(Note: Read Exodus 17:1-7 first otherwise this sermon-blog will make no sense to you! Also NT = New Testament. OT = Old Testament).
As we've journeyed through Exodus, I trust that one of the things that has stood out is how clearly this book testifies about Jesus. For example: Exodus 12 and the Passover feast. We saw that speak of God's judgment - a judgment that would wipe out all people except for those who took shelter under the blood of the lamb. Hopefully anybody who has been a Christian for even a short amount of time would be able to see the connection between the event that night in Exodus 12 and Christ's death on the cross in the NT.
Likewise with Exodus 14 and the crossing of the Red Sea. As we come to understand what is happening there, we see God through Moses bringing about both salvation to his people and judgment on the enemy at the same place and time. Again hopefully for most people in their mind they start to see how this speaks of Jesus and his work on the cross.
And it's right that we do that. In fact it's crucial that we do that. Jesus himself said in reference to the Old Testament, "These are the Scriptures that testify about me." (John 5:39) So it's right for us to recognise how passages in the OT testify to Christ.
However sometimes it seems like people take that to an extreme. So for example they read how, in Exodus 14, 'the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind,' and they say 'Jesus is that strong east wind!' (or something similar). This kind of comment, while perhaps made with the best of intentions (after all, doesn'tallthe OT testify about Jesus?), may leave us feeling somewhat uncomfortable as it seems to be artificially imposing Jesus onto the text.
The problem for us is, when we get to Exodus 17, it looks like the Apostle Paul does that very thing. He says the rock, in this passage, is Jesus.
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-4. The question we need to ask is, how? What does Paul mean by saying the rock is Christ? Well to understand how Christ is the rock, and what Paul means by that, we need to understand exactly what is happening in this passage.
Context: Read Exodus 17:1. So as we have seen before, God is guiding his people and He deliberately guides them into trying circumstances. Why? To test them (cf. Deut 8:2-3, 5, 15-16). And how do the Israelites respond to this test? In one word - badly.
Read Exodus 17:2. They have been out of Egypt for around two months now and within those two months they have grumbled, moaned and complained four times already (Cf. Ex 14, 15, 16). Now when it says they quarrelled (or later on it says they grumbled) it is much more serious than the word, in English, sounds. There are 2 indicators that help us to understand the seriousness of what is going on here.
Firstly The judgment that fell on these people tells us how serious this is in God's eyes. (Re-read 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 and take special note of verse 5)
Secondly, the passage itself tells us that much more is going on here then simply some unwarranted complaining. (See verse 3)
That is a pretty serious accusation. In fact in Exodus 17:2 where it says 'they quarreled with Moses,' that word 'quarrel' has the sense of bringing a formal, legal charge against someone. So in other words, the Israelites aren't just complaining, they are in fact instigating criminal proceedings. The accused is Moses (though I will qualify that statement later) and the accusation is manslaughter. 'You brought us up out of Egypt tokill usof thirst.'
That is why in verse 4 Moses cries out to the Lord.
Read Exodus 17:4. Why would he say that? Because stoning is the way someone would be executed for a capital offense, i.e. manslaughter.
So the Israelites are conducting some sort of a trial in which they are the accuser and the accused is Moses (at least that is how it looks initially). Then somewhat surprisingly in verse 5 God enters the scene and by what He says He essentially agrees to the trial and moves it along.
Read Exodus 17:5. How does this indicate a trial? Well firstly in ancient times it would be the elders who were the official witnesses on disputed matters. So in calling some of the elders together, everybody watching would know this is some kind of legal dispute.
Secondly Moses is told to take up his staff. We haven't spent any time in this series looking at the function of Moses' staff but basically it represents God's power and authority as Judge. So anything that is struck by this staff means God is acting in divine judgment upon the one who is struck.
Now I said that at least initially it looks like the people are accusing Moses of manslaughter but their real complaint is actually against God himself.
Read verses Exodus 17:2 and 7. The Israelites were testing God.
The third way in which we know know God is the one who is ultimately on trial is because, in verse 5, God tells Moses to take up the staff, the staff of divine judgment. So Moses isn't going to be judged, rather he is the judge going to execute judgment.
This then is the scenario (imagine a courtroom scene) - Israel is the accuser, the Elders are the witnesses, Moses is the Judge and executioner and God is the one accused. Verse 6 then tells us, to our great surprise, who divine judgment comes down upon.
Read Exodus 17:6 (The ESV or HCSB are helpful here). God is 'on' the rock and Moses is commanded to strike the rock. In other words, God is commanding Moses to strike Him in judgment so that His people may be provided with what they need - which is water. God is now providing for His people the very thing that had brought about this whole incident, in abundance, through this rock which has been struck in judgment.
Think about it like this - the people are given life by this rock because it was struck in judgment for them. Now hopefully we can see why Paul says so emphatically, that rock was Christ. Just as this rock was struck, so Christ was struck with divine judgment on the cross in order that God's judgment wouldn't fall on us. But even more than that, that judgment that fell upon Him was not only so that we could escape from judgment but at the very same time it provided the life giving water we needed.
Read John 7:37
So just as God provided water for Israel from the rock on their journey to the Promised land, God has graciously provided 'water' for us, his church, from the rock which is Christ as we journey to the ultimate Promised Land.
And that is why Paul can say so emphatically and without the slightest hesitation - that rock was Christ.