Israel's Rock
Notes
Transcript
I. Introduction
I. Introduction
Today as we continue in our “Christ in the Old Testament” series, we start with a New Testament passage that recounts episodes in newly redeemed Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. They were fresh out of 400 years of Egyptian bondage and were in danger of recapture at the Red Sea, but God delivered them mightily from the hand of the Egyptians. The apostle Paul uses this experience, and others in the wilderness, to warn the Corinthian church to abstain from idolatry so that they would not incur God’s judgment on them as Israel did. This solemn warning not only shows continuity of Israel as the people of God in the Old Testament with Christians in the New Testament, but the apostle uses the Old Testament in a way that clearly shows the Old Testament as instructive for all Christians and that Christ undeniably was present in the Old Testament just as He is in the New.
Today as we continue in our “Christ in the Old Testament” series, we start with a New Testament passage that recounts episodes in newly redeemed Israel’s Exodus from Egypt. They were fresh out of 400 years of Egyptian bondage and were in danger of recapture at the Red Sea, but God delivered them mightily from the hand of the Egyptians. The apostle Paul uses this experience, and others in the wilderness, to warn the Corinthian church to abstain from idolatry so that they would not incur God’s judgment on them as Israel did. This solemn warning not only shows continuity of Israel as the people of God in the Old Testament with Christians in the New Testament, but the apostle uses the Old Testament in a way that clearly shows the Old Testament as instructive for all Christians and that Christ undeniably was present in the Old Testament just as He is in the New.
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.
7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”
8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.
9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,
10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
II. Examples of God’s salvation in the wilderness:
II. Examples of God’s salvation in the wilderness:
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
A. Under the cloud
A. Under the cloud
20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,
24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,
25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”
8 For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.” And he became their Savior.
B. Passed through the sea
B. Passed through the sea
C. Baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea
C. Baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea
III. Examples of God’s care in the wilderness:
III. Examples of God’s care in the wilderness:
A. They all ate the same spiritual food.
A. They all ate the same spiritual food.
3 and all ate the same spiritual food,
11 And the Lord said to Moses,
12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ”
13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.
14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.
15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.
B. They all drank the same spiritual drink.
B. They all drank the same spiritual drink.
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
C. They drank from the same spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
C. They drank from the same spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,
IV. With most of them, God was displeased.
IV. With most of them, God was displeased.
5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
A. They were overthrown
A. They were overthrown
B. They desired evil.
B. They desired evil.
V. Examples of Israel’s evil desires: (vs. 6-10)
V. Examples of Israel’s evil desires: (vs. 6-10)
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.
A. Idolators (v. 7)
A. Idolators (v. 7)
They sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
They sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
6 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
B. Sexual Immorality (v. 8)
B. Sexual Immorality (v. 8)
23,000 of them fell in a single day.
23,000 of them fell in a single day.
1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.
9 Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.
C. Putting Christ to the test (v. 9)
C. Putting Christ to the test (v. 9)
Some were destroyed by serpents.
Some were destroyed by serpents.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”
6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
D. Grumbling (v. 10)
D. Grumbling (v. 10)
Some were destroyed by the Destroyer.
Some were destroyed by the Destroyer.
2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
VI. Examples to Israel written down for our instruction!
VI. Examples to Israel written down for our instruction!
11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
VII. Take heed lest you fall.
VII. Take heed lest you fall.
12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Temptations are common to all men.
Temptations are common to all men.
A. God is faithful
A. God is faithful
B. God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability
B. God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability
C. God will provide the way of escape so that you can endure.
C. God will provide the way of escape so that you can endure.
Conclusion
Conclusion
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
1 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
2 May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.
3 For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God!
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.