So Moses cried to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
Moses does cry to the Lord, but his cry is tangled with complaint rather than shaped as true prayer; excessive turmoil of soul swept him away, so he frets more than he petitions. His words carry an angry edge, as though indignation had struck him down under a burden he would cast off if God would permit. If the Lord delays help even briefly, the people's fury will not stop short of stoning him.
AI summary
We may walk in the way of duty and still meet troubles; God brings us into straits to test our faith and be glorified in our relief. Their violent thirst made them outrageous, and they demanded water from Moses as a debt, forgetting that former favors ought to humble the unbelieving rather than embolden them to insist on more.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 17:1-7
Moses cried unto the Lord in his distress, and rightly so; it was his constant refuge in trouble, and it showed faith in God's power and goodness. His question, what shall I do?, confessed his own inability and called for God to act swiftly. He had just cause to fear stoning; if relief tarried at all, an enraged mob in that stony place would certainly take up stones against him.
AI summary