The Cross and its Shadow

Chapter 35-The Rock

ROCK has always been used as a synonym for strength and solidity. The parable of the house built upon a rock, is an example. ¹ CIS 266.1

The word “rock” is used many times in the Bible to illustrate the protecting care of God for His people. The psalmist says, “The Lord is my rock.” ² “Thou art my rock and my fortress” ³ CIS 266.2

“Selah,” which occurs over seventy times in the Psalms, and is defined by most commentators, “a pause or musical note,” is also defined in the marginal reference to be “the rock.” ⁴ CIS 266.3

It is quite appropriate that in singing of the mighty power of God in leading His people, the psalmist should pause at times and meditate upon Selah,—“the Rock:” the “spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” ⁵ CIS 266.4

Victories would often take the place of defeat in our daily lives if in our songs we inserted the same pauses used by the sweet singer of Israel. If in the rush of our daily lives we paused to meditate upon “the Rock”, we could say with David, “In the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me upon a rock” ⁶ CIS 267.1

The forty years’ wandering of the children of Israel was in Arabia Petra, or Rocky Arabia, as it was sometimes called. Rocks confronted them at every turn in their journey; but from these rocks God caused water to flow to quench their thirst. Even so in our, daily journeys, the rocks of difficulties that seem impenetrable to us, will, if we hide in Christ, prove but stepping stones to greater victories. CIS 267.2

God said, “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. And Moses, did so in the sight of the elders.” ⁷ CIS 267.3

The thirsty multitude saw the pure, refreshing water gush out from the flinty rock. They drank, and were refreshed for their journey. “They thirsted not when He led them through the deserts: He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them.” ⁸ CIS 267.4

It was not a meager supply of water, for it “ran in the dry, places like a river.” ⁹ During all their journey, they were miraculously supplied with water. The stream did not continue to flow from the first place where the rock was; smitten, but wherever they needed water, from the rocks beside their encampment the water gushed out. Well might the psalmist bid the earth tremble before the God who could turn “the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.” ¹⁰ CIS 267.5

When the Israelites came in sight of the promised land, the water ceased to flow. God told them they were to draw water from the wells as they passed through Edom. ¹¹ Strange as it may seem, after drinking of the miraculous streams in the desert for so many years, they now began to murmur and complain, because the water no longer gushed out o f the rocks by their encampment. CIS 268.1

Then it was that, on the very border of Canaan, Moses, the servant of the Lord, committed the sin which prevented him from entering the goodly land. The rock had once been smitten, and the Lord told Moses to gather the assembly of people, and to speak unto the rock before their eyes, and it would give forth water. Moses, who had borne patiently with their murmurings so long, now became impatient, and said, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” ¹² He then smote the rock twice, and water gushed forth. CIS 269.1

God is no respecter of persons, and although He had highly honoured Moses, yet He punished him for his sin. When Moses smote the rock the second time, he ignored the great event of which the smitten rock was a type. Christ died once for the sins of the world, ¹³ and all who speak to Him, confessing their sins and claiming pardon, will receive the healing waters of salvation. Thus not only did Moses disobey God, but he marred the beautiful symbol which had been placed before the Israelites during all their desert wanderings. CIS 269.2

The Bible writers often refer to the experience, connected with the smitten rock, to teach God’s tender care for His people. Isaiah says, “A man shall be as a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary, land.” ¹⁴ CIS 269.3

Paul tells ns that this Man who was is “a hiding-place” “a covert,” and as “rivers of water,” was Christ, the Rock. ¹⁵ He is the “shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” What He was to the Israelites, He will be to every one who puts his trust in Him, He says today, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.” ¹⁶ The one who heeds the call will “drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall He lift up the head.” ¹⁷ CIS 269.4

The refreshing water flows by every encampment. All can freely drink of the life giving stream, flowing from the Rock smitten once upon Calvary’s cross. “Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” ¹⁸ Do you long to drink? Remember the Rock has been smitten for you. Do not make the mistake of Moses, and think you must smite it again. “Speak ye unto the Rock, ... and it shall give forth His water.” ¹⁹ Tell Him you are weary of sin, that you long to accept his righteousness. Give Him your sins, and He will clothe you with His Righteousness. ²⁰ CIS 270.1

The Amazon river pours into the Atlantic Ocean such an immense volume of water that for miles out at sea the water remains fresh. It is said that a ship sailing in the ocean near the mouth of the Amazon, had exhausted its supply of fresh water, and signalled to another vessel at a distance, looking for fresh water. The answer was signalled back, “Dip and drink.” The captain thought they could not have understood, and signalled again. The same reply came back across the water. In indignation he said, “They say, ‘Dip, and drink’. Throw the bucket over and try the water” To their surprise the bucket brought up fresh water and their thirst was quenched. CIS 270.2

Often we think we are in he enemy’s land, and the Lord is afar off; but the stream of the river of life flows by every door. We have only to “dip and drink,” if we wish to be led into the sunlight of God’s presence and feel His sheltering care. . CIS 270.3

Like David we need often to cry, “Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah,” ²¹ CIS 271.1

While the foundation of the Christian church is the teaching of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ is the chief corner-stone. ²² Christ is “a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.” ²³ CIS 271.2

Every soul on earth will sometime come in touch with this Stone. He will either fall on it and be broken, that he may be a new creature in Christ Jesus; or he will reject the Stone, and at last it will full upon him and destroy him. ²⁴ CIS 271.3

Blessed is the one that makes Christ the chief corner-stone in all his daily work. Jesus today asks us, as He did Peter of old, “Whom say ye that I am?” Our lives give the answer. Peter’s answer was, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This answer was given him from the Father. CIS 271.4

Christ responded, “Thou art Peter.” In these words He acknowledged Peter as His disciple, for He had given him the name of Peter when he called him to follow Him. ²⁵ CIS 272.1

The word “Peter” meant a stone, or a fragment of rock. Christ’s manner of teaching was to use earthly things to illustrate heavenly lessons; and He took the name Peter, meaning, a fragment of rock, to direct the mind to the solidity of the confession and the stability of the cause which was founded upon “the Rock,” Christ Jesus, of which Peter, when he accepted Christ as His Master, became a portion, or fragment. Every true follower of Christ becomes one of the “living stones” in the great spiritual building of God. ²⁶ CIS 272.2

Christ did not say, On thee, Peter, will I build My church, but immediately changes the expression and says, “Upon this Rock I will build My church.” ²⁷ CIS 272.3

Centuries before, Isaiah had written, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation.” ²⁸ Peter and every other son of Adam has failed when tested. Christ is the only one ever born of woman that has withstood every temptation, and is a “tried stone,” fit to be the chief corner-stone in the great church of God. CIS 272.4

Christ has not placed any mortal man as the foundation of His church. Sad would have been the condition of the church if it had been built upon Peter; for only a short time after he made the above confession, his heart was so full of evil and wrong conclusions that, as the record states, Christ said to him, “Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” ²⁹ CIS 272.5

When the Saviour comes in the clouds of heaven, those who have rejected the Rock, Christ Jesus, will call for the mountains and rocks of earth to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. ³⁰ Our enemies then will witness to the fact that “their rock is not as our Rock.” ³¹ “Ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, Hiswork is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” ³² CIS 273.1

Type	Anti-type
“They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”1 Corinthians 10:4.
Exodus 17:6. The rock was smitten to save the people from thirst.	Hebrews 9:28. “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
Psalm 78:15, 16. “He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.”	John 7:38. Christ said, “He that believeth on Me ... out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
Numbers 20:8. “Speak ye unto the rock.... and it shall give forth his water.”	Luke 11:9, 10. “Ask, and it shall be given you.... for every one that asketh receiveth.”