Israel was in the arid, stony waste of Sin, the glory-cloud stood over them, and the bounty of the heaven-sent manna was about their camp Their supplies of water were run out, and they were afflicted with thirst. The fact that God fed them with bread from heaven did not appease their longings, neither did it suggest to them that He who bestowed upon them bread, could also find them water. They had no faith, and said sullenly to Moses, “Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” ( Ex. 17:33And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? (Exodus 17:3)) and in their rebellion they were “ready to stone” him.
Moses laid the case before Jehovah, and He uttered not one word of reproach at Israel’s hardness of heart, but in perfect goodness bade His servant to “go on before the people,” and to take with him of the elders, and in his hand the rod with which he had smitten the river of Egypt, and stand before the rock. And, said Jehovah, “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” (Ex. 17:66Behold, 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. (Exodus 17:6)).
Thus were the river of Egypt and the rock in the wilderness brought into close moral association by the rod of divine judgment. Sin calls for judgment. Israel’s rebellion cried for it, but the blow was to fall, not on Israel, but on the rock; the rod was not to destroy them, it was to be the means of their life. The cloud of the divine presence led the way, and it halted upon the rock, for the glory of God was there. “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb.” The leader and the elders of Israel gathered round the rock, and the people massed themselves together to behold the ways of God. The rod which in Egypt had turned life into death, was in the wilderness about to turn death into life. Then, as he had been bidden, Moses struck the rock, and from the smitten rock “the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river” (Psa. 105:4141He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river. (Psalm 105:41)). Israel drank of the life stream, and, with children and cattle, were satisfied.
The Scripture interprets the symbolism of the rock – “that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:44And 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)). From Christ, smitten by the judgment of God for rebellious man, from Him once crucified, the life-stream flows out to the world. The glory of Jehovah stands over the cross of Christ. There it abides morally forever. There is no other meetingplace with God than this for sinful needy men. And in this world the wildernessis the meeting-place found. From Christ once suffering under divine judgment on earth, but now glorified in heaven, the Holy Spirit communicates to such as thirst life, satisfaction, and joy. “If any man thirst,” says Jesus, “let him come unto Me, and drink” (John 7:3737In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37)). Thus does the last week, before the mount of God was reached, open up its eternal lessons Meribah, and Massah, are not to be forgotten. ( See Psa. 78:20-2220Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? 21Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; 22Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation: (Psalm 78:20‑22).)
A strange Arab legend hovers over the locality, for though the precise position of the rock cannot be given, still the general features of the Wady Feiran answer to the story of the Scriptures. Before the fertile valley comforts eye and foot, there is a stretch of terribly arid rocky desolation, and “immediately before the part of the valley where the fertility commences,” is “a rock which Arab tradition regards as the site of the miracle.” “This rock,... is surrounded by small heaps of pebbles, placed upon every available stone in the immediate neighborhood,” for the Arabs throw these pebbles in memory – as their legend runs – of the throwing of pebbles by the children of Israel upon the stones surrounding the rock, after they had drunk of its waters, and had sat down to rest.
Rephidim is famous, not only for the miracle of the rock, but also for the victory over Amalek. The Amalekites were “of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt” (1 Sam. 27:88And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. (1 Samuel 27:8)). Evidences of their ancient occupancy remain in the ruins of their “Hazeroth, or fenced enclosures.” No doubt the fruitful valley of the Feiran was their holding, and they saw Israel’s host approaching its fertility with envy. It is probable that they beheld, from the heights around, the miracle of the rock, and, if so, they must have perceived that Israel was not dependent upon Amalek’s resources for their journey towards Horeb, and their attack on Israel was an outrage upon Jehovah. Towards the evening of the day of rebellion and of mercy, Amalek fell upon Israel’s rear. We may imagine the foe, like the Arabs of the Soudan, creeping down their steep glensides and then bursting upon Israel like a torrent. Israel had said, `’ Is the Lord among us or not?” tempting God by their unbelief, and “then came Amalek.” But, nevertheless, with the enemy, came the God-given victory over him! Unbelief in God’s faithfulness, God’s answer of mercy; the enemy’s attack, God’s reply of victory; such is the golden line of God’s grace over man’s sin, displayed in the glory of God in the wilderness.
The next morning battle was joined, and the manner of the combat was unique. Joshua, with spear and sword, met the foe in the valley; Moses, with the rod and uplifted hands, upon the overlooking hill, prayed for victory. So long as the intercessor’s hands were uplifted, Israel prevailed; but when they slackened Amalek gained the advantage. As the day wore on, Moses’s hands grew heavy, and then the future high priest, Aaron, with Hur whose name signifies purity formed a seat for the intercessor, and supporting his hands, kept them steady until the sun went down. Thus the day ended, and Israel, in the power of the uplifted hands, were more than conquerors.
This strange victory has a significance marked out by God Himself. The Lord commanded Moses to write the record of it in the book, and to rehearse it in the ears of Joshua. The leader in war service was ever to remember that the battle is won through the strength and courage imparted by virtue of the prayers of the Intercessor on high.
The symbolic character of the day’s strange combat is apparent, and taking it in its sequence after the smitten rock, it is well expounded by these verses “It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us”; “We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8:34,3734Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)
37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8:37)). The Scriptures are definite as to the attitude of Christ in His ascent to heaven, and of His service there. “He lifted up His hands and blessed them. And... while He blessed them He was... carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-5150And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50‑51)). “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:1111Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)). “He ever liveth to snake intercession;... made higher than the heavens” (Heb. 7:25-2625Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Hebrews 7:25‑26)).
On the site of the victory Moses built an altar to Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah my banner. Not such a banner, with emblems of their gods, as the Egyptian armies rallied around, but an altar of burnt sacrifice, the tribute of worship to the unchangeable I AM. And in connection therewith Moses said, “A hand is lifted up upon the throne of Jah! A war of the Lord against Amalek from generation to generation “prophetic words, indicating the final victory of the people of God, for the mighty hand of the Intercessor is laid upon the divine throne, and at the sundown, as it were, of this world’s day, victory shall remain with the soldiers of God. And thus stands the record, written by the divine command in the Book of God; the war proceeding still, the final victory still to come.
The overthrow of Amalek opened Israel’s way to the valleys at the foot of the Horeb range of mountains, and led to the realization of the promise made to Moses at the burning bush, “This shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt ye shall serve God upon this mountain” (Ex. 3:1;21Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. (Exodus 3:1)). The Horeb district was familiar ground to the former shepherd of Midian, and when settled before the mountains Jethro visited Israel’s camp to hear in Moses’ tent the story of God’s wonderful ways, to rejoice “for all the goodness which Jehovah had done to Israel” (Ex. 18:99And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. (Exodus 18:9)).
This might be said to be but a very natural act, but it is not recorded simply as a piece of history; a religious ceremony was bound up with it. Jethro being with Israel took a burnt offering and made sacrifice to God, and also peace offerings. He “and all the elders of Israel” joined in worship and communion. But it is said Jethro ate bread “before God,” not before Jehovah, for it was not by His name, Jehovah, that God was related to the Midianite. In this significant act of worship is a picture of the coming day, when all enemies being vanquished, Jew and Gentile shall worship and commune together “before God.” Then, too, will Christ share with His chosen people the rule and the government, as did Moses on the suggestion of Jethro share his rule with the heads of Israel.
The interest in the incidents which are before us in this chapter is so great that we have supplied a map of that part of the Feiran in which they occurred. On the left, supposing we are on the way to Horeb, facing Jebel Serbal, is the hill Tahuneh, before reaching which is located the traditional rock, Hesy el Khattatin.
Near Tahuneh is the position of Rephidim. Some twenty miles up the valley, and the plain of Er Rahah is gained.
Thus do the recorded incidents of these two weeks, present two pictures of the divine purpose in reference to man. The first – of Christ, the Manna, sustaining and supporting the people of God in their heavenward way, and the sabbath of God being reached and enjoyed through Him. No enemies are in view in this picture. The unbelief and the needs of the people of God and Christ, in His excellence, are the main objects before the spiritual eye. The second picture – is of Christ as the smitten Rock. Christ, under the judgment of God on man’s account, and from Him once smitten, the living waters pouring out for man, through the Spirit. Then the enemy appears to hinder and to destroy, but by virtue of Christ’s intercession on high, the enemy is vanquished. Finally men, as one family on earth, are seen communing together and worshipping together before the living God; even as the Scriptures continually declare shall be the case in the coming kingdom.