“The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.’ So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on” (Exodus 17:5a, 6, NLT).
The Israelites, having been freed from slavery in Egypt, were on their way to the Promised Land. However, they quickly learned that this was no easy journey. Trekking through a desert that is today as inhospitable as it was back then, they were entirely dependent upon the Lord for all their provisions. In Exodus 16 and Numbers 11, we see that God literally sent them bread from heaven: “The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night” (Numbers 11:9). (Incidentally, the word “manna” means “What is it?”)
But the people were also in a dry land and became so thirsty that they feared for their own lives and livestock. So what did the Lord do? Gave them water and showed them what He was willing to do for His people.
Look back at our opening passage. God told Moses to “strike the rock,” but where was God when Moses struck it? “On the rock.” Don’t miss that.
Now look at what David wrote in 2 Samuel 22:47b: “Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!” (NIV). David clearly identifies his “Savior” as “the Rock.”
Moving over to the New Testament, we see Jesus, the “Savior,” “the Rock,” hanging on the cross: “One of the soldiers struck Him on His side with his spear, and at once blood and water issued forth” (John 19:34, Aramaic Bible in Plain English).
And if you still haven’t made all the connections, the apostle Paul clearly does that for us. He says that the Israelites wandering in the desert “…were drinking from The Rock of The Spirit, which was with them, but that Rock was The Messiah” (I Corinthians 10:4b).
From beginning to end, the Bible shows us Jesus. Our Suffering Servant Savior “was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, NIV).
Jesus is, has always been and always will be. He, the Rock of our Salvation, was struck to provide Living Water for all who will believe in Him. The Bread from Heaven came down to provide for His people.
Folks, getting to our Promised Land, heaven, is no easy journey, but we have a Savior who goes with us and before us. Trust Him as your All-Sufficient God.
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