November 2000

[Part Twenty-seven]

                In Part Twenty-six of this series we spoke on uses of ROCKS AND STONES in Scripture and how they served both as weapons of destruction and building materials. One common use of stones in the O.T. was the construction of altars whereon sacrifices were offered. The first altar ever erected was by NOAH after the Ark landed safely on the Mt. Ararat. This offering of clean beasts was surely an expression of gratitude to God! (Ge 8:20) Then Abram built the second altar before he and Lot parted caravans- for here God promised the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants. (Ge 12:7) This must surely have been a sacrifice of joy and great thanksgiving since all indications were that Abram’s wife, Sarai, was barren.
                Stones were also used as a means of elevation- like out in the wilderness when the people thirsted greatly because there was no water, and God told Moses, “Behold, when I stand before you ON THE ROCK at Horeb, you will *strike the Rock and water shall come out of it so the people can drink of it.” (Ex 17:3,6) According to v.4, God was not only responding to Israel’s thirst here, but was acting to save Moses from being STONED TO DEATH by his own people!! (v. 4)

*There is great significance in this miracle as is evidenced in the following verses:

“God *OPENED THE ROCK (“And The Rock was CHRIST!” 1 Cor 10:4) and the WATERS (“Peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues”, Re 17:15) gushed forth and ran like a river into the dry places (“The rebellious live in a dry land!” Ps 68:6) (Ps 105:41) *Now with this revelation in mind that the Rock represents Christ,, and Scripture clearly acknowledges Christ as the living Word of God, we see a parallel between this act where God “OPENED THE ROCK” and when the risen Christ “OPENED THE WORD” to release its River of Living Waters to His thirsting disciples! (Lk 24:32) But before this, He “opened their eyes” so they could recognize Him; then “opened their understanding” to receive His revelation of Himself in the Scriptures. (v. 31-45)
                We see two more parallels of God “opening the Rock”. One tells of how the side of Jesus was opened on the Cross (Lk 19:34) as it was pierced with a soldier’s spear [which speaks of when good man, Abel, was slain by his evil brother whose name, Cain (Heb 7014) means “spear”; taken from 6969: “A mourning woman as one who wails at a funeral!” ] From Jesus’ side there gushed water and blood symbolizing the birthing of the“suffering church”- out from whose“bellies” (Gk 2836 lit, “wombs”) would likewise flow rivers of Living Water (Jn 7:38) to be mixed with the blood of their own crucified lives! And this takes us back to the time when God opened the side of Adam and out came the woman, Eve, (the “mother of all living”)!“ Ge 2:21-22; 3:20

                Another stony elevation was when Moses stood on a high hilltop holding the rod of God as Joshua led his chosen ones into battle against Amalek. Now as long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed , but if ever he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed! But when he grew too weary to hold his arms up any longer, Aaron and Hur set him upon a large stone and each held up an arm till sundown by which time Joshua had utterly defeated Amalek! (Ex 17:8-13) By this, God made Moses a living sacrifice on a stony altar!! Now God calls us to “Present our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice (Ro 12:1); and on the Altar of His Son, the “ROCK of Salvation”, to offer Him our “Sacrifices of Praise and Thanksgiving!” (Ps 107:22; Jer 33:11)

[TO BE CONTINUED]