Meribah is mentioned several times in the Old Testament, referring to different places where the Israelites quarreled with God and put Him to the test. The root meaning of “Meribah” in Hebrew is “strife” or “contention.” Let’s explore the key passages that mention Meribah and understand their significance.
Meribah in Exodus 17
The first mention of Meribah is in Exodus 17 during the Israelites’ wilderness wanderings after the exodus from Egypt. The people were thirsty and grumbled against Moses, even questioning if God was with them (Exodus 17:7). God instructed Moses to strike a rock at Horeb and water gushed out to meet the people’s need. “He called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”” (Exodus 17:7).
This incident reveals the people’s lack of trust in God’s provision and presence with them, despite all they had witnessed of His power in delivering them from Egypt. God graciously met their need, but their quarreling and testing of God displeased Him. The name Meribah (“strife”) memorialized this sinful incident.
Meribah in Numbers 20
The second Meribah incident occurs almost 40 years later in Numbers 20. After Moses’ sister Miriam dies, there is no water for the congregation. They gather against Moses and Aaron and contend with them, wishing they had died when their brothers died before the Lord. God tells Moses to speak to the rock and water will flow out (Numbers 20:8). However, Moses strikes the rock twice with his staff, after rebuking the people. Water still flows out abundantly.
Although God met the people’s need, He is angered by Moses’ behavior, saying “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them” (Numbers 20:12).
Aaron also is barred from entering the Promised Land, because he was complicit in Moses’ sin. God named this place Meribah too “because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”” (Numbers 20:13). Their quarreling again revealed their lack of faith in God’s presence and provision.
Meribah in Psalm 95
Psalm 95:8-11 references Meribah and Massah as examples of how the Israelites tested and tried God, prompting His anger:
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.'”
The psalmist warns future generations not to repeat the sins of hardness of heart, testing God, quarrelling and distrust. The Meribah incidents are upheld as warnings of what displeases God and bars entrance to His rest.
Lessons from Meribah
What can we learn from the importance of Meribah in Scripture? Here are some key lessons:
1. God faithfully provides for His people’s needs, and we can trust Him. Both times at Meribah, despite the people’s sinful grumbling, God graciously brought forth water to meet their thirst.
2. Testing God by questioning His presence and power is displeasing to Him. The people quarreled at Meribah and unjustly accused God of abandoning them. We should beware of putting God to the test in our hearts when experiencing hardships.
3. God is patient, but persistent unbelief has serious consequences. The barring of Moses and Aaron from the Promised Land shows that ultimately, continued unbelief separates us from God’s blessings.
4. Remembering past failures helps prevent future ones. Psalm 95 reminds us of Meribah so God’s people can avoid making the same mistakes. Remembering how past generations sinned and faced God’s discipline should produce greater faith and obedience in us.
5. Jesus is the rock from which we drink the living water of salvation. As Paul says, the rock that provided water in the wilderness was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4). Those at Meribah drank physical water, but believers drink Christ’s spiritual water that gives eternal life (John 4:13-14).
In summary, Meribah stands as a permanent reminder in Scripture of the dangers of hard hearts, testing God, and quarreling against Him in distrust. As Hebrews 3:7-9 exhorts, we must listen to God’s voice and not harden our hearts as the Israelites did at Meribah. At the same time, Jesus provides the only true drink that can eternally quench our soul’s thirst.
Other Old Testament References to Meribah
Aside from the three major Meribah incidents highlighted above, there are a few other Old Testament references worth noting:
– Deuteronomy 33:8 – Moses blesses the tribe of Levi for remaining loyal to God at Massah and Meribah, when the people contended with Moses.
– Psalm 81:7 – Recalls God’s deliverance of Israel “out of Egypt” and says “In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” This seems to link poetically with the Meribah strife in Exodus 17.
– Jeremiah 9:12-13 – The Lord asks, “Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?” The answer: “The LORD said, ‘It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.'” This associates the ruin of the land with the same hard-heartedness and disobedience displayed at Meribah.
While these passages do not add significantly more detail, they reinforce the theme of Meribah as a portrayal of the dangers of rebellion, grumbling, and distrust of God. He wants His people to trust in His ever-present help and provision, not angrily contend with their leaders and question His power. Meribah stands as a permanent reminder of both the goodness of God in supplying needs, but also the severity of His discipline when His people persistently rebel.
Meribah Mentions in the New Testament
The New Testament contains a few references to Meribah, all quoting from or alluding to Psalm 95:
– Hebrews 3:7-11 – Quotes Psalm 95:7-11, including the warning not to harden our hearts as at Meribah, lest we fail to enter God’s rest.
– Hebrews 4:3, 5 – Refers to Psalm 95 (“As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest'”) and says those who hardened their hearts like the Exodus generation failed to enter God’s rest.
– 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 – Recalls how the Israelites in the wilderness drank from the spiritual rock (Christ), yet God was not pleased with many of them and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Paul warns, “these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did” (1 Cor. 10:6). The Meribah examples are sobering warnings for Christians.
– Acts 7:36 – Stephen briefly references Meribah in his speech, saying Moses led Israel out of Egypt and “in the wilderness forty years…performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the wilderness.”
So in the New Testament, Meribah is upheld as an Old Testament example that should inspire greater reverence and faithfulness in Christians, lest they also fail to enter God’s ultimate rest. The strife, grumbling, and testing of God at Meribah foreshadowed Israel’s further rebellion and wandering in the wilderness. Christians must learn from this and wholeheartedly trust and obey God.
Meribah and Massah Often Paired Together
Throughout Scripture, Meribah is often mentioned together with Massah. Massah means “testing”, referring how the Israelites tested God at Rephidim (Exodus 17) and Kadesh (Numbers 20). While Meribah emphasizes their quarrelling and contention, Massah refers specifically to the people testing or proving God. Together, these place names recall the Israelites’ demanding spirit, lack of faith, and rebellion against God’s appointed leaders. As examples of disobedience, Meribah and Massah serve as warnings for future generations not to repeat the mistakes of hardened hearts, bitter complaining, and testing God’s patience.
The Ultimate Significance of Meribah
In the big picture, what is the ultimate significance of Meribah in Scripture? Fundamentally, it highlights the stark contrast between faithlessness and wholehearted trust in God. The people doubted God’s presence and power to provide. But God remains abundantly able to supply all our needs – physically and spiritually. As Christians, we must learn from Meribah by turning from distrust and embrace full confidence in God’s faithful care and deliverance, even in hard places.
Meribah also points ultimately to our need for Christ, the rock from whom we must drink the living water of salvation (1 Cor. 10:4). The striking of the rock foreshadowed Christ being struck down at the cross, from which life-giving water – the Holy Spirit – now flows to quench our thirst eternally (John 4:14; 7:37-39). Believers must exalt Christ as the rock and reject the faithless grumbling of Meribah.
As Hebrews 3:12 exhorts, take care that there is not in any of you an “evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” Trust in the Lord always, lean not on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). For His faithful love endures forever. Don’t be like the wilderness generation who contended with God and failed to enter His rest through unbelief. Learn from Meribah, trust Christ your rock, and wholeheartedly follow Him all your days.