WATER FROM THE ROCK

After victoriously crossing the Red Sea, the nation of emancipated slaves, trekked into the vast desert of the Sinai Peninsula. An estimated two-million people and their flocks and herds required a lot of water … something the dusty, dry desert was lacking.

God provides!

When the thirsty pilgrims complained, God instructed Moses to “go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water will come out of it and the people will drink”(Exodus 17:5–6). As the amazed nation watch, Moses struck the boulder with his walking stick. Crack! The great rock broke open, and immediately a well of water gushed forth.

The Apostle Paul makes the connection to Jesus. “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1–4). Jesus is the Rock!

So, consider the parallels.

The rock was broken, providing life-giving water.

Jesus was broken at the cross, providing salvation to all who believe.

Without the water the Hebrews would certainly have perished.

Without Jesus, mankind is destined to die eternally.

The Hebrews didn’t purchase or earn the water.

Salvation isn’t earned but is given freely by grace.

Speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well or Sychar, Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life” (John 4:13–14).

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).