The rock in Exodus 17 symbolizes Jesus Christ — the smitten Christ from whom living water flowed for Israel.
In the Exodus 17 account, the Lord told Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, and water came out for the people and their livestock. Les Feldick teaches that whenever Scripture uses the rock in a typical sense, it always points to Christ. The New Testament confirms this in 1 Corinthians 10:4, where Paul writes that the spiritual Rock that followed Israel was Christ.
Exodus 17:6 — This verse records the event itself: God commands Moses to strike the rock, and water flows out for Israel to drink.
1 Corinthians 10:4 — This verse provides the New Testament identification of the rock as Christ.
Exodus 17 recounts Israel's journey to Rephidim, where there was no water for the people. In response to Moses' cry to the Lord, God gave a specific instruction: 'Behold, 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' (Exodus 17:6). Moses obeyed, and water came out for the people. Scripture itself does not explicitly state the symbolic meaning of the rock in the Exodus narrative. However, in 1 Corinthians 10, Paul looks back to Israel's wilderness journey and directly identifies the rock: 'And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ' (1 Corinthians 10:4). This is the biblical anchor for understanding the rock in Exodus 17 as a symbol of Christ.
Les Feldick presses the point that in Scripture the rock is consistently Christ. He says, 'All through Scripture, who is the stone or the rock? Well Christ is.' He applies this to Exodus 17 by saying, 'When Moses struck the rock out there in the desert, and out of it flowed water, who was the rock? Christ was.' He further explains that Paul makes this unmistakable in 1 Corinthians 10: 'Paul now makes it so plain in this Chapter 10 that that rock was Christ.' For Les, this is a fixed rule: whenever the Bible uses a rock in a typical or symbolic sense, it will never deviate from Christ. Les also draws out the gospel picture in the striking of the rock. When Moses took the shepherd's rod and smote the rock, Les says, 'who was he smiting? Christ. Absolutely he was. Because, you see, it's the smitten Christ.' He connects this to Isaiah 53, where the Messiah would be stricken and smitten of God. The event in Exodus 17, then, not only answered Israel's thirst but also pictured the suffering of Christ and the abundant provision that would come from His death.
Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 10:4 provide the clear New Testament interpretation: the spiritual Rock that Israel drank from was Christ. Les Feldick highlights this repeatedly, saying that Paul 'makes it so plain' in 1 Corinthians 10 that the rock was Christ. He also notes that 1 Corinthians 10 is the key passage for understanding the rock imagery, since Paul applies it directly to Israel's wilderness experience.
The Bible records that the Lord said, 'thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it.' Les Feldick takes this beyond the immediate miracle. He says that when Moses took his shepherd's rod and smote the rock, he was smiting Christ in type. He links this to Isaiah 53, where the Servant is stricken and smitten of God. The supply of water, Les adds, was not small — it was enough for all the people and all their livestock.
Les teaches that every typical reference to a rock or stone in Scripture points to Jesus Christ. He gives examples: Daniel 2's stone cut without hands, which represents the Second Coming of Christ as a smiting stone; and Matthew 16, where Jesus says 'upon this rock I will build my church' — a rock that Les identifies as Christ Himself, not Peter. In every case, Les says, the rock is always Christ in typical language.
Christ the Rock: Spiritual Warfare & The Battle with Amalek
Now, it's not intended to be professional, but it is interesting, we think. And they have put it on tape, and they're reproducing them, and they're offering them for anyone who will ask for it, for a $10 offering to the ministry. So there again, no one is going to make anything on it, per se, for themselves. And that four hours covers everything from Genesis through Revelation in an overview.
The Rock Is Christ Throughout Scripture
Les asks 'All through Scripture, who is the stone or the rock?' and answers that Christ is — including the rock Moses struck in the desert.
Paul's Plain Statement: The Rock Was Christ
Les teaches that 1 Corinthians 10 makes it plain the wilderness rock was Christ, and that every typical rock reference in Scripture points to Him.
The Rock in Daniel and Matthew
Les shows that the same rock symbolism carries into Daniel 2's smiting stone and Matthew 16's 'this rock,' where Christ, not Peter, is the rock.
Smiting the Rock Pictured the Smitten Christ
Les teaches that when Moses struck the rock, he was smiting Christ in type — it pictures the smitten Christ.
Rule for Interpreting 'Rock'
Les establishes that any biblical reference to the rock points to Christ, resting his case on 1 Corinthians 10.
Abundant Water for People and Livestock
Les connects the water supply to the smitten Christ of Isaiah 53 and notes it was abundant enough for millions of people and their livestock.
The Rock as Chief Cornerstone
Les extends the rock imagery to Christ as the chief cornerstone and the rock of our salvation, citing Peter's Old Testament analogy.
Exodus 17:6: Behold, 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 of Israel.
This is the event in question: God commands Moses to strike the rock, and water comes out for Israel to drink.
1 Corinthians 10:4: And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Paul looks back to the wilderness rock and explicitly calls the Rock Christ.
Daniel 2:34: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Les cites this stone as another Old Testament picture of Christ, the rock/stone.
Matthew 16:18: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Les interprets the 'rock' in this verse as Christ Himself, not Peter.
The rock symbolizes Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul identifies the spiritual Rock as Christ. Les Feldick teaches that this is the consistent biblical picture: the rock is always Christ.
God commanded Moses to strike the rock at Horeb so water could come out for Israel to drink. Les Feldick sees this as a type of the smitten Christ — the Messiah struck for our sins.
Yes. Paul explicitly refers back to Israel's wilderness experience and says the spiritual Rock that followed them was Christ. Les Feldick uses this to confirm that the rock in Exodus 17 points to Christ.
Watch the Teaching: Christ the Rock: Spiritual Warfare & The Battle with Amalek