Water from the Rock

Reference

Exodus 17:1-7

The passage in view this morning is about Israel, it’s about their sin, their grumbling, their complaining, and yet it’s also about how God, despite His people, graciously provides for them…this time through Moses striking a rock and water flowing out. All this is there to see today.

But there is more to see in this passage. The passage in view this morning is ultimately about Jesus Christ. I say that on one hand because I believe the whole Bible is about Jesus, that He is the main character, and that every law, every principle, and every story ultimately reveals Christ to us. We’ve seen so much of this in Exodus so far.[1] We see Jesus in the birth of Moses, the baby born in danger to be the savior of God’s people. We see Jesus at the burning Bush, as Moses encounters the Lord who says His name is I AM, the very same name Jesus takes onto Himself in His ministry. We see Jesus in all the signs, the wonders, the plagues, especially the final plagues of darkness and the death of the first born, which reminds us of Jesus dark’ death on the cross where God gave His firstborn Son for us. We see Jesus as the Fount of living water which nourishes the soul when the bitter waters of Marah turned sweet. And we see Jesus as the bread of life in the manna come down from heaven.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “C’mon pastor, is Jesus really in all these passages? Aren’t you just playing fast and loose with the text, and doing a kind of Jesus-juke because you think He should be in every passage?” Well, some do indeed play fast and loose with the Bible, and some do indeed force Jesus into places where He is not. Even so, the truth remains, Christ is the end of all Scripture. Listen to what Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:1-4, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink… (hear it Church!)…For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.”

Clearly, when Paul read Exodus 17 and learned how God provided water from the rock in the wilderness he believed the rock was Christ. How could he make such a statement? How did he arrive at such a conclusion? Those are great questions, and to arrive at good answers we need to examine this passage with care. So, let’s turn to it now.

A Sinful People (v1-3)

“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. 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?” 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?”

As chapter 17 begins we see Israel on the move once again. This time they’re heading toward a place called Rephidim. In all their movement in and around the wilderness we must remember that they’re not leading themselves, and that Moses isn’t even leading them in the direction he thinks is best, no. God is leading them. Through the pillar of cloud and fire God is leading them. His very presence is with them, in every step, every mile, whether pleasing or painful for them, God is the One guiding them.

We need to remember this because once they arrive at Rephidim, they encounter another severe trial. Which means, God has once again led His people into another test. This is now the third time He has done this after the Red Sea. You’d think they would remember this, that if God led them here that He’ll care for them here, that they have never lacked what they needed as they followed Him.

We see the trial in v1b, they “…camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” We’ve seen something like this before haven’t we? In chapter 15, directly after they praise God for the victory at the Red Sea God leads the people to a place called Marah, where they also encountered a problem with water. The difference between that moment in chapter 15 at Marah and this moment in chapter 17 at Rephidim is that at Marah there was water but it was undrinkable because of how putrid it was, here in Rephidim there is no water at all. That makes this is a bigger problem. Back then there was water and God made it drinkable for them, here it seems God will have to create water like He created the world, ex nihilo, or from nothing.[2]

Having faced dire thirst like before Israel should’ve known what to do. They should’ve gotten together, reminded one another of God’s past provision, prayed asking Him to provide again, and waited for God to answer. That’s what they should’ve done. And more so, they should’ve remembered what they all did that very morning. All Israel rose and went out to gather manna, and each family gathered exactly what they needed for that day. This should’ve been a reminder of God’s great care for them.[3] But was it? No. What do they do? v2-3 says they thirsted for water, quarreled with, and grumbled against Moses. In this Israel sins in three ways.[4]

First, Israel demands God’s provision. In v2 they make a demand to Moses, “Give us water to drink.” By doing this they were telling Moses that he had to give them what they wanted, or else. They made this demand of Moses, as if he could do it for them when he can’t. He doesn’t have that power, he’s just as thirsty as they are. Moses rightly responds with some words of his own in v3 telling them that by making such a demand of him, they’re in truth putting the Lord to the test, that their problem is with God not with him. But to them, God has not provided, so they demand provision as they see fit.

Second, Israel denies God’s protection. In v3 the people bite back at Moses saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” By doing this they were assuming the worst, that Moses wasn’t just against them, but out to murder them. That Moses intentionally led them to Rephidim to kill them, when, all along it was God who had led them there by the pillar. All they had to was look up to be reminded of that. But in their anger and fear they don’t want to look up, instead they choose to attack Moses and accuse him of being the root of all their woes. In this they deny God’s protection.

Third, Israel doubts God’s presence. In v7 we get one more detail of their complaint. There we read, “…they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” By doing this took their sin to another level. Apparently to them, if they didn’t have everything they wanted and desired it meant God was no longer with him. To them God’s presence meant blessing, all the time, in every way they desired. v7 is clear, by doubting God in this way Israel was testing the Lord. This is a reversal of sorts. At the waters of Marah God tested them. With the manna from heaven God tested them. Now here at Rephidim God was testing them. But it seems Israel decided to turn the table in their own shocking arrogance and put God to the test.

Pause right here. This is us Church, isn’t it? When we come into a trial or a test from God and feel the anxiety and worry and fear rise within, what do we do? We also demand God to provide, ignoring how He already has. We deny God’s protection, assuming the worst of Him and everyone else around else too. And we doubt God presence, believing that God has abandoned us, because surely such a severe trial means God is no longer with us, right?

Church, this is us. And it all reveals much about our hearts. Our dissatisfaction with our present condition reveals our discontent with God. Don’t mishear me. It’s never wrong to take our cares and worries and concerns to God, not at all. But it’s always wrong to openly revolt against God by turning our cares and worries and concerns into grumbling and complaining like Israel does here. Psalm 106:13 says Israel forgot God’s great works and tested God in the wilderness. There’s the problem. They had a kind of amnesia. If they were to simply pause and remember all that God had done for them the only thing that would be unbelievable is their current unbelief! The same is true of us! Far too often we suffer from spiritual amnesia, forgetting the past mercies of God, believing the worst about God as we feel our suffering rise…while all along, He’s always with us.

Church, here we learn a great principle that really can help us in times of fear and need and trial. We must become better rememberers. If forgetting, if spiritual amnesia is the problem, we must fight to rehearse, recount, and remember. Remember what? We must fight to remember who God is, what God is done, and what God says to us in His Word. If we do this, fear will be driven out by faith, concerns will be driven out by contentedness, and our revolt against the Lord will be driven out by rest in the Lord. Isn’t this what you want for yourself? Don’t you want to trust the Lord greater and rest in His care deeper? Then we must set ourselves to remember the Lord in all of life. Remembering His past mercies to us strengthen us, not only in our present need, but in all the need yet to come.

A Satisfied People (v4-7)

“So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 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. 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. 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?”

Curious to hear the words Moses prays, right? “What shall I do with this people?” Eventually every congregation grumbles against their leader and every leader eventually ends up praying these words to God about the people. But what’s going on in Moses here? It seems that the peoples grumbling is contagious, and that Moses has caught it and begins grumbling about his woes as a leader.[5] He feels the pressure, for sure, to such an extent that he believes the people are about to kill him for what’s going on. So not only is Moses thirsty along with the people, but now he’s fearing for his life. This is not good. Israel thinks Moses is trying to kill them, and now Moses thinks Israel is going to kill him. Thirst abounds and what happens? Everyone believes they’ll soon die at the hands of one another.

Into his own fears and concerns look at what God does. He tells Moses to do three things.[6] First, God tells Moses to “pass on before the people…” Why? This is similar language as to how the pillar of cloud and fire is described. As it passed on before the people to lead them through the wilderness, so now Moses is to pass on before the people to lead them out of their grumbling. Perhaps Moses even feared this, for these were the people who were raging mad at him, yet Moses would have to walk before them and lead them still. What a picture of Christ this is, of God’s chosen man (Moses here and Christ later on) walking on before a raging mob to love and care and provide for this mob.

Second, God tells Moses to take some of the elders of the people with him. These trusted leaders among God’s people will one day help Moses lead, and here they’re with him, showing the people that Moses doesn’t now and will never lead the people alone.

And third, God tells Moses to take his staff with him, the very one used to strike the Nile. Why do this? I think God intends to make a contrast. The very staff that had struck the Nile depriving Egypt of water, is now going to strike a rock and providing Israel with water.

So off Moses goes. But where does he go? v6 says he is to go to a rock at Horeb. Back in chapter 3 we learned that Horeb is another name for Mt. Sinai, so either Israel already at Sinai, or they might be almost there. We don’t know where exactly this took place, what rock is in view, or how close it was to the actual place where they would soon receive the Law, but it’s not that far away.

Moses goes to Horeb, to a rock that God was standing on[7] (what did that look like?) and he then struck the rock, and God caused water to flow out for the people. Psalm 105:41 describes this moment saying, “God opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.” What a moment! God’s sinful people are now satisfied as they drink freely.

Though this was another instance of miraculous provision, the sins of Israel lingered in the people’s memories for generations, because this location is given two names: Massah and Meribah, or, testing and quarreling.

Conclusion:

At this point, come back to what Paul says in 1 Cor. 10, “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers…they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (v1, 4).

Let’s ask two questions:

Question 1: how is this rock, Christ?

The best answer is that this whole scene shows how God Himself in the Person of His Son would embrace the blow of His own justice so that out of Him would flow life for His people.[8] This is how the rock was Christ! Christ, like the rock, was struck with divine judgment on the cross. Bearing the curse of our sin, God struck His Son with a rod of wrath. “… pierced for our transgressions…crushed for our iniquities…by his wounds we are healed.” And what resulted? As the rock was struck and released streams in the desert, so too Christ was struck an out flowed the water of life. This is why Jesus came saying in John 4, “…whoever drinks of the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” This is why He said in John 6, “…whoever believes in Me will never thirst.” And this is what He said in John 7, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

So, what the rock at Horeb was to Israel, so too God in Christ is to us. Through the striking of the rock, sinners like us receive exactly what our thirsty souls require! This is how Paul can say the rock was Christ.

Question 2: what does this mean for us?

Church, hear it. Into all our needs, worries, fears, in all we thirst for, Christ is there. Will you drink? Church, I know all of you have needs, worries, fears, and sins of all kinds right now. What will you do with them? Will you let them weigh you down? Will you let them drive you to sin, grumble, and complain? Or will you come to Christ, the Fount of Living water, and drink?

Only Jesus can meet all the needs of the soul.

When guilt weighs heavy and the accuser is loud, Christ is there.

When fear grips and tomorrow feels uncertain, Christ is there.

When loneliness whispers that no one sees you, Christ is there.

When striving and ambition leaves you empty and doesn’t satisfy, Christ is there.

When your soul is dry, weary, and longing for renewing, Christ is there.

What are you carrying? What are you fearing? What burdens you? What are you thirsting for? Come to Jesus.

The world offers much but it never satisfies. Sin promises much and gives only death. Others might abandon. Your own strength will run dry.

But Christ…is always enough.

Everything your soul is searching for is ultimately found in Him.

Come thirsty. Come weary. Come needy. Come to Christ…because Christ never runs dry.

[1] Philip Ryken, Exodus – PTC, 411.