Think you got this? Nope.
I had a thought tonight that popped into my head, so I had to write it down and share.
I love the Old Testament. I love it. There is so much foreshadowing for what God was going to do in the future. One of my favorite Old Testament stories is with the children of Israel as they’re wandering in the wilderness. It’s a common one that most people are familiar with.
They had been traveling for some time, became thirsty, and began to complain. But as God always did, He provided. He told Moses: Behold, I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. And when you strike the rock, water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So, Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:6 (ESV)
Of course, this was a foreshadowing, a preview of something greater to come.
Yes, it helped them to physically survive in the desert. However, there was a much deeper meaning behind this example that God was demonstrating. We know from Paul and from the words of Jesus himself, that he, Jesus, was the living water that we really need. In 1 Corinthians 10:4 (ESV), Paul states that the children of Israel “drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” Indeed, when Christ left his disciples in Samaria and met the Samaritan woman at the well, he asked her for a drink. Surprised, she responded “how is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me a woman of Samaria?” Jesus responded, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” John 4:7-10 (ESV).
Just as the rock was stricken by Moses so that the children of Israel could be saved from certain death in a barren desert, Jesus was stricken for our sins that would have otherwise resulted in a certain death.
He is the Rock that provides the living water.
But God was not done with his foreshadowing just yet; it wasn’t yet complete. We see just a short time later, in Numbers Chapter 20, that the children of Israel were at it again. They were thirsty, again, and complained against Moses, asking why he even brought them up out of Egypt to die in the desert. The Lord, again, would provide. The Lord appeared to Moses and told him, “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water.”
Notice the difference here.
Moses was not to strike the rock again. Jesus doesn’t need to die again. His death and resurrection, his atonement, is perfect for all eternity. He doesn’t need to be crucified a second time to save us.
We only need to speak to Him, and we receive salvation. That’s it. It’s a gift that He gives freely to those who call out to Him.
It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. It’s the Gospel.
However, as we know, Moses let his anger get the best of him. Sick and tired of their complaining, he shouted at them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And instead of speaking to the rock as God had commanded, he struck it, twice. God still allowed the people to receive their temporary water, but Moses had ruined God’s beautiful example of his salvation through Christ. Moses had disobeyed. However, God knows all, and God was still going to use this circumstance to perfect his example; however, it would be a less pleasant one: to show our ultimate need for a savior, by showing the harshness and exactness of the law.
Let me explain.
If there was ever anyone who deserved to enter the promised land, it was Moses. He had kept God’s word and had zealously defended any infraction committed by the Israelites against God. He put up with their constant complaining and lack of faith. He dealt with them for forty-freakin’ years. He gave up everything to obey the Lord. But you know what? It wasn’t enough. Because he had disobeyed God, he was no longer permitted to enter the promised land. One mistake and he was out. God would let him glimpse it from the mountain, but then he was to die there, despite all of his pleading that God would change His mind.
That’s a little harsh, isn’t it? Absolutely.
If Moses couldn’t reach his promised land after making just one mistake, how screwed are you and I? What chance do we have to make it back to our “promised land” with God?
Zero. Zilch. Nada.
And that’s the point. We need a savior. We absolutely need someone to save us from our sin that infiltrates to the very core of us. We are drowning in an ocean with a cinderblock tied to our feet. If someone doesn’t pull us out, we’re doomed. But God knew this. He knew we could never be perfect. He knew that sin demanded justice, that wickedness couldn’t go unpunished. This is the very reason He took that punishment upon himself and then offered us freedom if we only accept it.
It’s free. No strings attached. For real.
This is the very reason that Jesus told the Pharisees, those who kept the rules better than anyone else, that “the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.” Matt 21:31 (ESV). They thought they could do it on their own. Indeed, they followed the law with exactness, as much as any human possibly could, puffing themselves up in pride for their good works. And in so doing, they deceived themselves. At least the tax collectors and prostitutes realized they were in trouble.
So, where are you? Do you realize how broken you are? I’m not preaching just to you; I’m right there with you. So, reach out. Stop struggling. Confess your own insufficiency. You’ve traveled for forty years through the wilderness, wandering in circles, no closer to the promised land than when you started. Acknowledge you can’t be perfect and yet you desire perfection; ask the only one who can save you, to take over, and He will. He has promised to do so.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30 (ESV).
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