Moses striking the rock was a divinely directed picture of Christ being struck, and the water that poured out pictured the spiritual drink that comes from Him.
In Exodus 17, Israel was without water in the desert and complained against Moses. God told Moses to take his rod and strike the rock at Horeb, and water came out. Les Feldick explains that Paul identifies that rock as Christ in 1 Corinthians 10:4, so the smitten rock pictures Christ being struck, and the water pictures the spiritual drink believers receive from Him.
Exodus 17:6 — This is the command to Moses to strike the rock at Horeb, with water coming out for the people to drink.
1 Corinthians 10:4 — Paul explicitly identifies the spiritual Rock that followed Israel as Christ, which unlocks the meaning of the Exodus incident.
Exodus 17 records that after Israel came out of Egypt, they were in the desert with no water, and the people complained against Moses. God told Moses to take the rod with which he had smitten the river, gather the elders of Israel, and go to the rock at Horeb. The KJV text of the command is Exodus 17:5-6: "And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 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." In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul explains the spiritual meaning of that provision: "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."
Les Feldick teaches that the striking of the rock is a picture of Christ being smitten. He builds this on 1 Corinthians 10, where Paul says the spiritual Rock that followed Israel was Christ. Les stresses that whenever Scripture uses the rock or stone as a type — from Exodus to Daniel 2 to Matthew 16 — the rock is always Christ in typical language. Les also highlights the location: Horeb is the same as Mount Sinai, and God said He would stand upon the rock. For believers on this side of the cross, the smitten rock points to Christ's finished work — His death, burial, and resurrection — which we appropriate by faith.
Israel, just out of Egypt, was in the desert with all their flocks and no water. The people murmured against Moses and complained that they had been brought out of Egypt only to die of thirst. God told Moses to take the rod with which he had smitten the river in Egypt, to take the elders of Israel, and to go to the rock at Horeb. God said He would stand upon the rock, and Moses was to smite it. Water came out of the rock, and the people and livestock had plenty to drink.
Paul explicitly connects Israel's wilderness experience with the believer's spiritual blessings. He writes that Israel "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). Les points out that Paul makes it plain that the rock Moses struck was Christ. He adds that even later, when Moses was supposed to have spoken to the rock but struck it instead, the rock is still Christ.
Les describes a "great lesson" in the smitten rock. Because the rock is Christ, its being struck points to Christ's suffering and the work of the cross — His death, burial, and resurrection. On this side of the cross, Les says, believers appropriate that finished work by faith. The water that came from the rock was the spiritual drink of which Paul speaks, picturing the provision that flows from the smitten Christ.
The Desert Setting and God's Command
Israel had just come out of Egypt, was in the desert with no water, and the people murmured; God's instruction to Moses to take his rod and the elders sets up the striking of the rock.
God on the Rock at Horeb
God said He would stand upon the rock in Horeb, and Moses was to smite it; Les then points to 1 Corinthians 10 to identify the rock as Christ.
Paul's Identification of the Rock
Paul makes it plain that the rock struck in the wilderness was Christ, and Les explains that all rock types in Scripture point to Christ.
The Spiritual Rock That Followed
Paul says the spiritual drink came from the spiritual Rock that followed Israel, and Les identifies that Rock as Christ.
The Rock/Stone Type in Scripture
Les shows the rock/stone is Christ throughout Scripture, citing Daniel 2's stone and the Exodus rock as the same analogy.
The Same Rod, the Same Mountain
God told Moses to take the rod that turned the Nile to blood and to go to Horeb, which is the same as Mount Sinai.
Christ's Finished Work and Faith
For believers after the cross, the smitten rock pictures Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, and believers appropriate this finished work by faith.
The Rock Is Always Christ
Les repeats that the rock is always Christ in typical language, connecting the Exodus rock to Daniel 2 and Matthew 16.
Exodus 17:5-6: And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 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 original account of the smiting of the rock and the water that followed.
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 explicitly names the spiritual Rock that followed Israel as Christ.
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 cites this verse to show the rock/stone typology consistently points to 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 references this verse to demonstrate that the stone/rock in prophecy is Christ.
The rock Moses struck represents Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the spiritual Rock that followed Israel was Christ, and Les teaches that every rock/stone type in Scripture points to Christ.
God specifically commanded it. Israel was thirsty in the desert, and God told Moses to take the same rod used to turn the Nile to blood, assemble the elders, and strike the rock at Horeb. Water came out for the people to drink.
Les describes it as the spiritual drink Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians 10. Because the rock is Christ, the water from the smitten rock pictures what believers receive from Christ after His work on the cross.
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