The rock in Exo 17 and Num. 20 is a type of Christ who was smitten for us on the cross to flow out the divine life, and the well in Num. 21 is a type of Christ within us flowing out as we cooperate to dig the dirt, dig away all the barriers.
The Bible is truly an amazing book, speaking of the same thing, God’s economy, his hearts desire.
His desire is to flow our from eternity onto the bridge of time and into man so that man would be filled and saturated with God, and then man becomes part of the flowing of the Triune God, for the living water that man drinks becomes in Him a well springing up into eternal life. Hallelujah!
So in order for God to reach man and flow into man, he himself became a man, and as a man he became a rock of salvation, and on the cross he was smitten by the authority of God’s law.
When the Jews crucified the Lord Jesus they thought they are terminating an insurgent and a heretic, but what actually happened on the cross was that, on one hand, Christ redeemed us, and on the other, he was smitten so that living water may flow out. How amazing is this!
Now God has a way to flow into man, for by means of Christ’s redemption we can come close to God, and because Christ was smitten on the cross, the living water flows out and into all those who receive him.
The Lord’s call in John 7:37-39 resounds throughout the ages, for He is still calling all those who are thirsty to come to Him and drink.
Hallelujah, if anyone is thirsty – and everyone is thirsty, even after tasting the “water” in the world, he can come to the Lord Jesus and drink!
The rock that was following the children of Israel in the wilderness to give them water whenever they needed, that rock is Christ, who is wherever we are today in the age of grace to give us living water whenever we are thirsty and come to Him.
When we come to Him and drink the water of life in resurrection, our thirst is quenched, our inner being is satisfied, we Thirst no more, death is swallowed up, sickness is removed, and we fulfill God’s purpose.
When we drink the living water, we become the one Body of Christ, we enjoy the fellowship of the Body, and we are prepared to be the bride of Christ.
Even more, when we drink the living water from the cleft rock, which is Christ, this living water becomes in us a fountain of water of life, a well of water springing up into eternal life.
Now we have a well in us – and we need to dig the dirt and barriers that stop the springing up and flowing of this well. Amen!
The Smitten Rock flowing out becomes the Well Within us Springing up into Eternal Life!
Both in Exo. 17:5-6 and Num. 20:8 we see that there’s a rock that was smitten, and this rock flowed out water for the people of Israel to drink.
God was not unhappy with His people when they complained because they were thirsty; it was His responsibility to provide them with water, just as parents are responsible to give their children to drink.
So God provided a rock – which Paul says that it was Christ (1 Cor. 10:4) which followed the children of Israel in the wilderness, and this rock was cleft to flow out water for them to drink.
The rock in Hum. 20:8 and Exo. 17:6 typifies Christ crucified (smitten) on the cross by God so that the living water – the consummated Spirit of the processed Triune God – might flow out into us.
But then there’s another well, another flowing, mentioned in Num. 21:18, the well at Beer; this well typifies Christ within us (John 4:11-12, 14), the Christ who came into us as the Spirit, the living water, and who is now flowing out from within us and into the eternal life.
This portion in Num. 21:16-18 is the fourth occasion of the children of Israel’s drinking, at a place called Beer (which means “well”).
They came to Beer, and there was a well there; so the leaders of the people dug the well with their staff and their sceptre, and the whole people drank. This well is a type of Christ being a well in us.
On one hand He is the cleft rock, and on the other, He is the well installed in our being. The clef rock flowing out water becomes the well within us springing up living water into eternal life.
This fulfills the Lord’s word in John 7:37-39 and in 4:14 which says that all those who drink of the water He gives us, this water will become in them a well springing up into eternal life.
As the rock outside of us, the Lord Jesus was struck / smitten on the cross; as the well within us, we need to dig so that He may spring up and flow freely.
Whoever drinks of the Lord Jesus as the cleft rock drinks living water in resurrection, which is the Spirit; then, this Spirit becomes in them a well, a fountain, that springs up and flows into eternal life. Hallelujah!
This is the real situation of all the genuine believers in Christ: they have believed into the Lord, they drank of the cleft rock, and now there’s a well in their spirit springing up and flowing out into eternal life!
There’s no need for Christ to be struck again – He has already been struck, and now the Triune God – God in Christ as the Spirit – flows out for all those who are willing to drink.
There’s the need, however, for digging; we need to dig the dirt in our being that blocks the flowing out of Christ.
Hallelujah, Christ as the cleft rock flowing out living water became the well within us springing up into eternal life! Praise the Lord, we have a well within our spirit – the Triune God has been installed in us as the fountain, the springing, and the flowing out of the divine life! Lord, we want to cooperate with You so that the well within our spirit will spring up, flow out, and flow all the way into the New Jerusalem! Amen, we want to cooperate by digging away all the dirt in our being for the divine life to flow!
Dig the Dirt and Barriers in our Heart so that the Spirit may Spring up and Flow Freely
![...[At] Beer,...the well where Jehovah said to Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water,...Israel sang this song: Spring up, O well! Sing to it! The well, which the leaders sank, which the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter, with their staffs...Num. 21:16-18](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Beer...the-well-where-Jehovah-said-to-Moses.jpg?resize=450%2C674&ssl=1 "The rock in Numbers 20:8 and Exodus 17:5-6 typifies Christ crucified (smitten) on the cross by God so that the living water, the consummated Spirit of the processed Triune God, might flow out into us, whereas the well at Beer typifies Christ within us (John 4:11-12, 14). The digging of the well (Num. 21:18) signifies the digging away of the”dirt,” the barriers in our heart—our mind, emotion, will, and conscience—so that the Spirit as the living water may spring up within us and flow freely. Num. 21:16, footnote 1, Recovery Version Bible")
The digging of the well in Num. 21:18 signifies the digging away of the “dirt” in our being, the barriers in our heart so that the Spirit as the living water may spring up within us and flow freely.
We thank and praise the Lord that there’s a fountain of life installed in our innermost being, but at the same time we need to realise that we need to cooperate with Him to dig away anything that blocks and hinders the flow of water of life in us.
When the children of Israel arrived at Beer, they sang, The well, which the leaders sank, / Which the nobles of the people dug, With the sceptre, with their staffs.
A sceptre is a royal rod in the ruler’s hand, and is related to authority; a rod or a staff is for guidance (see Psa. 23:4). This means that in our Christian life we need to be dug under the Lord’s authority and according to His guidance.
In all the local churches the leading ones need to take the lead to dig away the dirt and barriers so that the Spirit as the living water may spring up and flow freely.
All the saints, beginning from the leading ones, need to cooperate with the Lord who has been installed as the fountain of life in our spirit, to dig the dirt, any barrier, and any hindrance to the flow of life.
We all realise that the flowing of the Spirit in us is so much hindered, for many times we feel no supply, no inner flow; so we need to cooperate by digging away anything that the Lord leads us to dig, anything that He guides to remove and deal with.
When we dig the dirt under the Lord’s authority and according to His guidance, we will have a well springing up with living water!
Amen, may we all have a well springing up with living water all the time in the churches by practising to dig the dirt and barriers that block the flowing!
We need to come to the Lord again and again and deal with Him, ask Him, and enquire of Him, so that He may shine on anything in our mind, emotion, will, and conscience that is dirt, impure, and defiled, and anything that is a hindrance to the inner flow of life.
On His side the Lord has been smitten; He is open, ready, and available for us to drink of Him.
But on our side we need not only to come to Him and drink by being identified with the crucified Christ and asking Him to give us to drink, but also practice digging away anything in us that blocks the flowing of life! Oh Lord Jesus!
The flow of the spiritual life – the spring of the living water – is still not that free in us; there’s much dirt within us that must be dug out.
We need to ask the Lord to show us the dirt by shining on us; then, under His leading and guidance, we need to deal with anything in us that blocks the inner flow of life.
Oh, our heart has so much dirt which needs to be dug out…and even our spirit has some dirt that needs to be dealt with!
There’s no problem with the water; the well water of life in our spirit is installed, ready to flow, and this water is pure, clean, divine, eternal, and always nourishing.
But there’s a problem with the dirt in our being; the dirt within us must be dug out so that the living water may freely flow within us and even through us.
Lord Jesus, we want to cooperate with You to do the digging of the dirt and blockages in our being so that Your life may flow freely! Shine on us, Lord, and show us the dirt, the barriers, and the blockages in our being which need to be dug out and dealt with. May all the things that block the flow of life be shined on and removed so that there would be free flow of the living water within us! Amen, Lord, we treasure the sweet flow of life. We open our mind, emotion, will, and conscience to You so that any dirt or barrier may be removed and the divine life would flow freely!
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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, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1969, vol. 2, ”The Crucial Revelation of Life in the Scriptures,” ch. 4, 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:
# I have come to the Fountain of Life, / A fountain that flows from above; / I have passed from the waters of strife / And come to the Elim of love; / I have drunk of the heavenly well, / In the depths of my being it springs. / No mortal can measure or tell / The gladness the Comforter brings. (Hymns #523)
# I will dig by praying, / Dig the dirt entirely, / Thus release the Spirit, / Let the stream flow freely. / There’s no need again that / Christ, the Rock, be riven, / But unto the digging / That I should be given. (Hymns #250)
# Dig away, dig away, dig away, / Condemnation in my heart dig away! / Dig away, dig away, dig away, / Condemnation in my heart dig away! / All the guilt has to go / That His life may flow… Hallelujah! / Dig away, dig away, dig away, / Condemnation in my heart dig away! (Hymns #1214)
