Christ in all the scriptures Exodus 17 The Smitten Rock

 Christ in all the scriptures

Exodus 17

Water from the Rock

The children of Israel journeyed on, as the Lord had directed them, (three days journey into the wilderness-Exodus 3v18; 8v27), and they came to Rephidim, a haven of rest, (literally "reclining places").  However there was no water, so they have moved from one place with bitter water to one with no water.  The murmuring spread throughout the camp, and they blamed Moses, accusing him of genocide.  Such was the vitriol, they even questioned if the Lord was with them at all-v7, and Moses was in fear of His life; all this in the face of their miraculous deliverance.

God answered them by performing another miracle, the like of which had never been seen.  "Go on before the people and take with thee the elders of Israel; and thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand and go."

They were directed to Horeb, a place well known to Moses, when he kept the sheep in the desert.  This is thought to be a distance of 25km. and Moses went with the elders before the people, at the command of God, with the words of the Lord ringing in his ears, "Behold, I will stand before the there upon the rod in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.  And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel." What did he do?  He struck the rock at Horeb, and the smitten rock poured out water for the people to drink.  Fresh drinking water gushed from Horeb to satisfy their thirst, and the murmuring was quelled.  Yet another demonstration of Divine, Sovereign power.  The wonder of it is that Horeb means "desert", so God provided rivers of water from a dry desert., out of a flinty rock.  Horeb first appears in Exodus 3v1, the site of the burning bush, called the mountain of God, from whence He sent Moses to deliver Israel.  Another astonishing Divine miracle in response to their murmuring.   Surely our faith in God is tested with this.  How much do we really trust Him?  

The rock had to be smitten by the rod of Moses.  The New Testament interprets-1st Corinthians 3v4 "And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."  He was smitten by the rod of God.

Thus the title Rock is a title of Deity, and we can explore its meaning to understand more of the nature of our God.  Jehovah is "The fountain of living waters..."-Jeremiah 2v13.  The subject of thirst in the bible is too large to handle here, but the human soul, created by God cannot be satisfied with anything less than God, all other fountains are "broken cisterns.  So we learn that Christ is not only the Saviour of His people, He is the Satisfaction of His people, He is the fountain from whom we can drink forever.  He is the Rock that was smitten to provide living water for us.  When Moses wanted to see the glory of God, he had to stand in the cleft of the rock-Exodus 33v21-22.  In the cleft of the rock, we can see the glory, the excellency, the majesty of our God.  In the place where the rock was smitten is the way to experience all the goodness of Almighty God-Exodus 33v19. 

The imagery of Christ as the Rock is a fabulous study.  From the narrative we know that this rock was a mountain, part of which was split to enable gushing springs of water.  We are well accustomed to people saying, "he is my rock"..."she is my rock", especially in times of illness or despair, or even death.  We know exactly what they mean that someone has a stabilising effect on them in an unstable world.  A rock is a foundation that cannot be moved on which we can build for future security, and certainty.  Christ is our Rock-He is the Rock of Israel, as seen in the sevenfold reference to the rock in Deuteronomy 32v4, v13, v15, v18, v30, v31 v37.  He is the Rock of the Church-Matthew 16v18, "...upon this rock (petra-mass of rock) I  will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." He is the Rock of the individual, Psalm 18v2 "The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."

 As the Rock He is eternal, by reason of the eternity of His being (Psalm 90v2).

As the Rock He is immutable, He never changes,  (Hebrews 13v8; James 1v17)

A the Rock He is invincible, by reason of His omnipotent power (Daniel 4v35)

As the Rock He is dependable, all who trust in Him will never be disappointed (Romans 10v11)

As the Rock He is foundational, everyone rests on Him; Israel-Isaiah 28v16; The Church-1st Corinthians 3v11, Ephesians 2v20; Individuals-2nd Timothy 2v11, Deuteronomy 32v4; Isaiah 54v11.

As the Rock He is impregnable-Matthew 16v18; Ephesians 2v21-22; 1st Corinthians 15v28

Deuteronomy 32v4 is the first mention of God as the Rock.  We can do no more than quote this unique verse, for it requires more in depth study.  There is no other equivalent verse in scripture which combines all the words for uprightness, integrity, sincerity, equity, and reliability, to describe the character of God.  |"He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is He."

He is our Refuge, He is our Rock, He is our Redeemer from whom all blessings flow.