Friday Night Message: Striking the Rock

Feb. 24, 2023

Good evening brethren,

Believe it or not, the Passover is just five weeks away.  I have been on a “Read the entire Bible in a year” regimen, and recently finished Pentateuch, and am now working on Joshua and Judges.

There are so many interesting stories regarding Israel and their exodus from bondage in Egypt.  I would like for us to analyze an incident in the Wilderness that resulted in a formidable penalty.  And it is one of the very few times that God rebuked Moses.  In fact, God was very close to Moses:

Ex. 33:11 – So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.  

And yet Moses never entered the Holy Land.  He had transgressed the Lord in a moment of anger … failed to restrain his emotions,  and disobeyed God’s instructions, regarding the waters at Meribah.

Num. 20:1-6 – Them the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin … Now there was no water for the congregation, so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron.  And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!  Why have you brought us here to this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here?  So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell no their faces…’

Now notice the instruction that God gave to Moses… how to respond to the complainers:

Num. 20:7-8 – Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together.  Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus  you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.

Now let’s notice what Moses actually did regarding getting water from the rock:

Num. 20:9-11 – So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.  And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them.  Hear now, you rebels  Must we bring water for you out of this rock?  Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

And then we read how God reacted to Moses’ behavior:

Num. 20:12-13 - Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.  This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the Lord, and He was hallowed among them.

There are a few more verses in the Pentateuch that mention Moses’ deep desire to cross the Jordan River and bring the Israelites into Canaan.  Moses’ most passionate request is found in the book of Deuteronomy:

Num. 3:23-27 – Then I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying; O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?  I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains and Lebanon.  But the Lord was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me.  So the Lord said to me: Enough of that! Speak no more of this matter.  Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan.

God’s decision was firm and unequivocal.  God was certainly not pleased with Moses saying “Must we bring water…”, as if he and Aaron were primarily responsible for the miracle from God.  And I also understand God being disappointed with their lack of faith (“Because you did not believe me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”).  But why such a harsh judgment regarding entering into the Promised Land that God was giving to Israel?

Let us speculate here.  We all are aware that the things that happened to the physical Israelites have spiritual symbolism: Pharaoh is symbolic of Satan, bondage in Egypt typifies the slavery of sin, the wandering in the Wilderness is akin to trials in the life of a Christian, crossing over the Jordan River and entering the Promised Land is a type of spiritual Israelites entering the KOG. 

I Cor. 10:1-4 – Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.  For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

Considering all the symbolism above, I believe that it is reasonable to interpret the striking of the rock as being the suffering, torture and death of Jesus Christ, who is described as “the Rock” mentioned in I Corinthians chapter ten.

Gen. 3:15 – And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.

Heb. 9:27-28 – And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.

His perfect sacrifice atones for our sins, and enables us to live in the newness of life.  But His supreme blessing of forgiveness is available only once for every man, woman and child…in the whole world, for all of human history.  Jesus was “struck” once and only once.  No person will get a “second chance”.  Notice this in the book of Hebrews:

Heb. 6:4-6 – For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

Heb. 10:28-29 – Anyone who has rejected Moses law died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Of how much worse punishment do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant, by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

I believe that the reason God prohibited Moses from entering the Promised Land was because of all the symbolism involved in the incident of the waters of Meribah.  Striking the rock a second time represents those who reject God and Christ and their generous plan of salvation.  Very sobering to think about this.  Brethren, please let us all of us be faithful to our calling, so that we may enter the KOG… this is serious business indeed.

Heb. 10:31 – It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Have a rejuvenating Sabbath,

Fred