“and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
and all drank the same spiritual drink.
The fifth privilege they enjoyed was the presence of the pre-incarnate Christ. God gave them the privilege of His presence and power and provision, a position in His economy, and now the presence of the pre-incarnate Christ. What privileges they had!
For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
The rock that Moses struck was a literal rock in Horeb (Ex 17:6), but the “spiritual Rock was a representation of the pre-incarnate (pre-existent) Christ. When Moses struck the rock, water gushed out. The Rock followed them and supernaturally provided water for Israel to drink. The tense for “followed” means that the Rock kept following in the past. The access to divine provision was always there.
PRINCIPLE:
The essence of Christian living is the object of what we believe.
APPLICATION:
Times of pressure are times for putting our faith to the test. God tests us in little things so that we do not fall apart in the big tests. Daily appropriation of God’s Word builds us for the tests. It is possible for the Christian to be independent of his problems. Most Christians sublimate rather than deal with the problems on a biblical basis. We prefer human answers to problems rather than God’s answers. That is why we beat our heads against the wall. God does not want us to accept substitutes; He wants us to believe His Word.
The essence of Christian living is the object of what we believe. The object was not miracles but the God of the miracles. Miracles did not impress Israel, for most of them failed to live godly lives. A miracle is seeing something. Faith does not develop when we see the answer. Israel constantly complained about their situation because they did not believe. Joshua and Caleb believed God and were victorious in their lives because they trusted in the God who could provide.
2 Co 4:18, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
1 Peter 1:6-7, 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
1 Peter 5:10, But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Dr. Grant,
Was Christ also the angel/messenger that God sent ahead of them in the wilderness, since God said "my name is in him"? (Exodus 23:20-21)
Jakob, Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New Testament. In the Old Testament He was a theophany, a physical manifestation of God. As the Logos he is the communicator of the trinity. However, operating as a theophany is not the same as His hypostatic union in the New Testament. Yes, it was the second person of the trinity who was with Israel at that time.