read Exodus 17:1-7
from the artist | Carmelle Beaugelin (Wet Stones, conte
crayon, charcoal, acrylic, gold gild on paper)
On a recent search to remedy dull kitchen knives, I found
myself learning about wet stones. Sharpening a knife used to be called
"whetting," so to sharpen a blade was to "whet" it. Stones
used for sharpening were called “whetstones,” or a “wet rock." Natural
whetstones are typically formed of quartz, but today can be formed into pumice
stones from all kinds of materials. This interesting play on the words “wet”
and “stone” led me to ask of this Exodus narrative, “In focusing on their
perceived lack, how had the Hebrews' trust in God begun to dull?”
In Exodus 17 we find the first encounter involving the
Hebrews where a perceived lack of water, a necessary resource for survival, is
in question. When collective despair and the threat of abandoning the journey
to God’s promised land is aroused, God aids Moses in providing water from rocks
along the way. This fear of scarcity dulled the once sharpened faith of the
community to the extent that they longed for their former life in Egypt where
water was abundant but sipped under the oppression of slavery. How is it that
seeking freedom could cost so much?
Like the Hebrews in the wilderness, our fear of scarcity may
cause us to struggle in our confidence in God’s provision as we seek our own
promises along our life’s journey. In seeking to quench our thirst, like the
figures in this image, perhaps we may find the provision of God in the grace of
relief and from unexpected places that sharpen our faith.
*reprinted with permission from A Sanctified Art
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