Water from the Rock
Notes
Transcript
I heard a story about a man who became a monk. At this monastery you could only speak once every five years. Essentially you took a vow of silence. The first five years passed and the monk was asked if he had anything he wanted to say. He said two words:
Food bad.
Five more years and he had two more words:
Bed Hard
Five more years passed, and he said:
I quit!
His superior replied “I’m not surprised, you’ve done nothing but complain since you got here.”
It seems like that is all Israel has done since the Lord saved them. Chapters 14, 15, 16, & 17 contain instances of the people of God complaining to God.
As I mentioned before, don’t be too hard on Israel. We do the same sort of things. The good news is these accounts are not just about Israel complaining. There is deep spiritual truth contained in the accounts. We saw that last week when we considered the manna and how it pointed to Christ. We will see this morning something very similar. In chapter 17 God gives Israel water from a rock.
1. They did not deserve the water (1-3).
A. They had no reason to doubt God would give them water.
God has promised to supply all our needs and water is a need.
God moves the people through the wilderness of Sin.
Not anything like our English word sin. In the area of the Sinai Penisula, near Mount Sinai. The word comes from that. It’s simply a geographic area.
“No water for the people” No surprise. They are in a desert.
Even though they were in a desert they had no reason to doubt God would give them water.
Look at verse 7. They tested the Lord by saying “Is the LORD among us or not?”
As if the only way they would know if the Lord was among them or not is if they got some water.
Are you kidding me? What else do they need to see?
The plagues in Egypt
The Red Sea Split
Bitter water made sweet
Quail
Bread from heaven
The truth is they were very similar to Pharaoh. Even though Pharaoh saw sign after sign he refused to believe the Lord.
We doubt because we forget.
Have we forgotten how many times:
God has fed us?
God has answered prayer for us?
God has made a way?
Are they in the desert? Yes!
Are they thirsty? Yes!
Is there no sign of water? There is no sign.
But they still have no reason to doubt! All of those things have happened before, and God came through.
B. They had no reason to quarrel with Moses.
Look at how they talk to Moses in verse 2.
“Quarreled” I would imagine Moses is getting tired of the quarreling.
Demanded- “Give us water to drink!”
They are harsh with Moses.
He asks two questions:
Why do you quarrel with me? Moses is not a magician. He can’t just make water appear.
Why do you test the Lord? God has given them a lot of grace. His patience could run out.
C. They had no reason to make accusations against Moses.
They charge Moses with a terrible sin: bringing them to the wilderness to die.
Moses didn’t bring them to this place. God brought them there. God knew there was no water when He brought them there.
Listen: You can trust God when you recognize He is the One who has brought you to the circumstances you are in.
Let’s think about the mistakes Israel made:
They did not pray.
They acted with a sense of entitlement- Give us!
They blamed Moses.
They tempted the Lord.
They needed water but they did not deserve it. They prayed and asked God to save them. He saved them. Now they had to live for Him. They didn’t like that too much.
God save me!
In this world you will have tribulation!
God save me!
All who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution!
God save me!
If they hated me, they will hate you!
God save me!
If anyone will follow me let them pick up their cross daily!
Friend if you are saved life will not be easy. We need to learn to pray like Job:
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Though He slay me yet will I trust in Him!
Shall we receive good at the hand of the Lord and shall we not receive evil?
God would give them the water but they did not deserve it.
2. They could not deny the miracle (4-7).
A. Moses prayed a pastoral prayer.
Note that he prays.
He didn’t fuss with the people- he prayed.
He didn’t quit on the people- he prayed.
He didn’t politic among the people- he prayed.
Look at the prayer.
What shall I do with this people? That’s a pastoral prayer if I ever heard one. If you are going into the ministry you ought to memorize that prayer!
“They are almost ready to stone me.”
This is a volatile situation. Things could quickly change. Mob violence could break out. He could be killed.
What do we learn about Moses from this prayer?
He is earnest- cried.
He is weak- What shall I do?
He is honest- They are almost ready to stone me.
What a great model for prayer!
Pray earnestly.
Pray in your weakness.
Pray honestly.
B. God had Moses gather witnesses.
In verse 5 he is instructed to gather some elders. Not everyone could travel to the rock. A select group of mature men were chosen to go with Moses to the rock of Horeb.
The miracle needs witnesses.
The people need to know Moses did not simply find a water source. God will get the glory for this. Moses is told to take the staff. This gives us a hint that something miraculous is going to happen.
C. God provided water from the rock.
Moses is told to strike the rock with his staff. When he does, water gushes out. Psalm 78:15-16 describes the event:
He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
He made streams come out of the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
Enough water to satisfy the nation came out. It flowed like a river. Imagine seeing that.
This was a miracle from God and they could not deny it.
3. They did not understand the significance of the miracle.
The New Testament is a commentary on the Old Testament. Listen to what 1 Corinthians 10 says about this event:
For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
Couple of things:
1) It was Christ who was leading them in the wilderness.
2) The Rock Moses struck symbolized Jesus Christ.
I’m going to answer the question: How did the rock symbolize Jesus?
A. It symbolized Christ in its strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2
Bang your head against a rock and see who is stronger!
B. It symbolized Christ in its endurance.
Isaiah 26:4 says:
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
You may outlive a tree. You won’t out live a rock!
C. He is exalted.
What is a mountain but a rock?
Psalm 61:2 says:
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I!
D. The striking of the rock symbolized the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
Everything else was milk. Now we get some meat.
The manna in chapter 16 symbolized the incarnation of Christ.
The striking of the rock in chapter 17 symbolized the crucifixion of Christ.
Jesus spoke of a water that would quench the thirst of every person. That water would only come if He went to the cross. Let’s look closely at our text.
“The staff with which you struck the Nile”
Not, split the Red Sea. Struck the Nile. It was the same staff but a different message. The waters of the Nile were struck as an act of judgment.
We already know the rock symbolizes Jesus.
I don’t think Moses knew this. He probably wouldn’t have struck it if He did.
Moses is to strike the rock with a rod of judgment.
For what purpose? To give the people a drink.
The giver of the Law (Moses) is to strike the rock so the people who broke the law can live.
We have a picture of the substitutionary atonement of Christ.
Isaiah 53:10 says it pleased the Lord to bruise Him.
God the Father struck God the Son on calvary.
Let me ask you a question. Why couldn’t Moses go to the Promised Land?
On an occasion like this one, but later, Moses is told to speak to the rock and water will come out. Instead, he struck it (Num. 20). God was harsh with him for that. Why was God so harsh? Obviously because he disobeyed.
If the striking of the rock symbolized the crucifixion of Jesus it even makes more sense. The Bible says Christ has been crucified once and should not be put to shame again (Hebrews 6:6).
God allowed Himself to be struck once, not twice!
If those Jews could only have understood what the striking of the rock symbolized. They received life giving water. One was coming who would allow Himself to be struck so the water of eternal life could freely flow.
When did the living water that brings our salvation begin to flow?
On calvary, when Christ was struck down!
We are like the Israelites.
We have sinned before God.
We have broken God’s law.
We have doubted God.
We have accused God.
Instead of allowing us to die God provided for us.
The Rock of our salvation allowed Himself to be struck.
He took upon Himself a body.
That body was beaten.
That body was bruised.
That body was bloodied.
Out of the Rock of our salvation flows living water.
In the words of Isaiah 55:
“Come, everyone who thirsts,
come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without price.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in rich food.
Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;