March 26, 2014
Zechariah 3:8, 9; I Corinthians 10:1-4
(All scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated.)
Now for the sixth facet of The Seven-Faceted Stone, Jesus Christ as He is prophesied in Zechariah 3:8 and 3:9:
…behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch….For behold, upon the
stone that I have set before Joshua, upon that one stone are seven eyes or
facets….Behold, I will carve upon it its inscription, says the LORD of hosts,
and I will remove the iniquity and guilt of this land in a single day….
This sixth facet is shown in I Corinthians 10:1 through 4. Paul writes:
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were
under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses
in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank
the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed
them, and that Rock was Christ.
6. Jesus is the Rock that provides our sustenence! The story to which Paul is alluding is from Exodus 17:5 and 6:
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some
of the elders of Israel. also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the
river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and
you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may
drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
The Israelites had been complaining that the trek through the desert after they came out of Egypt was bereft of water. And so God gave the above command and the resulting provision. We might not have known the Rock was Jesus Christ had not Paul pointed it out. But he did and He is! And He is the source of our provision, not just of water, but of everything that we need! As it says in Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
What did the Lord provide for the Israelites as they wandered 40 years in the wilderness? Besides water from the Rock, God provided meat (Exodus 16:13); manna (Exodus 16:31 and 35) – somewhere around 2,000 tons a day!; guidance (Exodus 13:21 and 22); protection (Exodus 23:27); clothes and shoes that did not wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5) and a lot more!
What does God provide for us, His children? “…all your need…!” Whether your need is physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, relational – whatever it is – God will provide either the fulfillment of the need or the grace to go without! It all comes through Jesus…the Rock that provides our sustenance!
There is an interesting and sad sequel to the rock event described above in Exodus 17:5 and 6. It is recorded in Numbers 20:7 through 11:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod: you and your brother
Aaron and gather the assembly together. Speak to the rock before their eyes,
and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock,
and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” So Moses took the rod
from before the LORD, as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gath-
ered the congregation together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear
now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses
lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out
abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
To receive the blessing of provision the first time, the rock was struck. But the second time Moses was only to speak to the rock. Jesus Christ – the Rock – was struck the blow of death only once! But from that blow abundance flowed! There is enough power in the blood our Lord shed on the cross to cleanse the sin of every person ever born upon this earth! And, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:31 and 32: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ” Having been struck once for us, now we only have to speak to Him, to ask of Him what we need. He does not need to die for us again!
The disobedience of Moses cost him his entry into the Promised Land (see Numbers 20:12). Do not be in disobedience by not asking God to give you what you need. Jesus is the Rock that provides our sustenence! May you be fully sustained by His provision!