Previous
Chapter 16
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Exodus, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
God’s Identity and Power
Redemption and Deliverance
The Covenant
Mediators and the Priesthood
Summary
Analysis
From the wilderness of Sin, the Israelites venture onward, traveling by stages. At Rephidim, there is no water, and the people complain to Moses. They accuse him of bringing them out of Egypt to die of thirst. When Moses asks the LORD what he should do with these people, the LORD tells him to go ahead of the people, taking along his staff and some of the elders. When Moses strikes the rock at Horeb, water will gush out. Moses does so, and he calls the place Massah and Meribah because the people tested God and quarreled with him..
As the Israelites travel southeastward along the Sinai Peninsula, they complain to Moses for a third time. Despite God’s ongoing provision of food and water, the people still doubt that they’ll be adequately cared for. Exasperated with the people, Moses also needs reassurance that God will continue to be with him as he’s promised. The names Massah and Meribah mean testing and quarreling, respectively.
Themes
Amalek attacks Israel at Rephidim. Moses orders Joshua to choose some men and fight Amalek, while Moses stands on the hill with staff in hand. While Joshua fights Amalek, Moses, Aaron, and Hur overlook the battle. Whenever Moses holds up his hand, Israel is winning; whenever he lowers it, Amalek is winning. When Moses’s arms get tired, he sits on a stone while Aaron and Hur hold up his arms. Joshua defeats Amalek, and Moses builds an altar called “The LORD is my banner” in commemoration.
Besides learning to depend on God for basic daily survival, Israel also must learn to fight. The people of Amalek lived in the northern Sinai Peninsula. However, the battle’s outcome isn’t completely dependent on Israel’s strength—God fights through Moses. Though Moses’s direction of the battle further confirms his role as Israel’s leader, it also shows his human weakness. He’s not a superhuman figure, but must rely on God as his people do.
Themes
