Water From The Rock: An Exposition Of Exodus 17:1-7

We already discussed last week about how the Israelites failed to trust the LORD and chose to complain and accuse His motives for delivering them from Egypt which was blasphemy against the character of the LORD. If anything, there is an escalation in this passage, to the point that Moses and Aaron feared for their lives. But the LORD showed His mercy and longsuffering once again. He simply directed Moses to strike the rock, and abundant water flowed out. Israel was again delivered. And Moses called the place Massah and Meribah because of the contention and the fact that Israel complained and impugned the character of the LORD. We, too, need to be reminded of our failures to trust in the LORD. But this is meant to teach us next time to trust in the LORD, that it is His will to save us and not to kill. Israel was slow to learn. Soon they would provoke the LORD to wrath again and again, such as the making of the golden calf and the unbelief of the ten spies. So we must understand that there is a limit to provocations. The good news is that the LORD is full of mercy and slow to anger.

Just as in last week’s message, this incident serves as a type of deliverance which is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John brings out this connection. Last week, we were reminded of Jesus’ association of Himself to be the true bread which came down from heaven. This week we see the association of Jesus with the water which came from the rock in John 7:37-39:

John 7:37–39 NKJV

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Jesus says these words at the Feast of Tabernacles which was the annual commemoration of the wilderness experience of Israel. They stayed for a week in booths, and three things were remembered in particular. The first was the manna which came from heaven. The second was the water which came from the rock. The third was the pillar of flame which guided them on their journey by night and the pillar of cloud which guided them by day, which Jesus relates to Himself when He says “I AM the Light of the World. When we look at the previously cited verse, the association of the Scripture is made more clear when we take the Greek pronoun “autou” as a referring to the rock. The Scripture cited should be understood as: “Out of the belly of the rock shall come rivers of living water.”

If one examines the parallel structure which is common in Hebrew, John 7:37 should read: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come, and let him drink who believes in me.” It has commonly been understood here that the believer is the source of the river of living waters (the Holy Spirit). However, when it is understood as the belly of the rock rather than as the NKJV says “out of his heart” (referring to the believer), then we come to what Jesus is saying here, He is that rock, the rock that we smitten to save us, out of which flowed His blood, the true drink which satisfies thirst eternally. As Jesus says to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14: