Moses strikes the Rock Numbers 20 Part 2

Numbers 20:11 "And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly and the congregation drank and their beasts also."

The whole congregation of the children of Israel have come to the desert of Zin at Kadesh v1. Again they came after Moses and blamed him for their situation. Again, they made rash statements about wishing they had died with their brethren. Moses and Aaron came before the Lord and he gave them instructions:

v8 "Take the rod and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes: and it shall give forth his water and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink."

Moses was apparently still angry when he went to the rock. Instead of doing as he was told by the Lord to speak to the rock, Moses smote the rock twice. This has great significance in scripture.

The Rock was a type of Christ who was once smitten for the salvation of man. The rock had already been smote once in Exodus 17: 5-7 "Behold I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb: and thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."

So, it was wrong for Moses to hit the rock when he was told to speak to it. Christ was crucified once. For this Moses would not step foot in the promised land.

Still in grace, the water came forth. Not because the people were deserving or because Moses smote the rock but because of the loving kindness of the Lord in that he loves us. Under grace Christ is counted worthy for us. The Father does good things because he loves us and because Christ paid the price for our sin. Grace...how beautiful.

Look at verse 8 "...it hall give forth his water and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock ..." It said 'his'.

I Corinthians 10:4 "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

"Psalm 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

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