I am sharing four pages with you today because they all tie together within the same theme/events in the Bible. The two miraculous events are found in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20 and both are a demonstration of God's provision for a thirsty, grumbling people.
In Exodus 17 the people of Israel are traveling in the desert and have no water. They grumble to and against Moses, demanding that he give them water. His response is to firstly point out that they are in fact grumbling against God (a sobering truth to reflect upon in our own grumbling!), then he cries out to God for help. God's reply is that he should strike the rock that is in their midst, and when he does, water flows out - enough water to quench the thirst of many, many people. God's provision is so lavish and so gracious, despite the quarreling, grumbling and lack of faith of the people.
Years later, towards the end of Moses' life, a similar scenario unfolds in a different place. The people have no water and again complain to Moses and Aaron, grumbling about being in the desert, not having grain or fruit, and even wishing that they were dead! Once again, Moses and Aaron go and seek the Lord about this dire situation and God responds graciously. He commands Moses to speak to the rock that was in their midst and that water would flow. Moses however, instead of obeying God's command to speak to the rock, speaks to the people and says “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” He then strikes the rock twice. This response shows anger and frustration, and taking matters into his own hands. God in his grace still provides water for his people, despite Moses' disobedience, but Moses pays a heavy price: he is no longer allowed to enter the promised land.
In Deuteronomy 8 we see Moses reminding the people of all that God had done for them (they had a habit of forgetting!). In this speech, he reminds them of these instances of provision of water from the rock, and this time he gets the emphasis right: it was God who brought forth the water, not him. In fact, it was despite him, despite circumstances and despite the people's grumbling attitudes, that God provided. Oh what grace. There are so many lessons we can learn from these accounts in the Old Testament. Lessons about going to God with your problems, about the importance of obedience in leadership and the need to not let frustration and anger drive our reactions. There are lessons about gratitude and grumbling, and about giving God the glory rather than taking it for ourselves. Isn't Scripture amazing with its richness?
But there's another aspect of this theme that appears in the New Testament...
In 1 Corinthians 10 Paul writes about how we need to learn from Israel's history, particularly from their mistakes and God's character shown in his dealings with them. In reflecting on these 'water from the rock' instances, Paul writes that the rock that followed them was Christ. It was out of the riches of Christ that the people were satisfied. Now here's where the part about striking and speaking gets really interesting. Jesus was struck for us (see Isaiah 53 and the narratives of the crucifixion) and as a result, salvation flowed to us. But once was enough (see Hebrews 7:27 & 10:10) - Jesus doesn't need to keep being sacrificed and struck for us because his suffering and sacrifice was perfect and complete. Now, we only need to speak to him in prayer to receive his provision, nourishment and life-giving Spirit. How awesome is that? I just love how these truths are unfolded throughout Scripture and how everything is centered in Christ.
For all of these pages I used the same supplies: Inktense blocks and a paintbrush, as well as black Versamagic ink and of course, stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy! I used the new School Days Alpha and Faith Wordfetti as well as Living Water, Mighty Fortress, His Name and Sweet & Simple Alpha. Here are the sets I used:
I know this post has been a long one, but there was so much to share about this thread of water from the rock throughout Scripture. I hope that you have been encouraged and that God will speak to you through his Word so you would know his gracious provision right where you are.
x Amy x
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