When reading the history of Israel
as they wandered through the wilderness, it is very, very
important to remember that the children of Israel, though they
sinned oft and though they constantly displayed unbelief, murmuring
against God, all their journeys in the wilderness were led by
the hand of God. The pillar of cloud and the pillar
of fire never ceased to give them direction. In every direction
they went, though it appears they wandered in meaningless,
senseless ways, they walked through the wilderness led in a direct
way by the hand of divine providence. And so it is with you and me. So it is with you and me. How bitter that trial was that
Israel experienced at Marah in Exodus chapter 16. Their lips
were parched and dry and Marah's bitter waters mocked their thirst,
but sweet relief was near. God showed Moses a tree by the
waters. The tree had been there all the
time, but Moses didn't see it until the Lord showed it to him.
And that tree represents plainly the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord commanded Moses to take the tree and cast it into the
waters. And as soon as he did water,
the bitter waters of Mara were made sweet. Their vexation was
turned to joy, painful as that trial was. It was but the prelude
to a more painful and more bitter trial to follow. In Exodus 17,
we see the congregation of the Lord in Riphidim. Turn there,
if you will. Here they are in the depths of
the desert. They're not on the edge now.
They're in the middle of this desert in Riphidim, and there
are no streams of water, no wells, no ponds, just dry, barren desert. They thirst and search for water,
but their search is in vain. There's nothing before them but
dry desert sand. As it was with Israel in the
wilderness, so it is for God's elect in this world. Troubles
die only to live again and again and again and again. Sorrows Fade only to rise again. Temptations wane only to be raised
up again. Exodus 17. And 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 has 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, that same rod wherewith thou smotest the river. Take
in thine hand and go. Verse six. Behold, I will stand
before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite
the rock there, and there shall come out 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, Trouble and Temptation, Temptation and Trouble. because of the chiding of the
children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying,
Is the Lord among us or not? Now, this is the common experience
of Zion's pilgrims. Darkness flees as the sun arises,
but darkness soon comes again. Afflictions clear away, but as
soon as they do, heaviness follows and follows usually more greatly. Joseph escaped the pit only to
find himself in the dungeon. David escaped the Dullam's cave
only to seek refuge in Engedi's wilds. Troops of lust, we thought
had been long ago conquered by grace, rise again and assail
us with mustard force when we think they should least be present. The weeds of evil long ago plucked
up rear their noxious heads over and over again. Satan lays Abraham
low in Egypt. And then many, many days later,
he shoots an arrow from the same shaft in Girra and lays him low
again. You and I must be certain these
things are but typical of what we must expect in this world.
We must never dream of undisturbed rest while we walk on this earth
until we drop this flesh forever We will live in this world in
a ceaseless cycle of sorrow and temptation. But don't despise
the sorrows and don't despise the temptations. Don't despise
the afflictions. Don't despise the trials. Blessed
is the man that endureth temptation, that endureth trials. That man is God's own. That man is God's own. If you be without chastisement,
whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons. That's the language of the book. Our Heavenly Father teaches His
children to trust Him by trials and sorrows. afflictions. The rod in his hand
is a rod with a voice of instruction. Therefore Micah said, hear ye
the rod and who hath appointed it. It is by these trials that
the hidden vileness of our hearts and the vast richness of God's
grace is made known. And we would not know either
except by the trials. Did you hear me? We would not
know either except by the trials. That's the obvious thing revealed
here in Exodus 17. The hard murmurings of the chosen
people betray the terrible bias of the human heart to that which
is evil. Yet, as we hear Israel murmuring,
as we see them ready to stone Moses to death for bringing them
out of Egypt, ready to destroy the man by whom they had been
delivered from 400 years of bondage, against that black backdrop,
God's infinite goodness shines brilliantly. These people chide
Moses and tempt the Lord God And Moses seeks the open refuge
of a mercy seat at God's hand. And here at this spot, a gracious
answer allays all fear and supplies all need. Verse six, verse five,
the Lord said to Moses, go before the people, 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 just what he was
told. And as the leaders of Israel, these elders, looked on, water
gushed out of the rock. Now, you don't need to turn there.
Well, do turn there, turn to 1 Corinthians 10. The Holy Spirit tells us plainly
that that rock that Moses smote in the wilderness is Christ. The gash in that rock is our
Savior's wounded side. The streams flowing out of that
rock is the abundant grace that is ours in Christ Jesus. Look
at verse 4, 1 Corinthians 10. The children of Israel did all
drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. God gave them water out of a
smitten rock. All the time the children of
Israel wandered through the wilderness. Following the camp of Israel
was a rock. So how on earth did a rock follow
the children of Israel the same way they came across the Red
Sea by the hand of God. The rock followed them through
the wilderness and that rock was Christ. And when Moses was
commanded to smite the rock, water gushed out to the children
of Israel and gushed out to them continually for 40 years. They were made to drink from
the water that flowed from that rock for 40 years. All the time
they were in the wilderness. Obviously, the water gushing
out of that rock is the water of life. God, the Holy Spirit
that flows to sinners through Jesus Christ crucified as the
abundant grace of God coming to our souls in the saving operations
of his grace. Listen to our Savior. In the
last day, in the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, if any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. And
he that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. And this he spake of the
spirit, which they that believe on him should receive. Paul tells
us plainly that rock was Christ. The rock that was smitten by
Moses, from which the life-giving water gushed out, by which the
children of Israel were saved, was typical. It was representative. It was a symbol of the Lord Jesus. Christ, the smitten rock, is
the subject of Exodus 17. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
rock of salvation. smitten by God, smitten by divine
justice, and from him all life flows to chosen sinners, believing
sinners by the gift of God the Holy Spirit through Christ Jesus
the Lord. Now let's look at three or four
things about this rock. First, the rock itself. The rock
itself suggests that which is mighty and strong. The rock is
the title frequently given to our Savior in the scriptures
by which we worship him and his people extol him. Moses lamented
the fact that Israel forsook God who made him and like the
esteem the rock of his salvation. David in 2 Samuel 22 saying,
the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. The God who
is my rock, in him will I trust. He is my shield and the horn
of my salvation, my high tower and my refuge, my savior. Thou
savest me from violence. The psalmist is also saying,
oh come, let us sing unto the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise
to the rock of our salvation. The name of the Lord is a high
tower, the wise man said. The righteous runneth unto it
and is safe. Oh children of God, make Christ
the rock of refuge for your soul. Cleave to him and find rest in
him. Oh my soul, learn to flee away
to Christ and to flee away to none but him. The prophet Isaiah
spoke of the coming of Christ in these words in Isaiah 32.
He said a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind and
a covert from the tempest as a river of water in a dry place,
as a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And then while
he was upon the earth, the Lord Jesus spoke of himself as the
rock. He said, upon this rock, I will
build my church. The rock then typifies our Redeemer. The rock is a symbol of strength
and stability. How often do you say concerning
someone who is just dependable? He's a rock. He's a rock. You can count on him. He's just
a rock. Provincial insurance has an image
fixed in my mind, I suspect as it has yours. They give you an
image of a rock all the time. Now, I'm not fool enough to presume
that an insurance company really is a rock. But whenever I think
of that rock, I think of Prudential Insurance Company. And that's
the reason they use the symbol, is to suggestibility, dependability. That's Christ Jesus the Lord.
This is him who is our sure rock, the rock upon which we build.
Christ Jesus cannot be shaken. Storms come. Floods of trials
come, chilling winds of temptations, and beat violently against us,
but the house that's built upon the rock will stand. Christ,
our mighty rock, is strong and stable, and if we are built on
him, built on this rock, nothing shall destroy us. The rock is
a mass of might, just a mass of might. There it stands. All
the changes of the ages find it still unchanged. The rock
is Christ Jesus. It stands in durability. Rocks
are just there. They're just there. They outlast
the storms of time. Waters don't wash them away.
Mighty winds don't remove them from their foundations. Many
a ship has been broken upon the rocks, but none have broken the
rocks. Christ Jesus, our rock, is unchanged
and unchangeable. He is the same yesterday and
today and forever. I've proved Him the same yesterday
and today, and I expect to see Him the same forever. Jesus Christ
is that mighty rock upon whom you must be built. either built
upon him or destroyed by him. Turn to Matthew chapter 21. Matthew 21. Verse 42. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye
never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders
rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? This
is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore
I say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you
and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. You've
despised it, I'll take it from you. I'll give it to a people
who are made worthy to receive it by my grace. And whosoever,
verse 44, shall fall on this stone shall be broken. But on whomsoever it shall fall,
It will grind him to powder. Durable is the rock. Mark his
decrees. Eternal love arranged salvation
scheme. The hand of sovereign grace drew
the wise record of his wondrous kingdom. The chart of history
was drawn, framed, and fixed forever by His omnipotent hand
in His omniscient mind by His all-wise decree. To blind, ignorant
men, to blind, ignorant human wisdom, it may appear that things
just happen by luck or chance or something of the kind. But
to those who are enlightened to know truth, to know God who
is truth, We see that it is the hand of our God that orders everything
exactly according to his eternal purpose and it is never altered
and never changed. The rock, it's a symbol also
of elevation and exaltation. The mighty rocks tower high above
man. There are landmarks, symbols.
When I was a boy in North Carolina, There's a place called Hanging
Rock State Park. And if you ever visit it, you understand exactly
why it's named as it is. You drive up the mountains toward
Virginia and you come across this place and there hangs a
rock right on the side of the mountain, just a huge rock. I've climbed it many a time.
The rocks suggest elevation, exaltation. Some are so high
and steep that they can't be climbed. The name of the Lord
is a high tower, the wise man said, and we flee to this rock
from the wrath of God and the assaults of men, from the temptations
of Satan and the trials of life. Remember, children of God, Christ
is our rock. The high God is our redeemer,
the psalmist said. In Psalm 62, truly God Truly, my soul waiteth upon God.
From him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation. This rock is near. It's always near. It follows us through this wilderness. It pursues us through this wilderness. It is your only support. your
only refuge, your only strength. The weight of the world seems
to crush us in our souls, but this rock sustains the weight.
He can bear all, and he will bear all, and he bids us cast
all our care on him. Now second, the rock is Christ. What is the meaning, the significance,
of this rock being smitten by Moses. The Holy Spirit gives
us this vivid picture typifying the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now it's important that you notice the connection between Exodus
16 and Exodus 17. The Lord God gave us in these
three, or these two chapters, three pictures of that which
is vital to the souls of men. that which we must have in this
world. If we would live in this world,
we must have bread to eat, we must have rest day by day, and
we must have water to drink. And while the children of Israel
wandered in the wilderness, in these two chapters, he says,
I'll give you bread from heaven, I will give you rest for your
souls, and I will give you water out of the smitten rock. But
the connection between the two chapters is just this. The manna
that fell from heaven portrays our Lord Jesus Christ in his
incarnation. His body, his life is the bread
of life for our souls. The rock smitten speaks of his
crucifixion. And it is through these two things
that we have life through his living and dying as our substitute
in our room and in our stead. The rock was smitten because
of sin and for sin. Israel sinned against God. Murmuring against God. Rebels
in the wilderness. Feeding upon God's bounty and
yet despising His bounty. Walking before God in the earth
that God created for them and yet despising him in his earth
and despising the place He had given them in his earth Israel
murmured they were ready to stone God's servant They refused to
believe him to rest in his power to trust his goodness or to look
to his faithfulness They said in verse 7 is the Lord among
us the rock was smitten because of this rebellious and unbelieving
people, smitten because of them and smitten for them. These people
who deserve no grace and no favor from God. That's exactly the
case with our blessed Savior. Now, once in the end of the world,
hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. He was made under the law to
redeem them that were under the law. Had there been no sin, or
had it been possible for sin to be put away in some other
way by some other means, our Lord Jesus would never have been
crucified. The son of God was crucified
for us, a rebellious and sinful people, because there's no other
way for God to save sinners but by the death of his dear son.
if you want the water of life, come as guilty, helpless sinners
and fall upon the smitten Savior. This rock was smitten by Moses. Moses' rod was the symbol of
God's law. Moses' rod was the symbol of
divine justice. Moses' rod was the displayed
power of God Almighty in judgment against his enemies. You remember
it was by the rod of Moses that the Nile River was turned to
blood. It was by the rod of Moses that the Red Sea was opened before
the children of Israel. It was by the rod of Moses that
the sea was closed again upon Pharaoh and the armies of the
Egyptians. And so it is that the rod of Moses, representing
divine justice, divine judgment, divine wrath against sin, smites
the rock, Christ Jesus. And from him, water, the water
of life flows out to us. Turn to Romans chapter three
for a moment. The spirit of God, the water
of grace and life could not be given except the rock be smitten. In Romans 3 verse 24, the apostle
is explaining to us how it is that sinners who have no hope
in themselves, who have no ability in themselves, are justified
freely by God's grace through the redemption that's in Christ
Jesus. Verse 24, being justified freely by His grace, Justified
without a cause by his grace through the redemption that's
in Christ Jesus now watch this whom God has set forth to be
a propitiation a Propitiation I Think I told you just recently
the word atonement was coined by John Wycliffe when he translated
the English Bible and It was coined because there were no
words precisely to translate the Hebrew word that he used
for atonement, or he translated atonement. The word means at-one-ment. And so the word is translated
in the scriptures atonement, reconciliation, It's translated
with connection with justification, with propitiation, with sanctification,
because all these things are the results of Christ's atonement. Christ was set forth by God Almighty
to be a propitiation, a satisfaction, an appeasement of divine justice
through faith in his blood. It's not that our faith makes
his blood propitious, but our faith sees that his blood is
propitious, and by faith believing him, we receive the propitiation
through faith in his blood to declare God's righteousness.
To declare that God is righteous in forgiving sinners. To declare
that God is just and true and faithful in forgiving sin. To
declare God's righteousness for the remission of sins that have
passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say at
this time, God's righteousness for this purpose, that he might
be just and the justifier of him which believeth. I never dreamed it was possible
for God Almighty to save this sinner. Struggling with fear
and terror under the sentence of death, divine justice in my
soul. I could not believe God could
actually forgive my sin until he revealed his son in my soul. Dying is my substitute. And looking
away to Christ, seeing justice slaughter Him,
I'm confident God can forgive my sin. That's enough. God said, that's enough. Justice
said, that's enough. And my heart says, that's enough.
That's enough. The water could not be given
until the rock was smitten. But now, because the rock has
been smitten, the water of life must gush out. It was smitten
in all the fury of divine justice and wrath and now, because the
rock is smitten, there's a fountain open to the house of Israel and
to the house of David for the sin and for uncleanness. This
rock was smitten by the will of God the decree of God and
the purpose of God. No accident. Nothing here left
to chance, but rather it pleased the Lord to bruise him. He hath
put him to grief. He made his soul an offering
for sin, and he shall see of the travail of his soul and shall
be satisfied. God set the time of his son's
death and arranged it all before the world was made and brought
it to pass in his providence exactly as he determined from
old eternity. Now, here's something even more
astonishing. Somehow. When the rock was smitten. When
Christ was smitten. God was in the rock. In verse six, The Lord said to
Moses, I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb, and thou
shalt smite the rock. When Moses drew back his rod,
Bob, and smote that rock, he smote God Almighty and knew full
well he was doing so. God said, I will stand on the
rock. Now spike the rock. And thus
we are taught plainly and Moses was taught and the children of
Israel were taught that the rock following them is not only the
rock that gives life, this rock representing the Messiah, the
Redeemer who should come is himself God. In our hymn book, The word
has been changed. When Isaac Watts wrote the hymn,
he said, well, might the sun in darkness hide and shut his
glories in when God, the mighty maker died for man, the creature
said. We change it when Christ, the
mighty maker died. But in changing it while telling
the truth, We've altered greatly the meaning. You see, God purchased
his church with his own blood. And that man who died in our
stead is himself God. Well might the sun in darkness
hide and shut his glories in when God, the mighty maker, died
for man, the creature's sin. The rock was smitten for the
benefit of a particular and distinct people, not for the Moabites
or the Amalekites or the Amorites, but only for the Israelites.
The water flowed out to none but Israel. Only the Israelites
drank of this water. And so it is that our Lord Jesus
died for a particular people, his own elect, and the water
of life flows out from him to those people redeemed by his
blood. Now third, I've got to say a little bit about the water
that flowed from the rock. Turn to Galatians chapter 3. We read earlier John chapter
7, our Lord Jesus speaking of the water and John tells us this,
he spoke concerning the spirit that would come to those who
believe. Galatians chapter 3 verse 13. The water that flowed from
the rock to Israel was typical of God, the Holy Spirit, who
is the gift and giver of life and grace in Christ Jesus. He is represented in the scriptures
as water and represented often as water. Don't ever forget,
don't ever fail to remember that in this business of saving our
souls, all three persons in the Godhead are engaged. God the
Father gave his son. God the Son died in our stead.
But the work of God the Spirit is as necessary as the work of
God the Son upon the cross. You must receive the Spirit of
God or there's no life in you. Look at Galatians 3 verse 13.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us. Because Christ was made sin,
he was made a curse, and because he was made a curse, he was sacrificed
under the furious wrath of God Almighty in divine justice. For
it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. But read
on, the sentence doesn't stop there. That That is, Christ redeemed
us for this purpose. Christ died a curse for us for
this purpose. Christ died under the penalty
of divine justice to this end, that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. Oh, what's that
talking about? Well, read the next line in the
same sentence, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith. Christ died for this purpose. He died for us, the Israel of
God, that we, the Israel of God, might receive the promise of
it, the blessing of Abraham, the promise of his spirit, life
eternal through Jesus Christ the Lord. The water that flowed
out of the rock flowed out in fulfillment of God's covenant.
Listen to this. You can look at it in Psalm 105.
He opened the rock and the waters gushed out. They ran in the dry
places like a river. How come? For he remembered his
holy promise and Abraham his servant. All the blessings of
grace in Jesus Christ flow to chosen centers by God, the Holy
Spirit. When he promised in the covenant,
I will put my spirit within you. He was saying, I'll put within
you all the blessings of grace, all the blessings of life. And
they flow to us because of that covenant. All the children of
Israel drank the water that gushed out of the rock. And every chosen
redeemed sinner shall drink of this water, because Christ is
himself God who executes his will from his lofty throne. This
water gushed out of the rock upon the children of Israel,
however, when they were just about to die of thirst. The Spirit of God come to sinners
in grace and life. When does Christ give life to
needy sinners? When you can find no other water
to quench your soul's thirst. He will be the water of life
to you, but not until then. Not until then. As long as you
find peace, comfort, refreshment, strength, reviving, hope anywhere
else, you'll cling to it and go to hell with it. But when
you find nothing but barrenness and emptiness and death in yourself
and in all that you can do and in all the world around you,
then Christ gushes out with life to your soul. and only then do
you find life in him. The water that gushed out of
that rock couldn't be dried up. I read this by Benjamin Keech
today. Listen carefully. Benjamin Keech was the first
pastor of that church in London that later was pastored by John
Gill and John Ripon and C.H. Spurgeon. Keech was the first
pastor. He said the water out of the
rock Follow the children of Israel through the wilderness, over
all the hills and valleys unto Canaan. All the dryness of that
dry and barren desert could not dry it up. So the waters of life
streaming from Christ, that sacred rock, follow the true Israel
of God through all the wilderness of this world until they come
to the heavenly Canaan Yea, all the persecutions and temptations
cannot dry it up. Now turn to Numbers chapter 20. Numbers chapter 20. Just before they got to the land
of Canaan, we have another incident with this rock. Verse 7. The Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Take the rod. This time he's not referring
to Moses' rod, but to Aaron's rod. And gather thou the assembly
together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak to the rock
before their eyes, and it shall give forth his water. And thou
shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock. So thou shalt
give the congregation and their beast to drink. Verse 11, and
Moses, disgusted with these rebels, says, here Moses lifted up his
hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice. And water came out, came out
abundantly. But God said to Moses, you will
not enter the land. Because I said, speak to the
rock, and you smoked the rock in your anger. You sanctified
me not before my people, and therefore you shall not enter
into the land. What's the significance? The
rock must be smitten, but smitten only once. There's one sacrifice
for sin, and that one sacrifice is Christ Jesus, the Lord. His
one sacrifice for sin satisfies justice and put away sin forever. Water, the water of life, comes
to sinners through the smitten rock. God, the Holy Spirit, comes
to sinners in saving grace through Christ's sacrifice as our substitute. But it comes not now by smiting
the rock, but by speaking to the rock. Would you have the
water of life? Would you drink freely and abundantly
and forever? Speak to the rock. God, be merciful
to me, the sinner. Speak to the rock. Speak to the
rock on the basis of justice satisfied. Speak to the rock
on the basis of God's covenant promise. He said, put me in remembrance. Let us plead together. Remind
me what I said. Speak to the rock and the waters
of life gush out to your soul freely because Christ the rock
was smitten for us. Amen.