Water from the Rock
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Introduction
Today is our communion service, but we’re continuing in our series on Moses…and some of you might wonder why.
Why would we continue on our series on Moses and not stop to focus on Jesus at the communion service?
Well, that will become clear soon enough, because I think you’ve been listening to my sermons long enough - at least I HOPE you’ve been listening - and if you have been listening, you’ll come to expect me to bring everything back round to Jesus at some point in the sermon.
And there’s a reason for that - because if I don’t bring everything back to Jesus then the service isn’t a Christian service - because Christ is the one whom we worship and serve and love and follow…so it must all find it’s endpoint with Jesus.
And, as you know, the Old Testament points forward to Jesus in every page - in fact, every page of the bible is either directly referring to or is pointing to Jesus.
And last week we saw how Jesus was the REAL manna - the REAL bread from heaven.
[Jesus is the real bread from heaven]
And while the Israelites ate the manna in the wilderness and died, we saw that anyone who feeds off the REAL bread of heaven - Jesus Christ - will find life and life everlasting.
We saw how Jesus is enough for us each and ever day, and how he is our sabbath rest…how we find rest in Jesus - perfect rest from all our striving and working and trying to get right with God - it all stops when we put our faith in Jesus.
But there was also another current flowing in the background last week…because last week, when looking at the bread from heaven, there were quite obvious links to the Lord’s Supper.
I mean, it doesn’t take much to link the manna in the wilderness - the bread from heaven, to the REAL bread from heaven - Jesus…and it doesn’t take much to go from that to the bread that Jesus broke at the passover meal saying, ‘this is my body broken for you.’
And in today’s passage, we see more of that...
Pause
Today is the story of Moses striking the rock and water flowing from it. And the point of the whole event is given at the end of the section, in verse 7...
7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Israelites grumbled against Moses - AGAIN - and tested the Lord, essentially saying, ‘where are you God? - Are you among us or not?’
And you may remember, I’ve mentioned it a few times, that that’s one of the themes of the book of Exodus - the fact that God appears to be nowhere at the start, and he moves closer and closer to his people as we move through the book.
He comes DOWN to rescue them, he’s present in the plagues, he’s present in the pillar of cloud and smoke and, at the end of the book, he comes down in the cloud and dwells in the tabernacle.
And there is a movement of God coming closer and closer to his people - dwelling WITH them - through the book. I don’t really need to say that again.
Pause
And at this point in the passage, the Israelites are parched - there is no water, so they grumble to Moses about it, who incidentally says, ‘if you’re grumbling at me, you’re really grumbling against the Lord, since I’m his servant and his mouthpiece.’
But God gives in to their grumbling and provides water.
Now, notice how this happens…let’s read that section together...
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Moses is commanded to go out IN FRONT of the people - not away from them. He is to go in front of them.
He is to take the staff through which God said he would amazing things, and he is to strike the rock with the staff and water would come out.
And you can see that on the screen in front of you.
But did you notice what I left out…it almost seems inconsequential, but it’s extremely important...
Look at the text highlighted....
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
I WILL STAND THERE BEFORE YOU BY THE ROCK.
Which means that when Moses strikes the rock to bring forth water, he is striking God at the same time. God is being struck, and as a result, water gushes forth.
And of course, the significance of water is that it gives life. Without water there would be no life. And in this context, water is always associated with life. These guys would DIE without water - and so the Lord provides them life-giving water.
And their thirst is quenched....for a while.
Pause
Now, how does this passage point to Jesus?
Well, actually, Jesus IS in this passage. Because, let’s not forget that Jesus existed BEFORE Christmas 2000 years ago.
We can often slip into thinking that Jesus came into existance at the incarnation - at Christmas. Sure, that’s when Jesus came to earth, that’s when Jesus took on bodily form, that’s when he became human and emptied himself…
...but BEFORE Christmas 2000 years ago, Jesus IS. Because Jesus IS God, Yahweh - the great I AM.
And so it is Jesus who is standing by that rock, getting struck by Moses. In fact, Paul says the same thing in 1 Corinthians...
1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Now, look at verses 3 and 4 - the Jewish ancestors, the Israelites, ate the same spiritual food - the manna in the wilderness - the bread from heaven....
They drank the same spiritual water - the water from the rock…and, oh looky here…the rock that provided that life-giving water was none-other than Jesus Christ himself.
Pause
So what does that mean? Was Jesus the actual ROCK?
NO, but who was by the rock? Who did Moses strike with the staff? It was Yahweh - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In other words, what Paul is saying is that Jesus was present on that rock when Moses struck it.
The rock didn’t have water in it. There was nothing special about the rock - the special thing was that it was God himself who brought life-giving water from the rock.
Moses stuck the rock, but because the Lord was standing before the rock, Moses struck the Lord, and it was the Lord who provided that life-giving water for HIS PEOPLE, having been struck by Moses.
Pause
Now if we go to John 4, we can see Jesus telling a woman by a well the very same thing...
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
And the term living water means fast flowing - gushing water…like that water that came from the rock.
And Jesus continues...
14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
This event in Exodus is pointing forward, once again to Jesus - the giver of life…the one who gives water - that life-giving spring, that substance that we can’t live without - Jesus gives it to us in abundance. In fact, Jesus said...
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Pause
Now, fast-forward into Jesus life, and as he is hanging on the cross dead, a soldier strikes Jesus in his side with his spear.
Out of his slide flows blood and water. Blood, which the Jews believed contains life, and water, which GIVES life…symbolising the fact that Jesus gave up HIS life in order that we might HAVE life.
Jesus gave US life by giving up HIS life.
And that’s what we celebrate this evening at the communion service - that Jesus is God’s provision for us, like God provided for his people in the wilderness...
Just like God provided bread from heaven and water from the rock - the spiritual food and spiritual water - to sustain life for his people in the wilderness…God provided for US, bread from heaven - spiritual food, and life-giving water in the form of Jesus Christ, but not to sustain life - to GIVE life...eternal life.
Because those who ate the manna died, those who drank from that water from the rock still died…They were satisfied, for a while, but they got hungry and thirsty again.
But whoever eats from the bread of heaven and drinks from the life-giving fountain of Jesus will NEVER die. They will NEVER go hungry and they will never thirst again. And that’s what we celebrate this evening as we take communion together.
Pause
7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
So where is God now? Is the Lord among is or not?
Well, as the Old Testament unfolds, we see that God is coming down to be closer with us that he ever was before…and that happens in Jesus Christ.
Because in Jesus we have Emmanuel - God WITH us, living with us, eating with us, drinking with us…communing with his people while he was on earth.
In Jesus we have Emmanuel - God WITH us, standing WITH us, being struck FOR us.
In Jesus we have the one whose body was bruised and broken, whose blood was shed to bring us closer to God than we could ever bring ourselves.
And the act of the Lord’s Supper is called COMMUNION - because we commune with God. We SHARE WITH God.
We commune with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus - the great I AM, who ALWAYS IS…who always IS with us, who always IS loving us, who always IS forgiving us, who always IS gracious to us.
So where is God? Is the Lord among us or not?
You bet your life he is…he’s right here with us right now…and because of our faith in Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit in us…dwelling IN us always.
Pause
So when we take this bread and drink this wine, we are communing with Jesus who died for us, who was broken for us, whose blood was shed for us…and we commune with Jesus who sustains us, who brings US life through the giving up of HIS life.
And if you’re wondering, in your current life context, where is God? Is the Lord among us or not? If you’re in a place and if you’re honest with yourself, you’re feeling alone, abandoned, betrayed perhaps… remember that Jesus is the great I AM - who always IS…always is with you, always is loving you, always is beside you.
Maybe it’s time to commit all of these feelings to him. God hasn’t gone anywhere - in fact...
If God feels distant, who’s moved?
Take this time tonight to restore that communion with the Lord as you take the bread and drink the wine. Let Jesus fill you with living water and bring you that life-giving Spirit, restoring your communion with him.
Let Jesus nourish you Spiritually tonight - let him satisfy you tonight. Find rest in him tonight.
Pause
Jesus IS that rock that was struck in order to give us life-giving water - LIVING water, a spring of water that wells up to eternal life.
He sustains us, he nourishes us forever so that we will never hunger or thirst again - and it’s all thanks to the fact that Jesus was struck for us.
And that’s what we remember when we eat the bread and drink the wine…because it was about Jesus all along.
It always is…it always WILL be.
So we do this for his glory, in remembrance of him.
Let’s pray.