420. EXO 17:5, EXO 17:6. CHRIST TYPIFIED BY THE SMITTEN ROCK

Exo_17:5, Exo_17:6. Christ Typified By The Smitten Rock

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock," &c.’97Exo_17:5, Exo_17:6.

"That rock was Christ."’971Co_10:4.

The apostle could not mean more than that the rock of Horeb was a type of Jesus. That it had a distinct reference to him, and was intended not merely to supply the Israelites with water in the wilderness, but to point to Christ, the rock of salvation, from whom should flow the waters of life for all people. As such let us examine the original narrative, and see the various typical points presented for our consideration. We notice,

I. The Rock typified the Person of Christ.

The rock exhibits Christ,

1. In his exaltation and glory.

As the rock lifts its head above all around, and stands forth with sublime prominence’97so Jesus, in his divine nature, is higher than the kings of the earth, yea, higher and more glorious than angels, above all, God blessed for evermore.

2. The rock typified the strength and power of Jesus.

Rock is the emblem of strength. Unlike the yielding earth or gliding sand. It will bear pressure. It stands before the tempest and the storm. The lightning of heaven and the roaring torrent affect it not How emblematical of Jesus. He possesses all power. All the elements of nature are subject to him and under his direct control. By his fiat he created all things, and "he upholdeth all things by the word of his power."

3. The rock typified his unchanging stability.

No other object in nature seems at all expressive of immutability The sea, the air, the heavenly bodies, in their respective movements, all indicate change. The rock is the emblem of fixedness, and here the term everlasting is by accommodation applied to the hills. Jesus is the blessed and immutable one who changes not, the name yesterday, today, and forever. "His years fail not;" "I am what I am," is his unalterable prerogative.

4. The rock typified the humble and mean appearance of Jesus.

The rock amid all its loftiness, &c., bears sterility on its surface. The opposite of the fertile and fruitful earth. How unlikely to supply the wants of the thousands of Israel. Thus did Christ appear when clothed with pur nature. There was nothing to the carnal eye attractive He was to the Jews as a rock of offence, and stone of stumbling. And the doctrine of salvation through his cross, was to the Jews a stumbling-block, &c. Observe,

II. The Smiting of the Rock was typical of the Sufferings of Jesus.

1. The rock was smitten by God’s command. Christ suffered by the will and appointment of God. God gave him, and sent him forth, expressly to suffer as a propitiatory sacrifice. He was the Lamb of God, raised up to take away the sin of the world, see Zec_13:7.

2. The rock was smitten by the rod of Moses.

Moses, as the lawgiver smiting the rock, is strikingly a representation of Jesus meeting the claims of the law, bearing its penalties in his own person. Being made a curse for sinners, although he knew no sin. He obeyed all the enactments of the law, and so far was clear; but as the sinner’s substitute, he had to sustain all the wrath which transgression had incurred, Gal_3:13.

3. The rock was smitten in the presence of the elders of Israel.

Christ suffered publicly. He was arraigned, tried, condemned, scourged, and crucified before the elders of Israel. His sufferings were to be open and manifest, (not done in a corner, secretly,) as they were to be the leading facts the apostles and disciples were to make known to the world.

III. The gushing Stream was typical of the benefits flowing from Christ’s Death to Mankind.

1. The stream was that which was needed by the people.

Salvation was that of all things most precious to the guilty condemned sons of men. As nothing could be a substitute for the water the Israelites desired, so there is nothing to be compared, and nothing can be substituted for the saving mercy and grace of God.

2. The stream flowed not till the rock was smitten.

All the blessings of providence and grace come to us through the merits of the mediator. "It behooved him to suffer," &c. "Without shedding of blood," &c.

3. The stream issued forth abundantly.

The supply was ample, more than equal to their wants. So the benefits of Christ’s death meet all the exigencies of sinners. There is no lack. It is an overflowing and exhaustless fulness.

Enough for all, enough for each,’97

Enough for evermore."

4. The stream was free and gratuitous to all the children of Israel.

As there was no limitation, so there was no restriction. All required it; and it was for all. So the benefits of Christ’s death are for all men. No exclusion on God’s part. "He willeth not the death of a sinner," &c. None on Christ’s part, for he "died for all." None on the Spirit’s part, for "the Spirit, as well as the bride, says, Come, and all that will, may come and take of the water of life freely." Rev_22:17.

Application

1. The water which flowed from the rock was obtained by the will of God. The water of life by the unknown agonies of the Son of God.

2. That water only supplied the thirst of the body. The water of life, the vast and boundless desires of the soul.

3. That was for Israel, this for the world. Let every sinner come, then, and receive the living waters of salvation freely, without money and without price.

4. To reject or neglect this water, is to expose our deathless souls to irretrievable ruin.

Autor: JABEZ BURNS