Exodus 17:2

Give us water. On several occasions the people had murmured; now they complained bitterly. Since Moses had already given them flesh and bread to eat, the people may have naturally expected him to provide them with water as well. But their complaint reflected doubt rather than faith.

Tempt the Lord. The children of Israel “tempted” God by trying His patience, and aroused His holy anger by their continued want of faith and gratitude. The entire history of their desert wandering is one of provocation. The long-suffering of God with such a people, who “tempted and provoked the most high God” (Ps. 78:56), is amazing. They repeatedly “provoked him to anger with their inventions” (Ps. 106:29), “murmured in their tents” (Ps. 106:25), “provoked him at the sea” (Ps. 106:7), and “tempted God in the desert” (Ps. 106:14).