TYPOLOGY and THE SMITTEN ROCK
The study of Typology is seriously and sadly
neglected in our day. A Type is “a
theological term for that which foreshadows a divine fulfilment”.
The Scripture itself refers to certain events being
“types” … “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples”
(I Corinthians 10:11, KJV margin “types”).
********************
1. TYPES
OF “TYPES”
(a) Men
For example, the first Adam is spoken of as a “type”
or illustration, of the “Second Adam”.
David’s son, Solomon, was a “type” of David’s
Greater Son, Who is building His spiritual Temple. Joshua, who led Israel into the Land of Promises, is a “type” of
the Lord Jesus leading us to the spiritual Canaan. Many other “types” of men could be given.
(b) Metal
Like the serpent of brass is the “type”; Christ on the cross is the Anti-type.
(c) Material
The coverings of the Tabernacle, the “fine twined
linen” worn by the priests, and the “garments of glory and beauty” worn by
Aaron … are all pictures of New Testament spiritual truths. The veil of the Temple is a “type” of our
Lord’s flesh.
(d) Miracles
“All our fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea; and were all
baptised unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat”(I Corinthians 10:1-3) … all
these illustrate New Testament lessons.
I Corinthians 10:11 … Now all these things
happened unto them for ensamples: and
they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come.
(e) Minerals
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that
followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (I Corinthians 10:4)… that is to say, it was a
“type” of Christ. And that’s the one we
are about to examine in more detail.
2. BACKGROUND
(a) The
Memories of
the Israelites!! They remembered 6
things they had “enjoyed” in Egypt … “We remember the fish, which we did
eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and
the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick” (Numbers 11:5).
But God had 7 things for them to enjoy in
Canaan. “For the Lord thy God
bringeth thee into a good land … A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and
fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of
olive oil, and honey…” (Deuteronomy 8:7-8).
(b) The
Murmuring
that brought God’s punishment! At one
stage they even wanted to stone Moses.
There were 250 who rebelled against his authority. The adult population died in the wilderness
… never reaching the Promised Land. And
that is a “type!”…
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the Living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is
called Today; less any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence stedfast unto the end;
while it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your
hearts, as in the provocation. For
some, when they had heard, did provoke:
howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty
years? Was it not with them that had
sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to
them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of
unbelief” (Hebrews 3:12-18).
(c) The
Multitude
in the Wilderness! Just how many were
there? Some Bible-believing scholars
put the number of Israelites as high as 3 million. Others suggest 60-70 thousand!
It all has to do with the interpretation of the Hebrew word “eleph”
which is translated “thousand” but can be translated “family clan”.
The water from the smitten rock supplied not only
all the Israelites but also their livestock!
“And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock
twice: and the water came out
abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also” (Numbers
20:11). Mmmmm!!
(d) The
Mystery
of the “Following” Rock!! (I Corinthians 10:4), for “they drank of
that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
Of course the Lord was with them as they journeyed … but why does it say “followed” them?
British Israelites think it means they carried it
along with them from place to place…
Some Rabbis had a theory it rolled along behind
them!
Sidlow Baxter suggest the “them” refers to the first
three miracles; the Glory Cloud, the
Red Sea, the Manna … and this is the fourth miracle that followed them. Which sounds like a pretty good explanation
to me!!
(e) The
Miracle of
the Smitten Rock occurs twice … two different incidents, once near the start of
the wilderness wanderings and once near the close (Exodus 17 and Numbers
20). But together they teach an
incredibly important Christian truth!!
Notice the following :
“And 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?’
And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, ‘What shall I do unto this
people? They be almost ready to stone
me.’ 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”
(Exodus 17:3-6).
·
The
people were dying of thirst (v. 3)
·
God
told Moses to smite a certain rock (v. 6)
·
He
was to use “the rod of God”, as it is called (Exodus 4:4, 17, 20; 17:5)
·
God
“stood on the Rock”, as it was smitten!! (v. 6)
·
The
life-giving water gushed out! (v. 6)
Paul explains “that Rock was (a type of)
Christ.” He was smitten that those in
danger of perishing, spiritually, might have the life-giving water of
salvation. But He was “smitten of God
and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). It was
the “rod of God” that fell upon Him as He took our place. Yet Father and Son were united in this
sacrifice … as is perhaps suggested by God “standing upon the rock” as it is
smitten.
===========================================================