[0:00] In the Lord's blessing, let us turn back to the chapter that we read in the book of Exodus, chapter 17, and we'll read from verse 4. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? They be almost ready to stone me.
[0:19] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of 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, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.
[0:41] 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 chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?
[0:59] The children of Israel set out from the wilderness of Sin, and they travelled from place to place according to the account that we have in the book of Numbers, until they came to encamp at Rephidim.
[1:19] They were led there by the Lord, for we read that they came according to the commandment of the Lord.
[1:30] And the problem encountered here at Rephidim was one that could be expected after a long journey in the wilderness.
[1:42] The people were without water, and the welfare of their cattle and flocks were threatened. This sounds familiar to us with a similar experience that they had when they reached the bitter waters of Marah.
[2:04] And because of their experience at Marah, they should have known how to handle this kind of situation.
[2:15] They should have gathered together, and they should have prayed and waited for God to provide water for them.
[2:27] But that is not what happened. They began to murmur and complain.
[2:39] Also, they were here in accordance to the commandment of God. They were here in accordance to the will of God.
[2:53] Maybe they would be tempted to think that they had gone wrong somewhere in their journey, when they ended here at Rephidim and without water.
[3:07] There are times within our own experience when, because of hardships and difficulties and challenges, we may question whether we are following the will of God.
[3:24] But here is Israel, and they are brought to this place where there is no water, by the will of God.
[3:34] They are brought to this place where there is no water, by the will of God. It reminds us that sometimes when things are hard and difficult, and we are faced with great challenges, that that does not mean that we are outside the will of God.
[3:59] When we come to face hardships and difficulties, it may be in accordance to the will of God, who is taking us to a place of testing.
[4:20] However, this incident brings before us how soon we are prone to forget, and instead of waiting, the children of Israel here did what they usually did.
[4:36] They murmured and complained. The place where they were camping was called Rephidim, which means a resting place.
[4:47] But it was given the name Meribah, which means murmuring, because of the murmuring of the children of Israel. However, although this is the fourth time that it is recorded for us that the children of Israel, after leaving Egypt, that they murmured or complained, there was a new element now in their murmuring.
[5:18] Why try ye with me, says Moses? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? Hence the place was also called Massah, which means temptation.
[5:35] And here, they not only murmured with Moses, they not only complained to Moses and grumbled with Moses, but they also tempted the Lord.
[5:54] Or, we can say, put it like this, they put the Lord to the test. Moses later on reminded the children of Israel of this, for we read in the book of Deuteronomy, whom, that's regarding God, whom thou didst prove at Massé, and with whom thou didst drive at the waters of Meribah.
[6:18] And this again is confirmed to us in the book of Psalms, Psalm 95, that we sung these words, today, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, as in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
[6:45] Or as the ESV has it, today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massé, in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
[7:02] Another of the Psalms says, how often did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert? Yea, they turned back, and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.
[7:19] The writer to the Hebrews, he also cites Psalm 95, when he speaks of the rest that belongs to the people of God.
[7:32] The rest there of Psalm 95 cannot be confined to the land of Canaan, for the exhortation that came centuries after the people were living in Canaan.
[7:44] But what the writer to the Hebrews is warning against is unbelief, or disobedience. And he is using the imagery of the children of Israel to reinforce his teaching.
[8:00] See, therefore it remaineth that some must enter their inn, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. Those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of their disobedience.
[8:21] And to us today, this promise is given to enter God's rest. It is given to us through the Gospel. But we are warned not to harden our hearts in unbelief, as many of the children of Israel did, and they were excluded from entering Canaan because of their disobedience.
[8:48] So many will be excluded from entering God's ultimate rest, which is heaven, because of unbelief, because of disobedience.
[9:01] Today, it is the time of repentance, faith, and perseverance in the hope of a future rest, of a future Sabbath.
[9:14] So that God's warning is as applicable to us as it was in the days of Moses and in the days of David. So the psalmist exhorts us and he says, let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience as happened to the children of Israel because of their unbelief, because of their disobedience.
[9:48] Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and said to them regarding the exodus and the experience of the children of Israel, now these things took place as examples for us that we might not decide evil as they did.
[10:05] Now these things happened to them as an example but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
[10:20] The apostle warns us to take heed. Whatever measure of progress we have made in the Christian journey or whatever amount of privileges we have enjoyed it cannot justify us for not being watchful for not taking heed.
[10:41] Mark records for us that as Jesus finds the disciples sleeping in the garden of Gethsemane after he told them to watch that he said to the disciples watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.
[11:01] The children of Israel are an example to us. They are what lighthouses are to sailors. They are warning beacons for us as we journey through this world and they are also a warning beacon to us as those who have the great privilege of the gospel of God which contains the promise of God of entering his rest but which will make him shut off because of unbelief and because of disobedience.
[11:39] Paul goes on to say no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape that ye may be able to endure it.
[11:58] There the word temptation means testing not an attempt to seduce and to sin for in that manner God tempts no man but no testing has overtaken you that is not common to man.
[12:13] God is faithful and he will not let you be tested beyond your ability but with every testing he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.
[12:27] What Paul there is saying is that when God tests his people it will not be beyond their strength and that he will always make a way of escape that they may be able to endure the testing.
[12:43] But what makes us murmur what makes us to complain what makes us to grumble is it not doubt and belief and disobedience.
[13:00] However we find in our passage that the children of Israel failed the test even though they had seen his works. For your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof though they had seen my work.
[13:19] Really they had nothing to grumble about. If only they had taken time to remember everything that God had done for them.
[13:31] they would have recognised this for themselves that they had nothing to complain about or to grumble about or to murmur about. God had done great things for them.
[13:45] He had provided for them at the Red Sea. He had turned the bitter water into sweet water. He had graciously provided for them at Elam and he had fed them with manna in the wilderness.
[13:59] They had forgotten their deliverance from bondage and slavery and how God intervened to secure their protection and how his presence was with them and how they had seen his glory in the cloud and yet they tested God they tempted God by saying is the Lord among us or not.
[14:26] Psalm 106 we read these words then believed they his words and sang his praise but what is written after that but soon forgot his works they waited not for his counsel but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert Godliness with contentment is a great gain but godliness with murmur and complaint and grumbling does not fit and one way to remedy out discontentment is to remember what God has done for us says Paul to the
[15:27] Romans what shall we say to these things if God be for us who can be against us he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things but how often do we tempt God how often do we murmur and complain and grumble when our complaint and grumbling and murmuring when things go wrong and when things doesn't go according to our expectations has not God promised that he would supply all our needs according to his riches and glory by Jesus Christ how often do we come to the place where we doubt
[16:30] God's word and where we doubt God's promise again the children of Israel should know that God delivered them from the slavery and bondage of Egypt not to abandon them in the wilderness he had promised them that he was bringing them out of Egypt in order to bring them into the promised land of Canaan so God in Christ has not saved his people to abandon them but to bring them at last to heaven on this journey like Israel we are going to meet with times of hardships and difficulties and and testings and challenges
[17:53] God to teach us our dependency upon his mercy and upon his grace when God tests us there's a gracious motive behind his testing of his people it is in order that we can learn and be taught to trust more upon him to lean more upon him to depend more upon our God returning to our passage the children of Israel were really taking God and setting him on trial they were not happy the way things were going and instead of trusting that God was good and gracious and that he would provide for them they wanted to bring God to judgment wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of
[18:56] Egypt to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst is the Lord among us or not they charged him with neglecting to provide with them refusing to protect them and failing to be present with them these are the charges that they brought against God then Moses cried to the people and he said what should I do to this people they be almost ready to stone me the situation was difficult he was surrounded by an angry mob of people who were ready to stone him and would probably have gone ahead to do that and kill Moses you know John Calvin makes a very interesting comment here in his words on this passage and he says that in the words of Moses there is something that sounds very angry and struck with indignation complained that he was weighed down with a heavy burden which he would willingly shake off if he could obtain permission and deliverance from
[20:11] God you know the children of Israel when things went wrong and didn't go their way they began to find fault with their leader Moses and it's always the same when things go wrong people grumble and complain against those who are leaders it's always the case it's still the case and it's the case in the days of Moses they found fault with Moses now whether the words of John Calvin regarding Moses being angry as he spoke whether that is accurate or not what we can commend is that Moses took the matter to the Lord and the Lord answered him and said to him go on before the people and take with thee of the elders of
[21:11] Israel and thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river taking thine hand and go 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 Moses was instructed to take the elders who were to be witnesses to the rock at Horeb to the place where God first appeared and met with Moses in the burning bush not far from Mount Sinai and God is going to appear again before him he says I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb now how God appeared here upon the rock we cannot tell but there must have been some manifestation whether it was a theophany that is the pre-incarnate Christ we just don't know however
[22:13] Paul links this incident with Christ for in 1st Corinthians we read and did all drink the same spiritual drink for the drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ Moses was told to take the rod with which he smote the river that is the Nile the river Nile back in Egypt when the waters of the Nile turned to blood and he was to hit the rock with the rod and when he did so water would gush out various attempts have been made to find some natural explanation for the water that flowed from the rock but as with all miracles it is much better simply to believe them Psalm 78 records this event for us there we read he claimed the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as out of the great depths he brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers the waters proved that all with which they had charged
[23:34] God that that was wrong they had charged him with neglecting to provide for them refusing to protect them and failing to be present with them and here he proves to them he proves to provide and to protect and that he is present with them I will stand before thee on the rock the Bible often refers to God as a rock in in to Deuteronomy 32 verse 4 we read he is the rock his work is perfect in Psalm 18 that we sung earlier the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer Psalm 75 let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation and there's that wonderful words in Isaiah chapter 32 where it says and a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and a cover from the tempest as rivers of water in a dry place as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land
[24:46] Paul wrote to the church at Corinth and he says and did all drink the same spiritual drink for the drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock was Christ in the New Testament we hear Jesus saying to Peter and in reference to himself upon this rock I will build my church we have Psalm 40 he brought me up also out of horrible pit out of the mighty clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings and he put a new song in my mouth even praise unto God so the rock is a fitting picture for us of Christ of God manifest in the flesh now think of Moses here these are these children of Israel around two million of them and they are complaining to him murmuring against him they are ready to stone the fourth time that they have murmured against him they are ready to kill him ready to stone him and put yourself in his shoes if we had been
[26:06] Moses what would we have done with the rod well there is the possibility that we would have taken the rod and disciplined the people by hitting them with the rod but what did God tell Moses to do instead of saying to Moses discipline the people with the rod hit the people with the rod bring the rod of judgment down upon the heads of the people but instead God told him that he was with the rod to strike the unoffending rock from which water would gush forth that would provide nourishment for these two million people and surely here is illustrated for us the mercy and the long suffering of God for me and you here we can identify ourselves with
[27:07] Israel for when God could because of our disobedience and because of our sin bring the rod for the full punishment of our sins upon our heads instead what do we see God doing that rod of judgment has fallen upon Christ upon the rock and out of that rock broken for us flows streams of living water here in the midst of what was happening at Revitim here we see the grace of God the mercy of God the love of God the long suffering of God instead of the rod of judgment coming down upon the heads of the people it came down upon the rock the unoffending rock and from that broken rock flows streams of living water a picture for us of
[28:11] Jesus Christ a picture for us of the cross the cross is here at Revitim the cross upon which Christ was broken and out of his brokenness flowed streams of living water the rock was to be struck it was to be smitten and that foreshadowed for us the crucifixion of Jesus Christ it speaks to us of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ that this rod smote the rock this rod of Moses that he used to smite the river Nile this rod in the hand of Moses had been a symbol of authority and symbol of judgment in the first plague upon the land of Egypt Moses used the rod to turn the water of the
[29:12] Nile into blood thus saith the Lord in this thou shalt know that I am the Lord behold I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river and they shall be turned to blood and the fish that is in the river shall die and the river shall stink and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river incidentally it is interesting that the first mention we have of this rod is when Moses was having trouble believing that he could do what God was calling him to do to deliver the children of Israel from Egypt so God answered Moses by giving him a sign he told him to throw the rod to the ground and when he threw it to the ground the rod became a serpent and the serpent of course is a symbol of the curse this rod that was a symbol of the curse and that incident this rod was to be used to bring plagues upon the
[30:13] Egyptians to divide the sea and now it was to be used to bring water from the rock and if we bring all that together and apply to what happened to Jesus at Golgotha we can say that Christ the rock was smitten with the rod of divine judgment that Jesus was sparing the curse for our sin so God struck him with the rod of his justice surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows yet we did his demon smitten stricken smitten of God and afflicted but he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed from the smitten rock flowed water from the broken rock flowed water John in his gospel records how in order to confirm that
[31:18] Jesus was dead he writes but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side and forthwith came there out blood and water the blood that he shed for our sins for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin but John also mentions water not simply to prove that Jesus died on the cross but also to show that by his death he gives life and the prophecy of Zechariah it is written in that day there shall be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness while that fountain is opened at Golgotha in the crucified Christ water of course also speaks to us of the transforming power of the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit remember the incident when
[32:22] Jesus spoke to the woman at Jacob's well in Samaria and he said to her whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life what did Jesus mean well he meant that everyone who comes to Jesus by faith is given life and everyone who comes to Jesus by faith is filled with the Holy Spirit in Jewish speech living water meant water that was flowing like water in a stream or river as opposed to water that was motionless in a cistern or in a well many times in the Old Testament God is pictured as the one who alone can supply living water in Isaiah 44
[33:23] God promised for I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine offspring in chapter 55 of the same prophecy he declares ho everyone that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat come buy wine and milk without money and without price and several times in the prophecy of Ezekiel and Sechariah there is a picture given us of a river of life flowing out from God's presence in Jerusalem and when we come to the New Testament in the book of Revelation the following picture is given to us and he showed me a pure river of water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb and also the promise for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them into living fountains of waters and
[34:23] God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes the Bible teaches us that the thirst of the soul can only be satisfied by God he alone is the one who can satisfy human longing we may we may try to do so with the things of the world and although they may satisfy for a time they will not do so permanently Jeremiah in laying out the case of how Israel had broken its covenant he records for us for my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and cured them out cisterns broken cisterns that can hold no water the rejected the fresh running supply of God's goodness and chose instead the motionless waters of cisterns that they had prepared themselves of their own making and they were cracked and broken leaving them with nothing in them to sustain life and blessing no water can compare with the living water that
[35:42] God pours out to us in Jesus Christ the life his goodness his blessing the privilege that God pours out upon us in Jesus Christ Thomas Boston once said God in Christ is the found and all sufficient in himself all the creatures she says are but cisterns if there is no water brought unto them from heaven or from the spring they are dry the thirst of the soul can only be satisfied by God he alone is the one who can satisfy that longing that thirst that there is upon the soul of man and how does he do it he does it through the smitten rock which is
[36:43] Jesus Christ and Tim crucified through a broken Christ we receive that which can bring satisfaction to our soul we receive that living water with all its blessings with all its benefits with all its goodness and that can only be obtained through the broken Christ through the smitten rock the one who bore the judgment that we deserved in order to give us life and so here then here in the wilderness we have this wonderful picture given to us of Jesus Christ remember when the two were going to Emmaus and then the Lord began to open the scriptures to them about himself about what he should suffer and the glory that should follow and where did he begin he began with
[37:54] Moses that is he began with the books of Moses Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy and he preached from these books about himself and I'm sure that he brought Exodus 17 to their attention and he said remember the rock that was struck with the rod of Moses which incidentally later on is called the rod of God remember how that rock was broken and water gushed out to give them life and blessing well he says that's a picture of me I had to be broken in order that the water of life which would bring cleansing which would bring healing which would bring blessing upon the people and may we then come to this rock and may we take from this rock may we take from the water may we take from the goodness and the blessing and the cleansing that comes through
[39:00] Jesus Christ may the Lord bless our thoughts let us pray