This Psalm refers to a story found in Chapter 17 of the Book of Exodus. There the people griped that God had abandoned them.O that today you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts, as at Mer′ibah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work
In Chapter 16, God had just fed the people with manna in the wilderness. So, the people turned on God and Moses pretty quickly. “Massah” means ‘contention’ in Hebrew and “Meribah” means ‘testing’ or ‘proof’. Massah and Meribah was not the last time that the people turned on God.From the wilderness of Sin the whole Israelite community journeyed by stages, as the LORD directed, and encamped at Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink, and so they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to a test?” Here, then, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why then did you bring us up out of Egypt? To have us die of thirst with our children and our livestock? ” So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? A little more and they will stone me!” The LORD answered Moses: Go on ahead of the people, and take along with you some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the Nile. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Hereby. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink. Moses did this, in the sight of the elders of Israel. The place was named Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?” Ex. 17:1-7
Who needs God when everything is going great and your car engine starts in the morning. But pull away the supports to our sense of security and then our griping begins. Habakuk then hears the voice of the Lord:How long, O LORD? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and clamorous discord. Hab. 1:2-3
Seventy years after the destruction of Israel, the people of Jerusalem returned from captivity in Babylon. The New Testament quoted Habakuk in Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:38. Faith is lived in this world because it is rooted in the promise of God yet to be fulfilled.“For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” Hab. 2:2-4
First point of impossibility is uprooting a sycamore tree. The root system is extensive because it is a water hog. The second impossiblity is even more so, when Jesus said that if you had faith you can ‘plant it in the ocean’. Faith, the ability to see something through because of hope, unleashes tremendous power in our lives. In short, you could do the seemingly impossible, which is what Jesus does through most of his ministry, up to and including the Resurrection. So the point is that faith can do supernatural things. Faith can do things that are technically impossible, but it accomplishes these things through the power of God."If you have faith [i] the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.” Lk. Lk. 17:57
Jesus has been talking about pride and humility. The apostles were selected from out of the crowds and given a special place. They had been given the power to cast out demons and to heal. He taught them apart from the crowds. They were sent out on a special mission and returned saying, “Even the demons are subject to us.” Lk. 10:17. They left their families and homes and had been promised the kingdom. The purpose of this parable is to remind us of our dependence on God.“Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"