Standing on the Rock: The Son of God in Exodus 17 and Numbers 20

This article is part of a series on Old Testament Christophanies.  For important background information, see An Introduction to Old Testament Christophanies–with Justin Martyr.

At the Lord’s command, the Israelites moved from the wilderness of Sin (the region between Elim and Mount Sinai [Exod 16:1]) and eventually came to Rephidim, which was located on the western side of Mount Sinai. Because there was no water there, the people quarreled with Moses. Moses asked why they tested the Lord, and the people responded by asking why he brought them there only to have them die of thirst. Moses cried out to the Lord, asking Him what he should do to the people as they were close to stoning him (Exod 17:1–4).

The Lord answered by giving some instructions:

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at 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 (Exod 17:5–6).

Moses named the place Massah, which means “test” and Meribah, which means “quarrel,” because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Exod 17:7). The Israelites could have simply questioned whether or not the Lord was still providing for them. But their concern was deeper; they asked if He was still among them. And indeed, He was. The Son of God miraculously provided the water as He stood on the rock at Sinai (Horeb). 

A parallel account took place decades later in Numbers 20:1–13. There, the Israelites came to the wilderness of Zin (not synonymous with the wilderness of Sin) and camped at Kadesh (located south of Canaan). Moses’ sister Miriam died and was buried there. There was no water available, so the people contended with Moses, wishing they had died along with their brothers before the Lord. Since that place had no grain, figs, vines, pomegranates, or water, the people asked Moses why he brought them out of Egypt, only for them to die in a wretched place (vv. 1–5). Their essential complaint was that there is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.   

Once again, Moses sought help from the Lord. Only this time he was joined by his brother:

Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. Then the glory of the LORD appeared to them; and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink” (Num 20:6–8).

The manifestation of the glory of the Lord indicated His presence within it. The Son stood on the rock before, and now He appeared again, proving He was among His people and that He would provide for them.

Moses took the rod as commanded, and he and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Moses struck the rock twice with the rod; water poured out of it and the people and the animals drank. Then, the Lord castigated Moses and Aaron, saying, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them” (vv. 9–12).

The Targums replace “not believed Me” with “not believed in My Word.”^[1] The Lord likely called out to Moses and Aaron from within the same manifested glory that had appeared earlier. Though their specific sin is unclear,^[2] Moses and Aaron lacked faith and didn’t treat the Lord as holy. Thus, they wouldn’t be able to enter the Promised Land along with the Israelites. That doesn’t, however, mean that Moses would never be able to enter the Promised Land. At the transfiguration of Jesus, Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Him on a mountain in the Promised Land (Matt 17:1–3). Just as He had seen the Son manifest the glory of the Lord in the wilderness, He would see the glory of the Lord again, shining forth from Jesus Christ.

Matching Rephidim, the waters at Kadesh were also called Meribah, because the Israelites contended with the Lord, and He demonstrated His holiness among them (v. 13).

The Rock That Followed Them

The water being miraculously provided in Numbers 20 acts as a sort of bookend with the water brought forth in Exodus 17. One happened toward the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land and one toward the end. It is from this historical context that the apostle Paul wrote the following about the Israelites in 1 Corinthians 10:4:    

and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

There is a Jewish legend that a rock, serving as a well, literally followed the Israelites. It is said to have ascended with them into the mountains and descended with them into the valleys.^[3] One Targum even refers to it as a “living well.”^[4] This rock is described as resembling a beehive, which traveled by rolling.^[5] The apostle likely used some of the language from this legend to make a point. If this is the case, then he was saying that the real rock that followed the Israelites, the source of water and blessing, was Christ (cf. Isa 48:21). The farthest this legend can be traced back is to the second century, meaning Paul may have alluded to an older tradition it grew out of. Regardless, it is easy to see why the apostle would refer to the Messiah in this way. Passages referring to the Messiah as a rock are myriad (e.g., Isa 28:16; Matt 16:18; 1 Pet 2:6–8). He was struck on our behalf, and from Him flows living water (John 4:10; 7:37). Paul wasn’t saying that Christ was literally the rock, but that the rock typified Him. The rock didn’t literally follow the Israelites. Rather, the waters that poured from the different rocks, and were miraculously given on other occasions, came from the divine Provider among them: the Messiah.  

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[1] Targum Onkelos and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Numbers 20:12.

[2] Many commentators argue that the sin of Moses and Aaron was that Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it as ordered. Another popular opinion is that Moses credited himself and Aaron with the power to bring forth the water instead of giving God the glory. It could be that Moses struck the rock twice out of anger, thereby not treating the Lord as holy. Regardless, the brothers’ underlying sin was unbelief. 

[3] Targum Onkelos and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Numbers 21:16–20; Tosefta Sukkah 3.11.

[4]Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Numbers 21:16.

[5] Numbers Rabbah 1:2.