Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:6,7 ESV)
Rock
It might seem like a bit of desert landscaping, but that Rock at Horeb shows us Jesus.
Even if Paul had not told us in I Corinthians 10:4, we’d be able to see it.
The miraculous water flowing from that Rock was a direct result of the grumbling people demanding that God prove He was with them, Emmanuel.
The striking of the Rock is similar to the striking of Christ as He suffered for our salvation.
The Rock provided what was both necessary and deeply profound. Both the living water AND Jesus Christ are necessary for life.
Far more than a fortress metaphor, the Rock is the foundation of the church (Matthew 16:18). The Rock is the foundation of a wise man’s life (Matthew 7:24-27). The Rock is the necessary foundation of salvation (Psalm 62:6,7).
Jesus is not merely a nice addition to a list of human philosophers. Jesus is not merely a pleasant addition to the décor of Christians’ lives. Jesus is not a luxury to be taken up or put down when convenient, or when memory pushes us.
Jesus is the Rock.