Water From the Rock

Can you imagine being the leader of a grumbling, quarrelsome people? What if their basic needs weren't being met and they decided it might be better to stone you to death? That is where we find Moses in Exodus 17. He decided to take the Israelite's complaints of "lack" to the Lord and the Lord proceeded to tell Moses exactly how to proceed.

God tells him that He will stand before him (Moses) on the rock at Horeb. Here, Moses is to strike the rock and water shall come out of it and the people can then drink.

God seems strange sometimes, doesn't He?

Everything He does points to His glory and the future glory of Christ, the glory of His Son that would be further disclosed in the New Testament. We grew up singing "Rock of Ages" in our little church. There are many bible verses that reference God as our rock. Just one is Deuteronomy 4a: "The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice."

So, when God tells Moses that He is standing on the rock, Moses is to assume that God's very presence is all over that rock, and in essence, Moses is to strike God Himself in order to have water flow.

Is something in your mind saying, "this seems familiar???" The Holy Spirit helped me make sense of the this the other day and I am so blessed! I believe God was foreshadowing what would happen to His Son, Jesus Christ. He would be struck, and living water would then flow freely to all who would receive.

But, God was serious about His Son's sacrifice being a once and for all kind of deal. So, when Moses finds himself in a similar situation in Numbers 20, God gives different instructions. He tells Moses to speak to the rock in order for it to yield its water. Whether Moses was angry or not listening very carefully, He disobeyed God's instructions. He struck the rock with his staff twice.

God didn't like that.

God told him he would no longer be the one to lead his people into the promised land.

Why is striking the rock a second time such a big deal? To God, it meant that there was no belief in the Resurrected Christ...only the Crucified Christ.

Because of grace, we only need to speak to the rock in order to receive blessings. The New Testament is quite clear that Jesus is the rock, as well. 1 Corinthians 10:4 says, "and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ."

This all makes the story of the Samaritan woman at the well that much more interesting. Jesus tells her that "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'give me a drink.' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.' (John 4)

The Rock is Christ and He possesses living water that will take away all of our thirsts. All we have to do is speak.

Do we thank God for redemption but refuse to live in regeneration?