The Rock

The nation of Israel journeyed from Egypt to Canaan but often found themselves lacking food and water. On one occasion, they became so thirsty as they trekked through the desert that they became extremely anxious. Eventually, they became infuriated with Moses and demanded he give them water to quench their incredible thirst. The critical point of the story is their inability to maintain self-control in tough times and trust God. God had already provided water when they had none and food when they were hungry. They could have prayed to him and believed he would meet their need again, but they didn’t.

They sinned in three ways making the story relevant because we, too, have trouble trusting God to meet our needs. First, they demanded God’s provision immediately (Ex 17:2). The sin here is demanding God’s provision—not asking for it or waiting for it, but insisting on it. They were telling God that he had to give them what they wanted or else. Secondly, they denied God’s security (Exodus 17:3). They assumed the worse and began to predict a calamitous end for all of them. They quickly concluded that God had abandoned them and left them to die. All this pointed to their lack of trust. It does not follow logic that God would have sent the plagues and opened the Red Sea just to let his people die of thirst. Thirdly, they doubted that God was actually with them (Exodus 17:7). If only they had remembered what God had done for them.

God’s answer was to provide water for the people in the middle of the desert (Ex 17:6). He gave

instructions for Moses to strike a rock with his staff, and water would come out. God also promised to stand there before Moses at the rock. This was none other than an Old Testament theophany where Christ appeared in human history before the incarnation took place.

Moses moved toward the rock that God had pointed out. He is invigorated as he sees Christ standing near the rock. The Israelites trail Moses as he leads the thirsty Israelites to the rock. What an inspirational picture—let us lead this thirsty world to the rock, which is Christ Jesus. As Moses got closer to the rock, he could still hear the murmurings of the people behind him. However, his heart pounded with the assurance that God had spoken to him and that He would watch over his word to perform it. With every step, his faith grew stronger—just the sight of the rock-inspired him and of the presence of the Lord of Hosts standing there. Moses lifted his rod high in the view of all the Elders of Israel and then struck the rock. Suddenly, as if a giant gate had been opened—water burst forth from that rock. The sight of the life-giving water running in the hot sand was almost more than the mind could grasp. The water gushed out with force and moved throughout the whole assembly of Israel, forming a beautiful flowing stream. I envision laughter and delight as thousands drank and played in that fresh water.