Christ as the Rock was Smitten so that the Water of Life would Flow for us to Drink

Praise the Lord, Christ as the living, spiritual rock was smitten by the authority of God’s law so that the water of life in resurrection could flow out of Him and into His redeemed people for them to drink!

This week in our morning revival we come to the topic of, Speaking to the Rock to Drink of the Spirit as the Water of Life and Digging the Well to Allow the Spirit as the Water of Life to Flow Freely within Us.

On one hand God took care of the food of His people during the wilderness by giving them every day the same food – manna; on the other hand, He quenched their thirst by being a rock that followed them, and that rock flowed out water.

How can someone satisfy the hunger and quench the thirst of more than 2 million people for forty years in the wilderness? Only God could do it, and the way He did it was simply by giving them manna from heavens and water from the smitten rock.

In our Christian life as we journey with God in the wilderness, we need to eat Christ as the daily manna available to us especially in the morning, and we need to drink of Him as the smitten rock which flowed out the Spirit to quench our thirst.

As we drink of the Lord and our thirst is quenched, we allow flow Him out to others; the way we drink is by speaking to the rock, and the Spirit will flow out.

And for us to have more water and to even flow out the water of life that we drink, we need to dig – we need to dig the well to allow the Spirit as the water of life to flow freely in us.

We want to see the rock (which is Christ), the water flowing out (which is the resurrected Christ as the Spirit), the one way to drink (speaking to Christ and singing), and one key to flowing (speaking Christ to others and especially singing).

Seeing God’s Intention for His People to Drink of Him as the Living Water to Quench their Thirst

In Exo. 17 Moses was instructed by God to strike the rock, and water came out. There was a contention there, and there was a test; the children of Israel contended with Moses and put God to the test, and the waters were called the water of Massa (of test) and of Meriba (of strife and contention), to memorialize what happened there.

And then, many years later, almost four decades, the children of Israel arrived at the same place, and a whole new generation was raised up; these ones, however, also complained and contended with Moses for water.

This time God told Moses to take the rod, gather the assembly together, and speak to the rock and water will flow out for people and livestock to drink.

But Moses, who was close to 120 years old, more mature than when he left Egypt, a man known for his meekness and patience, did something unbelievable: instead of speaking to the rock, he said to the people, Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you from this rock?

He was infuriated and angry, in an unhappy way, and instead of speaking to the rock, he lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice; in this way, he did something that Jehovah did not instruct him to do.

So Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me in the sight of the children of Israel, you will not bring this congregation into the land which I will give them.

Moses and Aaron failed to sanctify God and rebelled against His word, so they were denied entrance into the good land that God promised to Israel (Num. 27:14). Oh Lord Jesus!

Then in Num. 21 Israel went further to Beer, and there was a well there; there God gave His people water.

It is in the Lord’s heart to give His people water. Though the people of God may be striving, be unhappy, and murmur and complain, what is in God’s heart is to give them water to drink. And there Israel sang a song, Spring up, oh well, sing to it! Speak to the rock and sing to the well!

In the New Testament we are told in 1 Cor. 12:13 that in one Spirit we were all baptised into one Body, and we were all given to drink one Spirit.

The water in the Old Testament is a type of the Spirit in the New Testament. In John 4:10 when the Lord spoke to the Samaritan woman, she was actually speaking to the rock, and she could simply ask for a drink.

God wants to give us water; He doesn’t want us to be dehydrated or thirsty. So He went through a process to become the living water for us to drink; this water is not just the Spirit but the entire Triune God!

In John 7:37-39 the Lord stood up and asked everyone with a loud voice to come to Him and drink.

He has the water; we can come to Him and drink, and when we drink, out of our innermost being will flow rivers of living water, which spring up into eternal life. So the rock became a well – the rock outside becomes a well inside, and the flowing rock becomes a springing fountain within us springing up into eternal life, the fullness of life consummating in the New Jerusalem.

On the cross the Lord Jesus was pierced – one of the soldiers pierced His side, and out came blood and water (John 19:34); blood flowed for our redemption and water for our regeneration and supply.

Just as the children of Israel all drank the same spiritual drink from the rock that followed them, so we have Christ as the rock following us, and we can drink of Him (1 Cor. 10:4).

Even in the New Jerusalem for eternity God’s desire is that His people would drink of Him as the living water; the throne is in the center, and from the throne flows a river of water of life to quench our thirst and bring us under God’s authority. Hallelujah!

Thank You Lord for Your intention to be a flowing river of water of life so that Your people may drink of You and quench their thirst. Amen, Lord, we come to You – You are the smitten rock flowing out living water for us to drink. Hallelujah, God is now flowing out as living water for us to drink of Him, and we can simply speak to Him and He will give us to drink. Amen, Lord, give us to drink! Save us from our quarreling, striving, complaining, and murmuring; keep us coming to You, the source of living water, to drink of You!

Christ as the Rock was Smitten so that the Water of Life would Flow for us to Drink

The striking of the rock in Exo. 17:5 is a clear, complete, and full picture of Christ’s crucifixion; when He died, Christ was smitten and living water flowed for us to drink.

In this story we see that God told Moses (who signifies the law) to strike the rock (which signifies Christ) so that water may flow out for the people to quench their thirst.

Moses – signifying the law – took his staff – representing the power and authority of the law – to strike the rock – Christ. The striking of the rock by Moses’ staff signifies that Christ was put to death on the cross by the authority of God’s law (see Gal. 2:19-20; 3:13).

Christ was put to death not merely by men but by the authority of God’s law, which condemns all those who have sinned.

We need to have a picture of the crucified One in front of our eyes; on the cross Christ was struck by the authority of God’s law, the whole weight of God’s law, and all the curse of the law was with this Man at this time.

As the Lord was hanging on the cross, He became a curse on our behalf, and by His death we are healed and redeemed, and in His resurrection we can drink Him as the living water.

Christ as the spiritual, living rock was smitten by the authority of God’s law so that the water of life in resurrection could flow out of Him and into us, His people, so that we may drink and quench our thirst (Exo. 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4).

When Moses struck the rock, water gushed out; when the power of the law struck the Lord and the spear pierced His side, out came blood and water.

He is the rock of ages who was cleft for us; we can hide in Him and let the water and the blood that flowed from His riven side be of sin the double cure to save us from its guilt and power.

Christ is our begetting rock; He is the rock of our salvation, strength, refuge, hiding place, covering, and safeguard (see Deut. 32:18; 2 Sam. 22:47; Psa. 95:1; 62:7; 94:22; Isa. 32:2).

God is the rock that begot us (Deut. 32:18); we were begotten by a rock, which is God our Father, and this rock is a begetting rock, full of life! God is the rock of our salvation (2 Sam. 22:47; Psa. 95:1).

God as the rock is our strength and our refuge; He is our hiding place, our protection, our covering, and our safeguard (Psa. 62:7; 94:22). The Lord is the shadow of a massive rock in a wasted land (Isa. 32:2); when we are weary, we can rest under the shadow cast by this rock.

Blessed be our rock, the rock of our salvation! We need to make a joyful noise to the rock of salvation and draw water with rejoicing out of the wells of salvation! Such a rock was smitten by God and flowed out living water for us to drink!

Out of His pierced side flowed blood and water on the cross; the blood for our judicial redemption saves us from the guilt of sin, and the water for our organic salvation saves us from the power of sin (Gen. 2:21-22; John 19:34; Zech. 13:1; Psa. 36:8-9; Rev. 21:6; Hymns, #1058, stanza 1).

The Lord’s blood flowed out to save us from the guilt of sin and to erase the record of sin, and water flowed out for our regeneration. Christ as the rock flowed out water to regenerate us and save us organically, saving us from the power of sin.

There’s now a fountain open for sin and impurity, a fountain of blood (Zech. 13:1), and also a fountain of life for our supply and enjoyment (Psa. 36:8-9) to give us water when we are thirsty (Rev. 21:6).

Lord Jesus, You are the living, spiritual rock that was smitten by the authority of God’s law so that the water of life in resurrection could flow out of You and into us, Your redeemed people, so that we may drink. Thank You Lord for flowing out Your blood for our redemption and water for our regeneration and supply. Hallelujah for our begetting rock, the rock of our salvation, strength, refuge, hiding place, protection, covering, and safeguard! Blessed be the rock of our salvation! Praise the Lord Jesus, our begetting rock, our rock of salvation!

This article can also be read in the Romanian language / Citiți acest articol în limba română vizitând următorul link, Cristos ca stâncă a fost lovit ca apa vieții să curgă pentru ca noi să bem.

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Minoru Chen for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Exodus, msgs. 40-41 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Numbers (2), week 4, Speaking to the Rock to Drink of the Spirit as the Water of Life and Digging the Well to Allow the Spirit as the Water of Life to Flow Freely within Us.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Christ, the Rock, is riven; / Living water’s flowing; / But within my heart now / It is blocked from going. (Hymns #250)
  # Rock of Ages, cleft for me, / Let me hide myself in Thee; / Let the water and the blood, / From Thy riven side which flowed, / Be of sin the double cure, / Save me from its guilt and power. (Hymns #1058)
  # Blessed Rock of Ages, / Thou art open still; / Thy blest Holy Spirit / All our being fill; / Still Thou dost say, / Wherefore struggle so? / Call for the Spirit, / Whisper soft and low, / Speak to the Rock / Bid the waters flow. (Hymns #248)