“The Lord answered Moses, ‘Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock and water will come out of it for the people to drink.’ So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Merribah, because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not.’” (Exodus 17:5–7)

“I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.” These words, we hear every time the law is read to us. Again and again we as a church are reminded of what we were, and what we now are by the grace of God. We are saved by grace. In that same faithful grace the Lord led the Israelites through the wilderness. By wonders every day, the manna fell from the sky and neither their clothes nor shoes (sandals) wore out. They were led by the cloud. In the immediate context here, He made bitter water sweet. All these essentially were God’s mercies in Christ, given according to His promises. God graciously and faithfully cared for them.

As a result, God wanted them to trust in His mercies and goodness. Also, when sometimes the way became “dark” for them and they saw no chance of survival.

That’s how the Lord wants us to live, trusting in Him and looking to Him for all our spiritual and physical needs . . . looking to Him who by grace has initially saved us and been faithful to us in all of the past years.

In our text Israel had reached another time of need in the desert. The desert was dry in most areas. For a nation of perhaps two million people with much livestock, a lot of water was needed every day. Not far from them there were some wells but they belonged to the Amalekites.

What did the Israelites do? Turn to the Lord who had helped them with mir acles again and again? No, they again murmured. Again they tempted God. This means that they denied God’s interest and power. Apparently God could not help them, or didn’t want to. Had they only stayed in Egypt! And they were ready to stone Moses to death.

Weren’t these Israelites wicked people? That’s how we often look at them.

But, generally, church people are not different from others. Doctrinally, we confess to believe in salvation by grace alone, and the faithfulness of God—that everything in our lives comes to us from His gracious all-embracing providence, so that He has provided for us all that we have needed.

At present, and also looking at the future, we often get an entirely different impression of the church, including ourselves. We still hear a lot of grumbling and griping as was heard in the camp of the Israelites. Take a comprehensive look, an honest look, at people as they are and live. Look at people with physical and spiritual needs, people of all classes, children, young people, working people, parents and older people, people who are ill, who have uncountable burdens and problems. What do we usually hear? Complaints and murmurings about the weather, about their own experiences, about how they feel, about the government, about the high costs of living, and ever so many other things.

At the same time we confess that we believe in a heavenly Father who carefully counts the hairs of our heads each day.

What a miracle the Lord performs through Moses!

Moses is first of all given several instructions. With his staff in his hand, he must take the elders of Israel with him. These men must be witnesses of what will happen so that they relate it to all of the people. After all, they couldn’t watch it on T.V. Consider the rock, perhaps a massive boulder. One of the psalmists tells of a rock as hard as flint, and not “soft” limestone . The rock, in the history of the Bible, often represents God. Again· and.p.gain He is called the Rock. One writer says that God is his rock and salvation. Another one prays, “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” We all know the song, “Rock of Ages.” Rocks are relatively durable and big rocks cannot be moved. The rock therefore symbolizes something that is unchangeable, solid and immovable. This can be said of no one but God, the covenant God of Israel, the God of promises. He is “solid,” dependable and everlasting.

Moses must strike the rock. We may perhaps think of the striking of the Son of God later in history for the sins of His people. Israel should have been struck, but Christ will suffer in their stead. God loves His people so much that He gives Himself in His Son.

Out of the rock comes water. Water stands for life. Jesus later often calls Himself the water of life.

   

But who ever heard of water coming out of a rock as hard as flint? One might be able to squeeze a little water out of a plant, some more than others. But not out of a rock. God is the God of miracles. We may think of this miracle as typifying the great miracle of Christ suffering on the cross to give us eternal life.

Waters gushed, we read. There evidently was a sizeable stream of water. God never gives in small measures. The Scriptures speak of His abounding grace.

Who could help but be amazed when seeing such a miracle! The rock “followed them,” says Paul in I Cor. 10:4. Always Jesus was with them, giving them Himself in abundance. This is true for us too.

Later we read of a similar situation when the Israelites again needed water (Numbers 20). This time Moses had to speak to the rock, not strike it. The Lord wanted His people to see Him again in His amazing patient love. But Moses was angry. And the people, no doubt, saw that. Moses did “bring” forth water. But the people saw him do it in anger—as an angry mediator of the Lord. In doing this he did not sanctify the Lord in the eyes of the people. The meekest man on earth was not able to “put up” with these people any more. But God was still patient. As a result the Lord already here told him that he would not be able to lead the people into the promised land.

No Moses, no Noah, no David or any other saint was equal to the task of saving God’s people. There’s only one who can do this, Jesus Christ the gift of God Himself.

That’s the miracle of salvation for us sinners.

What a God we have! He is the great, everlasting Rock with unbelievable patience and love. He is always faithful. If the type, the large flow of water coming out of this rock is wonderful, how much more is the fulfillment wonderful, the immeasurable riches of the Holy Spirit in Christ.

All these wonders shown the Israelites are given us for warnings, says Paul (I Cor. 10).

“Beware,” says Paul. With most of the Israelites God was not pleased. This simply means that most of these members of that Old Testament church were not saved. Why not? Because knowing this God and seeing the miracles of his incredible patience and love, they did not trust in Him. Instead, they were always murmuring.

We all encounter difficult circumstances, at one time more than at another. And for some people these are more difficult than others. Who does not know what adversity is? What does the Lord want us to do? Trust Him as the everlasting Rock of promises and mercies in Christ. But we often grumble and worry. How this displeases Him!

This lesson of the Israelites speaks to us. The Heidelberg Catechism says that the most holy of God’s people have only a beginning of the new obedience. But this does mean that there has to be a beginning also of this trust and that we complain less and are more contented.

Every Christian wants to live this way. “Lord I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.”