Exod. 17:6 "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall smite the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders.
In the desert, water is life-giving and life-sustaining. It is a necessity. The Israelites, having no water, quickly recognized their need for it and complained to Moses because without it they would surely die (v.3).
God told Moses to take his rod and strike or smite (nakah) the rock and water would come out of it. Not just a few drops or a trickle, but abundant provision from God. Water, as we read, gushed out of it (Ps. 78:15, 16). The smiting of the rock met their need and gave them life.
Isaiah writes in (53:4) that Jesus was reckoned to be stricken and smitten (nakah) by God. All the while it was for our sins that He was wounded (v.5). Can you see the wonderful foreshadowing of Jesus in Exodus as the rock who would be smitten for us? In our need, being dead in sin, God provided Jesus for us. And as a result, we have been given life. Not just a few drops or even a trickle, but gushing, abundant life (Jn. 10:10) that we may drink.
Thank you, Jesus, for being smitten for our sins. You gave us life.
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