WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.799 Good morning. My name is Sean. I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church. It's my joy 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:09.480 to preach God's Word to you this morning. If you turn with me to Exodus chapter 16, 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:15.740 we were trying to finish all of 16. Last week we didn't get to, so we're going to be finishing that 00:00:15.740 --> 00:00:21.160 up and finishing the passage that we have for today, which is 17.1-7. So we'll go from Exodus 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:29.519 16.22 to 17.7. If you don't have a Bible, if you raise your hand, we have a Bible we can lend you. 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:37.899 If you're not familiar with your Bibles, Exodus is the second book in the Bible after Genesis, 00:00:38.640 --> 00:00:50.820 before Leviticus. Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word. 00:00:50.820 --> 00:01:00.380 Heavenly Father, we tremble before your Word. 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:10.299 I stand before you not to bring my own message, but as your servant, as your messenger. 00:01:10.299 --> 00:01:20.920 help me to faithfully proclaim what you have said in your Word. 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:31.200 may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:41.939 O Lord, our rock and redeemer. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you are able, please stand for the 00:01:41.939 --> 00:01:45.719 reading of God's Word from Exodus 16.22 to 17.7. 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:58.680 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders 00:01:58.680 --> 00:02:03.939 of the congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, this is what the Lord has commanded. 00:02:04.439 --> 00:02:12.340 Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what 00:02:12.340 --> 00:02:19.140 you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. So they laid it aside 00:02:19.140 --> 00:02:24.560 till the morning as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 00:02:25.439 --> 00:02:33.539 Moses said, eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find it in the field. 00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:40.699 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none. 00:02:40.699 --> 00:02:49.500 On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, 00:02:50.339 --> 00:02:58.599 how long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? See, the Lord has given you the Sabbath. 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:05.859 Therefore, on the sixth day, he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place. 00:03:05.860 --> 00:03:13.400 Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:22.420 Now, the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it 00:03:22.420 --> 00:03:29.300 was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, this is what the Lord has commanded. Let an omer of it 00:03:29.300 --> 00:03:34.480 be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the 00:03:34.480 --> 00:03:40.439 wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt. And Moses said to Aaron, take a jar and put 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:45.180 an omer of manna in it and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations. 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:50.200 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept. 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:59.079 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till 00:03:59.079 --> 00:04:04.879 they came to the border of the land of Canaan. And omer is the tenth part of an ephah. 00:04:06.379 --> 00:04:11.719 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of sin by stages, 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:19.300 according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim. But there was no water for the 00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:26.340 people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, give us water to drink. 00:04:27.379 --> 00:04:37.819 And Moses said to them, why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord? But the people thirsted 00:04:37.819 --> 00:04:44.780 there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, why did you bring us up out of Egypt 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:54.019 to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst? So Moses cried to the Lord, what shall I do 00:04:54.019 --> 00:05:02.299 with this people? They are almost ready to stone me. And the Lord said to Moses, pass on before the 00:05:02.299 --> 00:05:08.539 people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which 00:05:08.540 --> 00:05:17.860 you struck the Nile and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:26.540 shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink. And Moses did so in the 00:05:26.540 --> 00:05:33.879 sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah because of the 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:41.420 quarreling of the people of Israel. And because they tested the Lord by saying, is the Lord among us 00:05:41.420 --> 00:05:48.399 or not? This is God's holy and authoritative word. Please be seated. 00:05:53.480 --> 00:06:02.420 We saw from last week in Exodus 16, 4-5, that the Lord was testing Israel by giving them two specific 00:06:02.420 --> 00:06:08.460 instructions regarding the manna, the bread from heaven that he rained on them. The first instruction 00:06:08.460 --> 00:06:16.939 was that they were to go out and gather one day's portion every day, no more and no less. And they 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:22.400 were not to keep any leftovers for the following day. And by not gathering more than the day's portion, 00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:28.660 they were to learn to trust in the Lord and to depend on him for their daily provision, rather than 00:06:28.660 --> 00:06:36.140 trying to provide for themselves. And there was also a second instruction. And this had to do with 00:06:36.140 --> 00:06:39.480 the Sabbath rest. It says in verses 22 to 26, 00:06:40.380 --> 00:06:46.879 on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:52.900 congregation came and told Moses, he said to them, this is what the Lord has commanded. Tomorrow is a day 00:06:52.900 --> 00:06:57.840 of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:05.139 and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning. So when the Israelites tried to save 00:07:05.139 --> 00:07:09.319 some of the manna because they didn't believe that God would provide for them on the following day, 00:07:09.379 --> 00:07:13.239 and they tried to keep manna and the leftovers for the following day, the manna, bread, worms, 00:07:13.319 --> 00:07:22.259 and it stank. However, when they kept the manna overnight on the sixth day, the manna did not 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:27.239 stink. It did not grow worms. It was preserved so that they could have it on the seventh day. And before 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:33.160 this reason, also, God rained twice the portion of manna on the sixth day so that on the seventh day, 00:07:33.259 --> 00:07:37.360 he would give them nothing. He would not rain anything down, and they would eat what they had 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:44.400 saved from the day before. So on Friday, when people realized that after they've collected all 00:07:44.400 --> 00:07:49.259 the manna, as much as people wanted to eat, they realized that there's a double portion. There's more, 00:07:49.400 --> 00:07:53.939 there's enough for each person to take two omers each instead of one, which was what was allotted for 00:07:53.939 --> 00:07:58.279 the rest of the week. So they're surprised by this, and they come to Moses, so what's the deal? 00:07:58.540 --> 00:08:03.759 Why is there so much manna, extra manna today? And Moses tells him, well, because the Lord wants you 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:10.399 to observe a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord this day, on the seventh day, the Saturday. 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:16.159 So that's why on the sixth day, Friday, God's not, God's giving you double portion of the manna. 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:22.640 So this is a different rule from the earlier one about only gathering one day's portion and keeping 00:08:22.640 --> 00:08:29.500 no leftovers, but it's the same test as the first one. It's once again testing the Israelites' 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:36.920 dependence on the Lord, whether or not they will obey his command. Since the brief mention of the 00:08:36.920 --> 00:08:42.860 Sabbath in the creation narrative in Genesis 2, 1 to 3, this is the first time that we see the 00:08:42.860 --> 00:08:49.560 Sabbath mentioned again in the Bible. And in that brief command in verse 23, we learn several 00:08:49.560 --> 00:08:57.519 important things about the Sabbath. First is that it's a day of solemn rest. When the Sabbath command 00:08:57.519 --> 00:09:04.560 is codified into law in Exodus 20, 11, the rationale for it is rooted in creation. It says, 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:10.080 in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:18.740 day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. God created humans to need rest, 00:09:19.160 --> 00:09:25.680 and he set the pattern for them to follow in the way he rested from creation on the seventh day. 00:09:26.660 --> 00:09:36.360 God himself needs no rest. Isaiah 40, 28 tells us that God neither faints nor is weary. And Jesus in 00:09:36.360 --> 00:09:43.519 John 5, 17 talks about how God the Father is working even when we are not on the Sabbath day. But God 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:52.279 sets this pattern not for himself but for our benefit because we need rest. That's why Jesus says in Mark 00:09:52.279 --> 00:10:03.360 2, 27, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Sabbath is not an arbitrary law that's 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:08.200 burdensome for us to follow. God has given it to promote human flourishing. 00:10:10.539 --> 00:10:16.060 We have some fitness trainers, maybe just one. Laura is a fitness trainer. I'm sure she would tell 00:10:16.060 --> 00:10:21.700 you this if you were to ask her. Maybe I'm giving you bad advice. If you incessantly push your muscles 00:10:21.700 --> 00:10:30.720 to their limits, right, we don't get stronger, right? We get injured because our muscles only heal and 00:10:30.720 --> 00:10:39.360 rebuild while we are resting. Is that right? That's right. God created us, body and soul, to need rest. 00:10:40.160 --> 00:10:50.040 So think about this for a minute. God created us to do nothing but sleep for a full third of our lives. 00:10:50.039 --> 00:11:00.219 Sleeping facilitates body repair, helps brain function, keeps emotions regulated, reduces disease risk, 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:06.959 and keeps weight under control among other innumerable benefits. There's a lot happening 00:11:06.959 --> 00:11:14.959 while we are consciously doing nothing. Some of you know this about me but I'm one of those people 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:22.040 who can't stay awake past their bedtimes to save their lives. If you're talking to me when I'm past 00:11:22.040 --> 00:11:28.320 my bedtime and I'm tired, it doesn't matter how important you are or how interesting it is that 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:33.580 we're, the thing it is that we're talking about, I will start falling asleep on you and I need the 00:11:33.580 --> 00:11:41.019 full eight hours to function optimally. In the past, I used to wish that I had short sleeper syndrome. 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:46.539 You guys know about this, SSS, short sleeper syndrome. People with SSS can get fewer than six 00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:52.319 hours of sleep each night and still function normally. A lot of you guys are probably thinking, 00:11:52.439 --> 00:11:58.460 oh, I think that's me. By the way, only about one percent of the population has this. So most likely, 00:11:58.579 --> 00:12:04.079 you don't have it. And so you might think that you are functioning normally with fewer than six hours 00:12:04.079 --> 00:12:07.379 of sleep but you're probably just not functioning well enough to recognize that you're not functioning 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:16.620 optimally. And so, but anyway, I don't wish for SSS anymore personally because sleeping is such a 00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:25.379 wonderfully humbling experience. It helps me to realize that even though I was conked out and out 00:12:25.379 --> 00:12:32.740 of commission for a full eight hours, the house did not burn down, the church did not implode, 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:42.120 and the world did not stop spinning, God can run the universe just fine without your help. 00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:50.940 That's what sleeping reminds us of. So should we, as new covenant Christians, observe the Sabbath? 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:58.680 We Christians are not legally required to keep the Sabbath. Colossians 2, 16 to 17 teaches us that 00:12:58.679 --> 00:13:06.159 the Sabbath was merely a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 00:13:07.359 --> 00:13:13.599 Jesus is, according to Romans 10, 4, the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, 00:13:14.059 --> 00:13:19.639 and he has, according to Matthew 5, 17 to 20, he has fulfilled the law so that we Christians are no 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:28.620 longer under the old covenant and its legal demands. However, because 2 Timothy 3, 16 to 17 says, 00:13:28.679 --> 00:13:33.759 all scripture, all scripture, including the Old Testament, is breathed out by God and profitable 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:39.620 for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may 00:13:39.620 --> 00:13:45.500 be complete, equipped for every good work, and because a day of rest is a part of God's creational 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:52.079 pattern that applies to all of humanity, we should observe a day of rest as a way of humbling ourselves 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:57.400 and growing our dependence on God, even though we're not legally obligated to do so. 00:13:58.120 --> 00:14:05.240 A day of rest can help us cultivate a habit of living in light of the eternal rest we have in Christ. 00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:10.580 That's what the Sabbath was intended to be, a day of solemn rest. 00:14:11.420 --> 00:14:14.780 The Sabbath was created for man, for man, not man, for the Sabbath. 00:14:14.779 --> 00:14:19.839 And it's also not only for our personal benefit, but for the benefit of others. 00:14:19.959 --> 00:14:25.139 Because if we are working, it forces other people who are under our charge to work. 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.500 So the Sabbath is a way to give rest to other people as well. 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:32.360 It has a social and humanitarian function. 00:14:33.620 --> 00:14:36.720 Some of you probably find it very difficult to rest. 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:46.560 Instead, your work is like a lake that continually overflows its banks, causing flood damages to everyone around it. 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:52.080 Your work overflows into your family life, to your church life, your own personal life, 00:14:52.300 --> 00:14:55.620 and affects your physical, relational, and spiritual health. 00:14:57.259 --> 00:15:02.460 So you have to remember, if that's you, that God has designed you to need rest. 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:06.960 The second thing we learn about the Sabbath from verse 23 is this. 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:09.759 It's a holy Sabbath to the Lord. 00:15:10.220 --> 00:15:10.920 It's holy. 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:14.900 Meaning, it's a day that is set apart from the others. 00:15:15.060 --> 00:15:18.259 It's distinguished, consecrated from the other days. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:23.379 By observing the Sabbath, the Israelites were to remember that they belong to the Lord, 00:15:23.879 --> 00:15:27.660 that they are a people who are specially set apart for the Lord. 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:32.839 The Sabbath served to distinguish the Israelites from the other nations. 00:15:34.500 --> 00:15:40.759 In fact, the Israelites were the only ancient people group that observed a strict weekly day of rest. 00:15:41.459 --> 00:15:45.879 If you think about it, a week is a very unnatural unit of time. 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:54.339 The only cultures that have a word for a seven-day week are cultures that have in some way come in contact with the Bible. 00:15:54.340 --> 00:15:58.460 Nobody else orders their calendar by weeks. 00:15:59.100 --> 00:16:03.460 They use days, months, and years, but not weeks. 00:16:04.560 --> 00:16:10.460 A year makes sense astronomically because that's how long it takes for the Earth to make one orbit around the sun. 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:16.980 A month makes sense astronomically because that's roughly how long a lunar cycle is, 30 days or so. 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:24.200 A day makes sense astronomically because that's how long it takes for the Earth to spin once on its axis. 00:16:24.340 --> 00:16:31.920 But a week, we have no natural reason to observe a week save God's command in the Bible. 00:16:32.940 --> 00:16:39.040 Only cultures and civilizations that have been influenced by the biblical Sabbath observe such a day of rest. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:45.340 It's a sign of the old covenant that distinguished the people of God from other nations surrounding them. 00:16:46.180 --> 00:16:50.220 This is why God took the Sabbath so seriously in the Old Testament. 00:16:50.220 --> 00:16:53.279 It was their way of saying we belong to God. 00:16:53.379 --> 00:16:54.600 We're not like these other nations. 00:16:55.920 --> 00:17:00.879 The observance of the Sabbath on Saturdays is no longer the sign of the covenant for us. 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:08.480 And it gets transmuted in the New Testament to the Lord's Day on Sunday when Jesus was raised from the dead. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:14.360 Because every gospel account tells us that Jesus was raised on the first day of the week, on Sunday. 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:18.579 And that conveys the newness of hope that Jesus' resurrection brings. 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:25.759 And for the last two millennia, Christians have dedicated Sundays for worship and rest. 00:17:26.220 --> 00:17:32.799 And we see examples of this throughout the New Testament, such as Acts 20, verse 7, 1 Corinthians 16, verse 2, 00:17:32.799 --> 00:17:38.500 where believers gather regularly for worship on the first day of the week, no longer on the seventh day of the week. 00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:44.099 Revelation 1.10 speaks of the Lord's Day, which is a reference to Sunday. 00:17:46.099 --> 00:17:49.480 Do you treat Sunday like the rest of the world does? 00:17:51.159 --> 00:17:52.899 Just another day in the weekend? 00:17:54.119 --> 00:17:57.099 A day off work when you can do what you want to do? 00:17:57.099 --> 00:18:04.559 I noticed that ESPN, which is a sports network, is selling a new shirt nowadays. 00:18:05.659 --> 00:18:12.899 It got my attention because it says in large, all caps, bolded print, Sundays booked. 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:23.099 But to my dismay, at the center of this shirt is a picture of a football where there should be a cross. 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:28.139 Honestly, that seems sacrilegious to me. 00:18:28.959 --> 00:18:35.259 I enjoy watching New England Patriots football games, but it makes me never want to watch a Sunday football game again in my life. 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:40.359 The New Testament calls Sunday the Lord's Day. 00:18:41.439 --> 00:18:42.500 The Lord's Day. 00:18:43.699 --> 00:18:45.279 And we should honor it as such. 00:18:45.279 --> 00:18:56.119 Do you use Saturday to prepare for Sunday, which is what we should be doing, so that you can honor the Lord by resting in Him, worshiping Him on Sunday? 00:18:56.299 --> 00:19:00.299 Or do you use Sunday to get ahead of your work on Monday? 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:07.000 The Israelites, however, failed to keep the Sabbath. 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:09.039 It says in verses 27 to 30, 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:36.859 You can sense God's exasperation and grief in what He says here. 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:40.299 How long will you keep flouting my commandments? 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:47.399 It's probably the same group of people that would try to save manna overnight earlier in the week. 00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:49.419 Why? 00:19:49.539 --> 00:19:54.240 Because they don't trust the Lord that He will certainly provide for them. 00:19:54.699 --> 00:20:00.399 They keep trying to provide for themselves, to save for what they perceive to be an uncertain future. 00:20:01.659 --> 00:20:06.539 The Lord used the Sabbath command to test the Israelites, to prove their faith and obedience. 00:20:07.639 --> 00:20:12.359 Do you trust the Lord to provide, or are you trusting in yourself to provide for yourself? 00:20:13.219 --> 00:20:18.679 What does your rhythm of work and rest reveal about your faith and dependence on God? 00:20:21.879 --> 00:20:27.779 Now, with the manna raining down six days a week, the Israelites' bread problem is taken care of once and for all. 00:20:28.000 --> 00:20:31.059 But as they continue on their journey, they're still in the middle of the desert. 00:20:31.059 --> 00:20:33.700 It says in 17 verse 1, 00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:49.620 This is a recurring problem in the wilderness. 00:20:49.619 --> 00:20:59.179 As you will see, in the first episode of the Israelites grumbling in chapter 15, they came to Marah and found that the water was bitter and not drinkable. 00:20:59.339 --> 00:21:04.519 So they grumbled against Moses, and then the Lord turned the bitter water sweet for them to drink. 00:21:04.519 --> 00:21:12.599 But the Israelites do not let that past experience inform their attitude toward this present problem. 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:14.900 It says in verses 2-4, 00:21:14.900 --> 00:21:44.620 In the preceding passage, the Israelites grumbled against the Lord, 00:21:44.619 --> 00:21:50.419 which is bad enough because grumbling is a sign of their rebellion against God. 00:21:50.679 --> 00:21:54.979 It's their muttering under their breath, sedition against God. 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:58.799 But this account escalates the situation even further. 00:21:58.940 --> 00:22:01.059 It says that the people quarreled with Moses. 00:22:01.940 --> 00:22:08.519 And once again, they overlooked the role of the Lord and picked their fight with Moses, which is an easier target. 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:12.880 And the word quarrel has judicial overtones. 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:18.259 And it can be translated accuse or to level a charge at someone. 00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:22.220 It's almost like the Israelites are suing Moses. 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:26.700 And by implication, they're bringing a charge against the Lord God himself. 00:22:27.859 --> 00:22:30.640 You're not a gracious king after all, are you? 00:22:32.379 --> 00:22:37.400 You brought us out here from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst. 00:22:38.019 --> 00:22:40.220 You're a sick, sadistic tyrant. 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:41.480 That's what you are. 00:22:41.480 --> 00:22:46.559 They're no longer merely muttering under their breath. 00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:48.420 They're now openly quarreling. 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:52.620 Their secret grumbling has turned into brazen rebellion. 00:22:53.339 --> 00:22:56.480 Tensions are heightened and there are rumblings of violence. 00:22:57.380 --> 00:22:58.960 Moses cries out to God saying, 00:22:59.099 --> 00:22:59.819 What shall I do? 00:22:59.900 --> 00:23:02.059 These people are about to stone me. 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:08.179 This is why Moses names the place Massah, Massah, and Meribah. 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:13.500 Massah means testing and Meribah means quarreling. 00:23:14.299 --> 00:23:23.539 He names the place Testing Town or Quaralville as a reminder to future generations of Israel's sin against the Lord. 00:23:24.659 --> 00:23:28.319 There's another biblical location that is also named Meribah. 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:31.099 And that can be confusing for some people. 00:23:31.099 --> 00:23:33.679 And that's the place mentioned in Numbers 20, 00:23:34.439 --> 00:23:39.199 where also the Israelites quarrel with Moses and with the Lord. 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:41.359 And the same problem is there. 00:23:41.459 --> 00:23:42.439 They lack water. 00:23:42.539 --> 00:23:44.740 That's why they're quarreling with Moses and against the Lord. 00:23:45.240 --> 00:23:51.579 And that's the place in Numbers 20 where Moses speaks rashly and strikes the rock twice with his staff, 00:23:51.899 --> 00:23:57.619 thereby failing to honor God as holy and forfeiting his right to lead the Israelites into the promised land. 00:23:57.619 --> 00:24:03.859 Because of the similar incident and the same name, Meribah, some people conflate the two events, 00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:08.799 or they think that they're telling the same story twice, but that's not what's happening. 00:24:08.879 --> 00:24:10.879 They're actually two different events. 00:24:11.399 --> 00:24:17.959 The event here in Exodus 17 happens at the beginning of Israel's journey toward Canaan in the wilderness of Sin, 00:24:18.559 --> 00:24:21.099 Sinai Sin in an area of Rephidim. 00:24:21.099 --> 00:24:27.559 But the other water-producing rock miracle happens at the end of Israel's journey in the wilderness of Zin. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:29.159 That's a different Hebrew word. 00:24:29.599 --> 00:24:32.519 In an area called Kadesh within the wilderness. 00:24:33.379 --> 00:24:37.879 So it's not surprising that Moses names both of those places Meribah, which means quarreling, 00:24:38.379 --> 00:24:42.719 because in both of those places the Israelites quarreled with Moses and with the Lord. 00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:48.440 It's not uncommon for two different places in different regions to have the exact same name 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:51.940 because of a shared experience or shared attribute. 00:24:52.900 --> 00:24:57.620 For example, here in New England, when someone talks about taking a road trip to Newport, 00:24:58.339 --> 00:25:07.319 they can mean Newport, Rhode Island, or Newport, Maine, or Newport, New Hampshire, or Newport, Vermont. 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:15.759 In fact, there are about 30 other Newports outside of New England as well throughout the country. 00:25:15.939 --> 00:25:22.539 And many of them are named Newport because at some point in that location, there was a Newport. 00:25:24.000 --> 00:25:28.339 Or because it was named after Christopher Newport, the captain of one of the ships 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:31.899 that brought some of the first English settlers to Jamestown in Virginia Colony. 00:25:31.900 --> 00:25:39.200 So similarly, the two Meribahs are both named that because Israelites quarreled against the Lord at those locations. 00:25:40.040 --> 00:25:43.680 But those two Meribahs are consistently distinguished throughout Scripture. 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:50.660 The later Meribah in Numbers 20 is often called Meribah Kadesh, or the waters of Meribah, 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:56.420 to distinguish from this Meribah in Exodus 17, which is called Merida in Rephidim. 00:25:56.420 --> 00:26:02.120 And it's also called by its alternate name, Massah, which means testing. 00:26:03.259 --> 00:26:06.960 And the idea of testing is significant in this passage. 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:13.019 The previous two episodes of the Israelites grumbling against the Lord also involved a testing. 00:26:13.960 --> 00:26:19.000 In chapter 15, verse 25, at the bitter waters of Marah, after turning the water sweet, 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:24.660 it said that the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them. 00:26:24.660 --> 00:26:30.620 Likewise, in chapter 16, verse 4, after providing manna for the Israelites, 00:26:31.040 --> 00:26:38.019 God gave them instructions to gather only a day's portion each day so that he might test them. 00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:43.480 But notice that Massah is not named after the Lord's testing of Israel. 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:47.900 It's named after Israel's testing of the Lord. 00:26:49.040 --> 00:26:52.620 Moses says in verse 2, why do you test the Lord? 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:56.579 And it says in verse 7, Moses called the name of the place Massah and Meribah 00:26:56.579 --> 00:26:58.519 because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, 00:26:58.739 --> 00:27:02.639 and because they tested the Lord by saying, 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:05.699 is the Lord among us or not? 00:27:06.699 --> 00:27:08.259 The script is flipped. 00:27:08.479 --> 00:27:12.119 It's no longer the Lord testing the Israelites, but the Israelites testing the Lord. 00:27:12.979 --> 00:27:18.619 They're saying, let's test the Lord to see if he is really with us or not. 00:27:18.619 --> 00:27:21.619 Let's bring a charge against him. 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:27.719 Make a demand of him, demand water from him to see if he will pass our test. 00:27:29.139 --> 00:27:34.239 See, that's a very arrogant and presumptuous thing that the Israelites are doing. 00:27:35.439 --> 00:27:40.339 Usually it's the teacher that administers a test to the students. 00:27:41.019 --> 00:27:44.699 It's the employer who tests employees. 00:27:44.700 --> 00:27:50.480 It's the owner or potential owner that tests a product. 00:27:51.200 --> 00:27:54.640 Because when you test something or someone, 00:27:54.860 --> 00:27:58.360 you're trying to see if it meets your standards. 00:27:59.059 --> 00:28:03.019 To see if the student has learned what he or she should have learned. 00:28:03.200 --> 00:28:06.940 To see if the employee has performed to the employer's satisfaction. 00:28:07.380 --> 00:28:10.980 To see if the product meets the owner's expectations. 00:28:10.980 --> 00:28:14.059 There is a power dynamic at play. 00:28:15.099 --> 00:28:21.740 Yet the Israelites are so conceited and presumptuous that they test the Lord. 00:28:24.120 --> 00:28:24.960 Think about this. 00:28:25.019 --> 00:28:29.539 The Lord delivered them out of Egypt with signs and wonders. 00:28:30.500 --> 00:28:34.579 The Lord split the Red Sea so that they crossed it in dry ground. 00:28:34.819 --> 00:28:39.059 The Lord turned the bitter waters of Marah into sweet waters for them to drink. 00:28:39.059 --> 00:28:45.139 The Lord rained manna and quail down from heaven for them to eat bread and meat in the middle of a desert. 00:28:46.139 --> 00:28:50.980 And yet instead of waiting on the Lord and trusting in the Lord and saying, 00:28:51.859 --> 00:28:57.599 Hey, we're thirsty right now, but let's see how the Lord will provide for us this time. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.500 Instead of waiting on the Lord, they have the gall to test the Lord. 00:29:04.500 --> 00:29:11.039 They're saying, Yahweh, come here over to our desk. 00:29:11.660 --> 00:29:13.700 Here's a test that I've drawn out for you. 00:29:16.440 --> 00:29:18.000 We're going to see if you pass it. 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:19.960 Be a good boy, okay? 00:29:20.039 --> 00:29:21.079 Let's see how you do. 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:25.759 The impudence of the Israelites. 00:29:25.759 --> 00:29:33.859 Put it this way, it's easier to see how inappropriate this is. 00:29:34.420 --> 00:29:39.720 And yet this is what billions of people do to God every single day. 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:46.619 There's a famous C.S. Lewis essay entitled, God in the Dock. 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:52.759 Dock, not as in a landing pier that boats come in and go from on a lake, 00:29:52.759 --> 00:29:58.579 but the dock of the courtroom, the place where a prisoner is placed during trial. 00:29:59.779 --> 00:30:04.099 Lewis writes about how difficult it is for the modern world, in the modern world, 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:07.099 to convince someone that he or she is a sinner. 00:30:07.879 --> 00:30:14.579 And he writes that instead of imagining himself to be the sinner in the dock on trial before God the judge, 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:20.259 the modern man imagines himself to be the judge and puts God in the dock. 00:30:20.259 --> 00:30:22.539 He says, quote, 00:30:22.879 --> 00:30:25.799 For the modern man, the roles are quite reversed. 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:27.640 He is the judge. 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:28.900 God is in the dock. 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:31.059 He is quite a kindly judge. 00:30:31.779 --> 00:30:36.180 If God should have a reasonable defense for being the God who permits war, poverty, and disease, 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:37.700 he is ready to listen to it. 00:30:38.379 --> 00:30:40.299 The trial may even end in God's acquittal. 00:30:40.980 --> 00:30:47.519 But the important thing is that man is on the bench and God is in the dock. 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:54.879 From the Bible, we can see that this is not only the delusion of the modern man, 00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:57.359 it's the delusion of the ancient man as well. 00:30:58.119 --> 00:31:00.859 This is precisely what the Israelites are doing. 00:31:00.960 --> 00:31:02.359 They have put God in the dock. 00:31:03.700 --> 00:31:06.440 Have you put God in the dock? 00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:12.779 Are you testing God to see if he can answer your philosophical objections? 00:31:12.779 --> 00:31:20.059 Are you testing God to see if he can perform some miracles that will demonstrate to you that he is real? 00:31:20.740 --> 00:31:25.359 Are you testing God to see if he deserves your trust and allegiance? 00:31:26.680 --> 00:31:29.799 You have heard the charges brought against you, God. 00:31:30.059 --> 00:31:32.000 What do you have to say for yourself? 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:36.779 What do you have to say to defend yourself, God? 00:31:39.000 --> 00:31:42.759 It is not our place to test the Lord God. 00:31:44.740 --> 00:31:49.380 There is one exception in Scripture, and I will digress for a minute. 00:31:50.720 --> 00:31:54.779 There is one exception in Scripture where the Lord actually invites us to test him. 00:31:54.779 --> 00:32:01.700 That's in Malachi chapter 3 verse 10, where the Lord accuses the Israelites of robbing from him 00:32:01.700 --> 00:32:07.379 because they were not bringing their full tithe, the 10% of their income to the Lord as an offering. 00:32:08.420 --> 00:32:09.799 And he says to them this, 00:32:09.799 --> 00:32:14.700 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, 00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:20.259 and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts. 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:27.220 If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 00:32:28.420 --> 00:32:33.759 This is the one place in all of Scripture where the Lord invites us to test him. 00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:37.579 Bring the full tithe to him and thereby put him to the test 00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:41.299 to see whether he will bless you and meet all your needs or not. 00:32:42.059 --> 00:32:43.299 Test me, says the Lord. 00:32:44.140 --> 00:32:48.839 But in all other instances where the Lord himself has not invited it, 00:32:48.839 --> 00:32:53.740 testing the Lord is the height of human hubris. 00:32:55.399 --> 00:32:57.419 As Deuteronomy 6.16 commands, 00:32:57.539 --> 00:33:02.559 You shall not put the Lord your God to the test as you tested him at Massa. 00:33:03.519 --> 00:33:05.119 God is not in the dock. 00:33:05.220 --> 00:33:05.679 We are. 00:33:07.159 --> 00:33:08.319 God is the creator. 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.519 We are not. 00:33:10.259 --> 00:33:11.240 God is the king. 00:33:11.419 --> 00:33:12.059 We are not. 00:33:12.539 --> 00:33:13.639 God is the judge. 00:33:13.740 --> 00:33:14.939 And we are not. 00:33:14.940 --> 00:33:17.019 God created us. 00:33:17.360 --> 00:33:21.920 And he sustains every atom of the universe by the word of his mouth. 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:25.039 The heavens declare the glory of God. 00:33:25.100 --> 00:33:27.360 And the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:31.519 All creation testifies to the glory of God. 00:33:31.840 --> 00:33:34.140 To his eternal power and divine nature. 00:33:34.860 --> 00:33:37.539 God is the king who rules over the universe. 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:40.359 All creatures in heaven and earth bow before him. 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:41.559 The birds of the air. 00:33:41.639 --> 00:33:42.559 The fish of the sea. 00:33:42.639 --> 00:33:43.619 The animals of the land. 00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:44.799 All humankind. 00:33:45.019 --> 00:33:46.759 All angels are accountable to him. 00:33:47.299 --> 00:33:48.639 He is the lawgiver. 00:33:49.039 --> 00:33:51.240 And we are beholden to his laws. 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:54.839 God will judge the living and the dead. 00:33:54.960 --> 00:33:55.799 He is the judge. 00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:59.700 He is the one to whom all mankind will give an account. 00:33:59.700 --> 00:34:07.140 We are the ungrateful creatures who have lived for ourselves without reference to God our creator. 00:34:07.900 --> 00:34:12.860 We are the sinners sentenced to death. 00:34:13.619 --> 00:34:15.460 Certain of our guilty verdict. 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:17.679 Being accused by the prosecutor. 00:34:18.300 --> 00:34:21.639 Satan awaiting the sentencing of the Lord our judge. 00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:27.019 We're the ones that have transgressed his laws and rebelled against his rule. 00:34:27.019 --> 00:34:32.559 Psalm 95, 79 exhorts us in light of this event at Massa. 00:34:32.980 --> 00:34:37.079 Today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as at Meribah. 00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:39.380 As on that day at Massa in the wilderness. 00:34:39.639 --> 00:34:42.699 When your fathers put me to the test. 00:34:42.940 --> 00:34:45.000 And put me to the proof. 00:34:45.340 --> 00:34:47.440 Though they had seen my work. 00:34:48.820 --> 00:34:51.980 Though Israel had seen God's work in abundance. 00:34:52.219 --> 00:34:56.300 They still tested the Lord to put him to the proof. 00:34:57.019 --> 00:35:00.920 And Hebrews 3 and 4 cites this psalm. 00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:05.980 Psalm 95 and tells us that it's because the Israelites chose to test the Lord. 00:35:06.199 --> 00:35:10.219 That they failed to enter the rest of the Lord in Canaan. 00:35:11.179 --> 00:35:15.320 If you want to enter the eternal Sabbath rest of God. 00:35:15.519 --> 00:35:17.639 You must give up testing God. 00:35:18.179 --> 00:35:20.320 And you need to pass his test. 00:35:23.139 --> 00:35:25.460 But how can we pass God's test? 00:35:25.460 --> 00:35:29.699 We've all already grumbled against God. 00:35:30.340 --> 00:35:31.940 We've all quarreled with him. 00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:34.519 We've all tested him and sinned against him. 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:36.500 And for that we deserve God's swift judgment. 00:35:37.000 --> 00:35:37.860 We deserve death. 00:35:37.960 --> 00:35:40.500 We deserve eternal separation from him. 00:35:40.619 --> 00:35:41.340 To be condemned. 00:35:43.400 --> 00:35:45.240 So what hope is there for us? 00:35:46.220 --> 00:35:48.500 Look at Exodus 17 verses 5 to 6. 00:35:48.500 --> 00:35:50.579 And the Lord said to Moses. 00:35:50.820 --> 00:35:52.739 Pass on before the people. 00:35:53.079 --> 00:35:54.920 Taking with you some of the elders of Israel. 00:35:55.320 --> 00:35:58.679 And take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile. 00:35:58.880 --> 00:35:59.300 And go. 00:35:59.980 --> 00:36:00.519 Behold. 00:36:01.619 --> 00:36:04.059 I will stand before you there. 00:36:04.199 --> 00:36:05.860 On the rock at Horeb. 00:36:06.300 --> 00:36:09.099 And you shall strike the rock. 00:36:09.480 --> 00:36:12.019 And water shall come out of it. 00:36:12.340 --> 00:36:14.460 And the people will drink. 00:36:14.460 --> 00:36:18.000 And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 00:36:19.340 --> 00:36:22.579 Notice where God is while this is happening. 00:36:23.380 --> 00:36:28.019 He said I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb. 00:36:28.480 --> 00:36:30.340 The Israelites are at Horeb. 00:36:30.800 --> 00:36:32.139 This highlights two different things. 00:36:32.679 --> 00:36:37.260 First the word Horeb comes from the Hebrew root that means dry or desolate. 00:36:37.740 --> 00:36:40.599 So this highlights the Lord's amazing provision. 00:36:40.599 --> 00:36:44.599 He takes them to a desolate place and makes it flow with water for them. 00:36:45.759 --> 00:36:47.940 And then secondly Horeb if you recall. 00:36:48.339 --> 00:36:51.420 Is the same Horeb that was mentioned in Exodus 3 verse 1. 00:36:51.839 --> 00:36:52.900 Where Moses was. 00:36:53.079 --> 00:36:54.659 Horeb the mountain of God. 00:36:54.759 --> 00:36:56.940 Where the Lord first revealed himself to Moses. 00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:59.059 In a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. 00:37:00.139 --> 00:37:01.759 So at Horeb once again. 00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:04.139 The Lord is revealing himself to his people. 00:37:04.779 --> 00:37:08.699 And this time he is standing before them on the rock at Horeb. 00:37:08.699 --> 00:37:12.359 And while he is standing there on the rock. 00:37:12.579 --> 00:37:14.719 Look at what the Lord commands Moses to do. 00:37:15.359 --> 00:37:17.119 You shall strike the rock. 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:19.599 And water shall come out of it. 00:37:19.799 --> 00:37:21.500 And the people will drink. 00:37:22.819 --> 00:37:27.159 Moses is instructed to strike the very rock. 00:37:27.439 --> 00:37:30.579 Upon which the Lord God himself is standing. 00:37:32.239 --> 00:37:35.839 Apart from the Lord himself instructing him to do so. 00:37:35.840 --> 00:37:39.840 It's not something Moses or any sensible human being for that matter. 00:37:39.960 --> 00:37:42.240 Would have ever dared to do. 00:37:42.640 --> 00:37:47.400 Because it comes so perilously close to striking the Lord himself. 00:37:49.480 --> 00:37:53.280 And that brings us to the important connection between the Lord and the rock. 00:37:53.880 --> 00:37:57.880 Deuteronomy 32 verse 4 says the Lord is the rock. 00:37:58.920 --> 00:38:02.019 His work is perfect for all his ways are justice. 00:38:02.019 --> 00:38:08.940 Later in the same passage it says that the Lord suckled Israel with honey out of the rock. 00:38:09.539 --> 00:38:12.320 And oil out of the flinty rock. 00:38:13.219 --> 00:38:16.900 And that he says he is the rock of salvation. 00:38:17.500 --> 00:38:19.559 The rock that bore Israel. 00:38:20.380 --> 00:38:22.119 In the tradition of the Old Testament. 00:38:22.579 --> 00:38:25.800 Yahweh is the rock. 00:38:26.159 --> 00:38:28.559 Or the everlasting rock. 00:38:28.559 --> 00:38:31.460 The rock of ages. 00:38:31.779 --> 00:38:33.900 As it says in Isaiah 26 verse 4. 00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:40.400 So then in the same way that in Genesis 9 God set his bow in the cloud. 00:38:41.019 --> 00:38:41.599 The rainbow. 00:38:42.420 --> 00:38:44.119 But it's in Hebrew just the bow. 00:38:44.199 --> 00:38:45.699 Like a bow that shoots an arrow. 00:38:46.619 --> 00:38:49.699 And when you look at the way the bow is hung up on the clouds. 00:38:50.259 --> 00:38:54.199 It's aimed at not earth but toward the heavens. 00:38:54.199 --> 00:38:56.239 It's a sign of the covenant. 00:38:56.719 --> 00:39:00.719 That should his people fail to meet their end of the covenant. 00:39:01.039 --> 00:39:02.879 That he will not punish his people. 00:39:03.000 --> 00:39:05.339 But that God himself will bear the ultimate punishment. 00:39:06.139 --> 00:39:08.339 In the same way in Genesis 15. 00:39:08.859 --> 00:39:10.859 When God appears to Abram. 00:39:10.980 --> 00:39:13.859 There are cut animals on either side. 00:39:14.259 --> 00:39:16.419 That Abram is supposed to walk through. 00:39:16.559 --> 00:39:19.139 Saying to himself if I break my covenant with you. 00:39:19.339 --> 00:39:22.219 I shall be like these torn pieces of animals. 00:39:22.219 --> 00:39:24.039 But instead of Abram. 00:39:24.139 --> 00:39:26.819 God appears in a smoking fire smoldering pot. 00:39:27.039 --> 00:39:29.899 And walks through the two pieces of the animal. 00:39:30.019 --> 00:39:32.579 Saying if you fail to meet the covenant. 00:39:32.879 --> 00:39:34.539 I will pay for it. 00:39:34.759 --> 00:39:38.179 I will bear the punishment and guilt of your sin. 00:39:38.679 --> 00:39:40.279 So in the same place here. 00:39:40.599 --> 00:39:44.480 It is not the Israelites who should be struck for their grumbling. 00:39:45.119 --> 00:39:48.539 God says strike the rock upon which I stand. 00:39:49.419 --> 00:39:51.519 And I will give you water from it. 00:39:51.519 --> 00:39:57.000 This is exactly what Paul has in mind in 1 Corinthians 10. 00:39:57.119 --> 00:39:58.139 Verses 1 to 4. 00:39:58.320 --> 00:40:01.539 When he's describing Israel's journey through the Red Sea and the wilderness. 00:40:01.739 --> 00:40:02.179 He writes. 00:40:03.179 --> 00:40:05.780 For I do not want you to be unaware brothers. 00:40:06.280 --> 00:40:08.440 That our fathers were all under the cloud. 00:40:08.500 --> 00:40:09.759 And all passed through the sea. 00:40:09.840 --> 00:40:11.340 And all were baptized into Moses. 00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:13.440 In the cloud and in the sea. 00:40:13.820 --> 00:40:15.840 And all ate the same spiritual food. 00:40:15.960 --> 00:40:18.239 And all drank the same spiritual drink. 00:40:18.239 --> 00:40:23.719 For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them. 00:40:24.119 --> 00:40:27.899 And the rock was Christ. 00:40:27.900 --> 00:40:32.700 There's a Jewish rabbinical tradition. 00:40:32.780 --> 00:40:36.019 That says that this rock from Exodus 17. 00:40:36.260 --> 00:40:37.619 Followed them. 00:40:38.559 --> 00:40:40.420 And all the way through the wilderness. 00:40:40.800 --> 00:40:43.280 And that it's the same rock that is struck in Numbers 20. 00:40:44.079 --> 00:40:47.559 Some people say that Moses actually physically carried this rock. 00:40:47.619 --> 00:40:49.680 That flowed with water throughout the wilderness. 00:40:49.960 --> 00:40:51.760 For as their water supply in the wilderness. 00:40:51.760 --> 00:40:57.820 But that kind of speculation is not necessitated by the text in 1 Corinthians 10. 00:40:58.520 --> 00:41:01.900 Paul says clearly that he is speaking of the spiritual rock. 00:41:02.620 --> 00:41:06.620 And he says explicitly that the rock was Christ. 00:41:07.320 --> 00:41:11.140 He's not concerned about the physical rock that flowed with water. 00:41:11.380 --> 00:41:16.820 Because the ultimate source of the provision of water is not the rock in and of itself. 00:41:16.820 --> 00:41:18.860 But it is the rock of ages. 00:41:19.600 --> 00:41:21.019 The rock of salvation. 00:41:21.700 --> 00:41:23.660 The Lord Yehovah himself. 00:41:25.160 --> 00:41:28.420 The rock of ages cleft for us. 00:41:28.960 --> 00:41:32.960 The Lord himself who was struck for us. 00:41:33.440 --> 00:41:36.660 This is God's answer to Israel's test. 00:41:37.200 --> 00:41:39.840 Is the Lord among us or not? 00:41:40.780 --> 00:41:41.940 And God's saying to them, 00:41:41.940 --> 00:41:43.300 Here I am. 00:41:43.300 --> 00:41:46.980 Here I am on the rock. 00:41:48.140 --> 00:41:50.260 I will be struck for you. 00:41:50.900 --> 00:41:54.760 And I will flow with living water that you might live. 00:41:56.840 --> 00:42:04.700 And this is precisely what Jesus has in view when he offers the Samaritan woman the living water in John 4. 00:42:05.160 --> 00:42:11.519 This is exactly what Jesus has in view when the Israelites are celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:42:11.519 --> 00:42:16.500 Which is a celebration of God's faithful provision for the Israelites throughout their time in the wilderness. 00:42:17.259 --> 00:42:20.960 That Jesus, he says in John 7, 37 to 39, says this. 00:42:21.039 --> 00:42:25.300 At the high day of the feast, the climax of the feast, he says this in public. 00:42:25.860 --> 00:42:29.139 If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 00:42:29.880 --> 00:42:36.280 Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 00:42:36.280 --> 00:42:41.980 Now this, he said about the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive. 00:42:42.380 --> 00:42:47.060 Whereas yet the spirit had not been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. 00:42:49.160 --> 00:42:51.380 Jesus is not being demure here. 00:42:51.440 --> 00:42:53.519 He's making the connection very obvious. 00:42:55.260 --> 00:42:58.820 God, the rock, provided water for them in the wilderness. 00:42:59.420 --> 00:43:02.040 And Jesus now says, come to me and drink. 00:43:02.039 --> 00:43:10.679 He's saying, I am the rock who was struck in your place so that you might drink this living water that wells up to eternal life. 00:43:11.320 --> 00:43:15.500 Christ died on the cross to bear the punishment for our sins. 00:43:15.719 --> 00:43:21.420 So that we might drink of the living water of the spirit and dwell forever with God. 00:43:21.420 --> 00:43:32.500 So if you recall when at John 19, verse 34, after Christ's death, one of the soldiers pierces his side to ensure that he is dead. 00:43:32.820 --> 00:43:34.480 What comes out of his side? 00:43:36.720 --> 00:43:42.119 Blood on the one hand, which is for the atoning of our sins, forgiveness for our sins. 00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:48.920 And water, signifying the living water of the spirit. 00:43:51.420 --> 00:43:59.519 This is what people call, theologians call, this is what the song, Rock of Ages, that we sing sometimes calls the double cure. 00:43:59.680 --> 00:44:01.619 The water and the blood. 00:44:02.159 --> 00:44:06.960 The blood that justifies us and the water that washes us and sanctifies us. 00:44:09.500 --> 00:44:12.260 Rock of Ages, cleft for me. 00:44:13.099 --> 00:44:15.220 Let me hide myself in thee. 00:44:15.219 --> 00:44:23.980 Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flowed be of sin the double cure. 00:44:24.579 --> 00:44:27.879 Save from wrath and make me pure. 00:44:30.079 --> 00:44:37.299 So let us hide ourselves in Christ and drink of the living water that flows from the rock of Christ. 00:44:37.300 --> 00:44:47.680 Let us not test the Lord, but let us trust in him instead, knowing and remembering the rock of ages that was struck down to give us living water. 00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:48.980 Let's pray. 00:44:48.980 --> 00:45:03.619 Lord, how kind and patient and merciful of you, Lord. 00:45:03.619 --> 00:45:33.599 Lord, how kind and merciful of you, Lord. 00:45:33.599 --> 00:45:35.860 We trust you, Lord. 00:45:37.679 --> 00:45:39.779 We know you are good. 00:45:40.460 --> 00:45:42.719 We know your steadfast love. 00:45:43.360 --> 00:45:45.059 We know your faithfulness. 00:45:46.480 --> 00:45:48.699 Help us to remember it every single day. 00:45:49.380 --> 00:45:50.980 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:45:51.519 --> 00:45:51.799 Amen. 00:45:51.799 --> 00:45:51.920 Amen.