Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 1 Corinthians 10. I'd like to read verses 1-7,
and then I'm going to turn over into the book of Exodus 17, but
before we begin reading, Let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, it's wonderful that
we can call upon You and know, Lord, according to Your Word,
that You hear and that You care and that You're able to do exceedingly
and abundantly more than we ask or think. Lord, would You bless
the Word tonight. I pray that You'd bless it to
the salvation of sinners and to the comfort of Your people.
For Christ's sake, Amen. 1 Corinthians 10, verses 1-7, Moreover,
brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that
all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in
the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, all ate
manna, and did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they
drank of that spiritual rock that followed them. And that
rock was Christ. But with many of them God was
not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
Now these things were for our examples, to the intent we should
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be
ye idolaters, as were some of them. As it is written, the people
sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Now, for the history of what
we just read, I want you to turn to Exodus 17. Exodus 17. I'd like to read the first seven
verses. Exodus 17. Now, this is what
the Apostle Paul was referencing. Exodus 17, verse 1. All the congregation of the children
of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin after their
journeys according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim. And there was no water for the
people to drink. Wherefore, the people did chide with Moses,
and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said
unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore, do you tempt the
Lord? And the people thirsted there
for water, And the people murmured against Moses and said, Wherefore
is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us
and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried
unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be
almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said unto Moses,
Go on before the people. and take with thee of the elders
of Israel and thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river. Take
in thine hand and go. Behold, I will stand before thee
there upon the rock 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, and
he called the name of the place Massah. and Meribah because of
the chiding of the children of Israel and because they tempted
the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not? I don't know if there would be
a passage of Scripture that more clearly sets forth man's depravity
or man's insensitivity or disrespect of God's goodness and mercy in
this passage that we just read in Exodus. Wasn't that disrespectful? The way they spoke to God's preacher
concerning the Lord Himself. Here was the amazing thing about
this. Look, verse 1. says, and they were led, look
in verse 1, Exodus 17, they were led about halfway down according
to the commandment of the Lord. They were there led by the Lord
Himself. And the Scripture says there
was no water there. But let me ask you this. Is that not often the way it
is with God's people? Does the Lord not appoint our
path to be in this world a thorny one? Hard. Hebrews 12, 6 says,
For whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth." This is a picture. This is what
we are. Every object of God's mercy,
this is what we are by nature right here. Chiders, tempters. But I want you to read something.
Turn with me to Psalm 107. Hold your finger. We're going
to come back to Exodus 17. Turn to Psalms 107. Now in Exodus 17, we read exactly
the account of what they did actually in themselves. They chided with Moses. They
tried the Lord. They tried His mercy. That's
what Moses asked them. Why do you tempt the Lord? Why are you trying His mercy?
Why are you questioning? I want you to read something.
Now, I just read what they are in themselves. But I want you
to look concerning spiritual Israel. Here's the record of
how Almighty God sees His people, people like us, what we are in
ourselves. But I want you to read how Almighty
God sees them in Christ concerning that event that happened in Exodus
17. Psalm 107, verses 1-8, O give
thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth
forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord
say so. Whom He hath redeemed from the
hand of the enemy and gathered them out of the land from the
east and from the west, the north and from the south, they wandered in the wilderness
in a solitary way. They found no city to dwell in,
hungry and thirsty, and their soul fainted in them. Then they
cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them
out of their distresses. And He led them forth by the
right way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh, that men would praise the
Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children
of men. Now let me ask you something.
But for the grace of God, that Almighty God, would look upon
His people and what they are in themselves and to consider
them in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. How could we ever
read a record like this? How could we ever consider that
Almighty God would justify a sinner such as we? How could Almighty
God speak They cried unto the Lord, called unto the Lord in
their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.
They were hungry and thirsty, wandering. Oh, for the mercy
of God. Back in Exodus 17, these people,
they were in a desperate condition, barren place, no water. This is the situation with all
God's sheep. This world can never supply the
need of our soul. Never. These people back in Exodus,
here is a picture, a type of God's true Israel, thirsty, complainers,
always finding something wrong, arguing. Verse 2, Back in Exodus
17, wherefore the people did chide with Moses and said, give
us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, why
chide ye with me? Why are you resisting? Why do you try the Lord? Why do you tempt the Lord? What
a sad condition. A sad exhibition of man's rebellion. Oh, how quickly do we forget
the mercies of Almighty God. I think back on these folks.
The Lord led them out of Egypt. And the people of Egypt just
took their gold and jewels and gave it to them. They said, y'all
go. The Lord led them out. Came to
the Red Sea. And there was the Red Sea. And
here comes the Egyptians. And Moses told them, he said,
you stand still. Stand still. and see the salvation
of God. And the Scripture says that a
wind blew all night and parted that water. That water is a picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ wounded for our passageway. He is the
way. Christ, I read, see. And Almighty
God parted that water. He went across. The Scripture
says, dry ground. I don't care what they say on
the History Channel. They went across on dry ground.
And when the Egyptians tried to come through, the very one
who was the deliverance for His people was the destruction of
those that opposed Him. Killed them all. And God fed
them every day. Sent manna to them every day.
And here they are now They're thirsty. Are we not doing the
same thing? Do we not do the same thing?
Think back on one time that the Lord has been unfaithful to us.
Boy, you know, hindsight is 20-20. Well, not quite that good, but
we see a whole lot better than we did. But looking back and
seeing the mercy of Almighty God, that God would sustain us,
we see The very traces of rebellion still in ourselves. Look at 1
Corinthians 10.9. 1 Corinthians 10.9. Now here's these people walking
across, walking that desert, fed, kept. 1 Corinthians 10.9. Here's the warning. Neither let
us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted. and were destroyed
as serpents. Oh, Lord, don't mark iniquity
with me. Lord, if You should mark iniquity,
who could stand? I can't even think aright. Think of this precious promise,
1 Timothy 1.15. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptations that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. of whom I'm chief." Just a man
made honest. That old nature in us, every
time that new man thinks or writes, and it does, longing to seek
the Lord, that old man is right there to resist Him, strive with
Him, bring up something that he just... How did you think
of that? Look at verse 3 back in Exodus
17. And the people thirsted there for water and the people murmured
against Moses and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought
us up out of Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle
with thirst? The people just like the woman
at the well of Sychar and every object of God's mercy before
regeneration. Thirsts for that which shall
not eternally satisfy. And are ignorant of their true
need. Before the Lord called one person
out of darkness, I didn't know I needed Him. The only thing they were concerned
about right there is I want to have something to drink right
now. I'm thirsty right now. I need
some water. I need some actual water. But
you remember what the Lord told the woman at the well? Whoso
drinketh of this water, regular water out of that well is going
to thirst again. Oh, I tell you, over the wells
of this world's providing, over the wells of this world's providing
should be written this sign. You're going to thirst again.
This well is not going to satisfy you. Whatever it is, you'll never
be satisfied. Man's true need is too deep for the world to quench. Almighty
God must provide for my soul and give me to drink of the water
of life. Verse 4, Moses cried unto the
Lord saying, What shall I do unto this people? And they'd
be almost ready to stone me. Now here was Israel's hope. Almighty
God had raised up a Mediator. Now here's Moses, a picture of
the precious Lord Jesus Christ, a Mediator of God's provision. God had raised Him up to be God's
servant. I looked up today. I wanted to
go back and try to find out what was Moses' title. I know Aaron was a priest. Aaron
was a high priest. I got to thinking. I said, what
was Moses' title? You know what I found out? This
was the title that was given Moses. He was the servant of
God. I thought, hmm. You go back and
read some of the New Testament. Paul started off and he said,
Paul, a servant of God called to be an apostle. Think about
that. What a title. Yeah, what are
you? A God's servant. Called to be
whatever. Someone says, yeah, but all I
do is I just come and sit in the pew. Oh, what a title. A servant of God called to be
a member of God's body and placed in a place where God raised up
the Gospel and given a heart to want to come to Him. Moses was a servant of God. God's appointed servant in type
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Moses was was chided. Moses cried to the Lord, what
am I going to do? These people, they are wanting
to stone me. Oh, what of Him who was despised
and rejected of men? God's servant, Christ, our Redeemer,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Scripture says, that
the Lord Jesus Himself, God's servant, He glorified not Himself
to be made a high priest. He was called of God, appointed,
chosen, and we in Him, begotten of the Father. That's what Scripture
says. Oh, the wonder of the glorious calling of our Lord. as our representative
and our mediator, a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
And just as Moses cried unto the Lord, our blessed Savior was heard.
And that Scripture says He feared. He feared. Respected. His Father. Things I do. This is what He
sent me to do. The things I say, this is what
He said to me. Here is God in human flesh. The servant of God. Respectful. Moses appealed to the Lord not
knowing what to do. That's what he said. What shall
I do unto this people? They'd be almost ready to stone
me. Oh, but our great substitute.
and perfect obedience to His Father's will laid down His life, and the supplying of the need
of every one, giving Him an electing grace. Just as Moses appealed
for those that now took issue with Him, the Scripture says
in Romans 5.8, but God commended His love toward us in that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, we, who were children
of wrath even as others. I will have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I will have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. So then Paul said it's not of
him that will it or of him that run it, but it's God that shows
mercy. These people, Lord, What am I
going to do? These people are ready to kill
me. Oh, but God, who is rich in mercy
for His great love wherewith He loved us, I want you to consider
with a heart of thankfulness. Lord, help me to be thankful.
Consider the longsuffering and the grace of Almighty God to
His own. This is what they've done. They're
mad because God has led them to this place, and they're thirsty.
They chided with Moses, tempted the Lord. They've raised up themselves
against God's servant, accused Him of bringing them out there.
You're going to kill us. You want to kill our kids. You
want to kill our cattle. And Moses, the servant of God,
calls on the Lord and says, Lord, what am I going to do? What shall
I do? Look at verse 5 and 6. And the
Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee
of the elders of Israel, and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest
the river. Take in thine hand, and go, and
behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock 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. Here we behold the source of
the river. The Scripture says, the streams
whereof that shall make glad the city of God. What these people
needed was that which would sustain life. I know that they were physically
thirsty. But there's a much greater need
that they needed. They needed life. And the Lord
told Moses, He said, I want you to take the rod, that rod that
you used to strike the river in Egypt that turned water into
blood, you take that rod and you're going to strike the rock
that I tell you, We have one need. We have one need. We need the
precious blood of Christ to atone for us. That blood that Almighty
God would forever see and thereby pass over us. Oh, I read this
again today in verse 6. Behold, He said, I'm going to
stand before you there on the rock. in Horeb. Thou shalt smite
the rock, and there shall come water out of it that the people
may drink." Paul said in 1 Corinthians, we read this, he said that rock
was Christ. And here the Father sets forth
the truth. He said the rock is going to
be smitten. You take that rock, a picture, Moses, a picture of
God's law. Here was Christ made sin as the
substitute of God's people. God said, you take that rod of
my justice, my wrath, picture of the justice of Almighty God,
and you strike the rock. God said, I'm going to be standing
there. The sun's going to be smitten. But it's going to be done in
absolute justice and honor. I'm going to stand on the rock.
For when we speak of substitution, oh, may our God and Savior set
forth to our hearts that this was done in absolute honor and
justice. The shepherd is going to be smitten,
but he's going to be smitten under the eye and the will and
the purpose of God Almighty. And this is going to be done
according to His will. Oh, that water of life is going
to come from that rock. Worldly wisdom would never search
this out. How can a man be just with God? God Himself must come in human
flesh, the rock. That rock is the humanity of
Christ, strong, stable, secure. And Almighty God told Moses,
you're going to take a rod, a stick, and you strike that rock. and
water is going to come out. Oh, he said, my thoughts are
not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways.
For the people to have their needs supplied, the rock was
going to have to be smitten. Thou shalt smite the rock and
there shall come water out of it. That thought never originated. in the heart of man, that salvation
is secured and eternally established by God smiting the anointed of
God, God Himself. The Scripture says, Isaiah 53,
verse 4, Surely He hath borne our grief and carried our sorrows,
yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. You said, I thought that Moses
smoked a rock. Moses is the type of God's law,
God's justice. Our God is a just God. What is it going to take for
you to eternally drink of the water of life? God Almighty must
come in human flesh and as our perfect representative. He must
bear our guilt. Sin must become Him. He was made sin. And God struck Him. Forsook Him. That Almighty God might justly
never forsake us. And that water of life came forth. You take with thee the elders
of Israel, thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river, and take
it in your hand." Justice. Judgment. Verse 7, And He called the name
of the place Massah and Meribah because of the chiding of the
children of Israel. and because they tempted the
Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?" Massa, temptation. Meribah, chiding or strife. Doubting God. Doubting God. That's what they are. That's
what we are. Brethren, remember, why was he
smitten? Remember, why was he smitten?
Here it is. Our rebellion. Our rebellion. Remember that God is merciful
in Christ. Mercy is for sinners. Sinners. Psalm 78, 19, and 20 said, Yea,
they spake against God. They said, Can God furnish a
table in the wilderness? Behold, He smoked the rock that
the waters gushed out and the streams overflowed. Can He give
bread also? Can He provide flesh for His
people? When the Lord Jesus Christ was
crucified, the Scripture says, forthwith came thereout blood
and water, full salvation, full atonement, full cleansing for everyone that thirsted. come ye to the waters." This
water, this cleansing, this blood, herein is life. Christ said,
I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. If anybody's thirsty, there's
life in Christ. That rock is Christ. And that
rock followed them. That's what the Scripture says.
May the Lord bless these words to our heart, for Christ's sake.
Amen.