?
Moses beseeched the sky, with trembling hand,
“What shall I do with this doubting crew?”
The rock was struck, the waters then flowed,
A test of faith, a lesson to be shown,
God's provision in the desert abode,
Yet doubts lingered, in hearts of stone.
Massah and Meribah, named in their test,
The people of Israel, with wavering cries,
Challenged their God, their faith under arrest,
In the face of trials, where belief lies.
In Psalm 81, the echoes resound,
A people unyielding, in stubborn pursuit,
If only they'd listen, in faith they'd be found,
But rebellion persists, their hearts to refute.
The prayer of Jesus, lead us not astray,
From the trials that test our weakened resolve,
In Meribah's shadows, we kneel and pray,
For deliverance from doubts that absolve.
*************^******************
Explanation:
The poem "The Testing at Meribah" delves into the biblical narrative of the events at Meribah, focusing on the Exodus 17 account where the Israelites doubted God's provision for water in the desert. The poem captures the tension between faith and doubt, highlighting the struggles faced by the Israelites as they grappled with their trust in God.
Each stanza reflects a different aspect of the story, from the initial cries for water to Moses' plea to God for guidance. The themes of testing, faith, and deliverance are interwoven throughout the poem, mirroring the complex emotions and challenges faced by the ancient Israelites.
By drawing parallels with the petition in the Lord's Prayer to be delivered from temptation or testing, the poem connects the biblical narrative to broader themes of human frailty and the need for divine intervention. Ultimately, "The Testing at Meribah" serves as a contemplative reflection on the intricacies of faith, doubt, and the merciful hand of God in times of trial.
Peter Grach
I was baptised on January 19, 1980. Not long after that (a couple of years, maybe) I was asked a question which has continued to reverberate in my memory and mind since then.
I was asked, "How can you love someone who lets you suffer?"
According to the article, it is stated that, ' "Many scholars have pointed out that "temptation" might not be the best word here. "Trial" or "testing" is better."
Also, an article (circa 1984 ?) in my church's magazine about the Lord's Prayer explained that a better meaning of "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" would most likely be, "keep us from sore trial".
This seems to fit with what this article presentation is intimating.
Another question I have about this petition to not bring us to the time of "trial/testing" is that since God knows our frame, He "pitieth us - a "vapour" that 'appears for a while' - and therefore He knows (omniscient, omnipotent) how any of His creation will respond and cope with any trial/testing that He brings upon us. So why/how would such a trial/testing be brought upon His creation?
One reason might be - and I have come to think this constitutes a large part of what God's plan in creation entails, and what God is doing - and that is to grow, change, develop mankind (eventually) from the fallible, faulty, incomplete being He created - both in the Garden of Eden, as well as mankind's later "fall" to whatever level of capacity/capability/functionality God reduced/lowered him to - have mankind become the/a New Creation/New Man/Renewed in mind (and other aspects), so as to be made fit for entrance into the Kingdom of God, the realm of God, the New Jerusalem; in short, to enjoy Godly life.
1 Corinthians 10: 131 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (NKJV) implies that any trial or testing is limited and designed (by God) with some purpose in mind.
That purpose, I submit, is for the growth, change, etc. as mentioned above, of people (called out ones at this time and age) God is changing and making New so as to enter into His Kingdom/family/Government.
Yes, God saves and changes people into new creations fit and qualified to enter and live life in His Kingdom Family Realm.
As frail, faulty, limited beings it is only reasonable to fear hardship and our inability to pass the "test".
It is also therefore reasonable to complain ( I believe) when undergoing trials and tribulations - Jesus did at Gethsemane ("Take this cup from me"); Job did; as well as David and the 40 percent of Psalms that are Psalms of Lament.
Regards,
Peter Grach