"Is the LORD among us or not?" I wonder how many times that
question has been asked through the centuries. Wars, tsunamis,
plagues, genocides, probably two weeks ago at Northern Illinois
University. In Elie Wiesel's book Night, (1) he tells the story of
his experience as a prisoner in the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz.
One day when the prisoners came back from the work detail, they
saw three gallows rearing up in the assembly place. Three
victims in chains were waiting, one of them a sad-eyed youth of
about 14 or 15. The SS seemed more disturbed than usual, for to
hang a boy in front of thousands of spectators was no light
matter. The prisoners were stood on rickety chairs, nooses were
placed around the three necks. `Long live liberty,' cried the
two adults. But the boy was silent.
Wiesel said, "Someone behind me asked, `Where is God? Where
is He?'"
The story in our text is the third in a series of complaints
the newly delivered Hebrews bring to their leader Moses.
Pharaoh's army was practically still sinking into the sea when
the people stopped singing God's praises and began bemoaning
their hard circumstances instead. When drinking water grew
scarce in the wilderness and what water they found turned out to
be "bitter" and undrinkable, the people immediately turned on
Moses, crying "What shall we drink?" (2) Moses went directly to the
Lord for an answer, and Yahweh provided the means for making the
water sweet.
The second confrontation came shortly thereafter. Israel
found itself traversing the hard land of Sin (which is a place,
not an activity) located between Elim and Sinai - roughly the
"middle of nowhere." This time the Hebrews complained to Moses
that they were starving, not thirsty, and would surely die a
miserable death if something were not done. Their mood was so
mean-spirited that they sarcastically wished they had died "fat
and happy" as slaves in Egypt. God's solution was the gift of
morning manna and evening meat (quail) (3) which stopped the
complaints for a while by stuffing the complaining mouths of the
Israelites with more food than they could possibly consume.
Now we have this third confrontation and the subject is
water again. No doubt, finding good drinking water for this
large number of people was a continuing challenge, but the text
makes it clear that the direction and duration of this journey
was being established by none other than the Lord. Still, when
no water is found at the campsite of Rephidim, the people once
again demand that Moses do something about it. They berate him
loudly for ever bringing them into this wilderness to die.
By the way, if you have ever thought it might be fun to lead
a group of religious folk, Moses' petition here is instructive.
It is very often not very fulfilling. "What am I to do with
these people? They are almost ready to stone me." (For what it
is worth, lots of pastors know that feeling.) God's response is
to have Moses get out of there, take a few of the wiser, calmer
"elders of Israel" with him, take the same staff he had used in
Egypt to strike the Nile and turn its waters into blood and use
it to strike a certain rock from which fresh, pure water will
begin to flow. TA-DA!!!
After Moses carries out his instructions and the miracle
comes as promised, Exodus records the name of this place as
Massah (test) and Meribah (quarrel) as a testament to the
Israelites' mutinous behavior. The miracle was the divine
response to the question, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
The question echoes down through the centuries almost every
time tragedy strikes, whether it be huge enough to make
international headlines or small enough to be intensely private
and personal. The Jews had an ancient saying: "Where Messiah is,
there is no misery." But then came Jesus, the one we are
convinced is the Messiah, and the saying is changed to: "Where
misery is, there is the Messiah." Follow Jesus around and note
where he went and with whom he spent his time; see his
compassion, a word which means "to suffer with." The
cross of Christ is the sign and the assurance that the God who
made the world still loves the world and, in that love, groans
and grieves with the world as well. As the hymnwriter has it,
and when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow's iron rod,
then they find that self-same aching
deep within the heart of God. (4)
To finish that story of Elie Wiesel from the concentration
camp, as the prisoners watched the executions about to take place
with someone angrily whispering the question, "Where is God?
Where is He?'" At the signal from the commandant, the chairs
were tipped over and there was total silence throughout the camp.
On the horizon, the sun was setting. Many of the prisoners in
the crowd were weeping. In a few moments they were marched past
the gallows. The two adults were dead, but the third rope was
still moving. Being so light, the young boy was still alive.
For more than half an hour he stayed there, struggling between
life and death. The prisoners had to stay and watch, not allowed
to turn away, looking at him full in the face.
Behind Wiesel the same voice came again...the same question
again: "Where is God now? Where is He?"
And Elie Wiesel quietly replied, "There he is. He is
hanging on those gallows." Where misery is, there is the
Messiah.
On millions of printed plaques, colorful posters and wall-hangings around the English-speaking world is found a modern
parable which for some might have become trite in its repetition,
but resonates deeply with those who find themselves in the midst
of a dark night of the soul. You will recognize it.
One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with
the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the
sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other
times there was only one. This bothered me because I
noted that during the low periods of my life when I was
suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see
only one set of footprints. So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me, Lord, that if I followed You, You
would walk with me always, but I noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life there has been only
one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed
You most, have You not been there?"
The Lord replied, "The times when you have seen only
one set of footprints, my child, was when I was
carrying you." (5)
"Is the Lord among us?" Where is God? You can answer that
as you come to his Table.
Amen!
1. New York, Hill and Wang, 1960
2. Exodus 15:22-25
3. Exodus 16
4. Timothy Rees, "God Is Love, Let Heaven Adore Him," 1942
5. Mary Stevenson, "Footprints in the Sand," Copyright © 1984 from original 1936 text
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