出埃及記17:1-7

17:1 以色列全會眾都遵耶和華的吩咐，按著站口從汛的曠野往前行，在利非訂安營。百姓沒有水喝，
17:2 所以與摩西爭鬧，說：「給我們水喝吧！」摩西對他們說：「你們為甚麼與我爭鬧？為甚麼試探耶和華呢？」
17:3 百姓在那裡甚渴，要喝水，就向摩西發怨言，說：「你為甚麼將我們從埃及領出來，使我們和我們的兒女並牲畜都渴死呢？」
17:4 摩西就呼求耶和華說：「我向這百姓怎樣行呢？他們幾乎要拿石頭打死我。」
17:5 耶和華對摩西說：「你手裡拿著你先前擊打河水的杖，帶領以色列的幾個長老，從百姓面前走過去。
17:6 我必在何烈的磐石那裡，站在你面前。你要擊打磐石，從磐石裡必有水流出來，使百姓可以喝。」摩西就在以色列的長老眼前這樣行了。
17:7 他給那地方起名叫瑪撒（就是試探的意思），又叫米利巴（就是爭鬧的意思）；因以色列人爭鬧，又因他們試探耶和華，說：「耶和華是在我們中間不是？」

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”
³ But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
⁵ The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ And he called the place Massah^[a] and Meribah^[b] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

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    以生活需要為重的人，遇到沒有水可喝，沒有東西可以吃，他們的反應當然是爭鬧與發怨言；而不是大家一起來禱告，求主賞賜水源和糧食！

    當然我們不能批判摩西沒有牧養好這一群百姓，以致於他們只知道爭鬧，不知道要仰望上帝！牧者再怎樣屬靈或優秀，也不是馬上可以把一群剛被拯救的人教導得很好！這也是今日牧者在教會要面對的問題，每一位在教會出入的人，生命程度、信仰表現不盡相同，需要照每個人的程度和方式來引導，不是一年或兩年馬上可以看見成果的！

    願上帝的家中，有循循善意的良牧，使每個弟兄姊妹學習仰望上帝，而不是爭鬧與發怨言，這是上帝安排牧者的重要意義！