Streams In The Desert

[dave c]

A HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #135c, Re-Written 27FEB10

Water From The Rock—Part Three: Streams In The Desert

by rev. dave c

...Say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs... (Is 35:4-7; NIV).

Exodus 17:1-7 and Numbers 20:1-12 recount two very similar events that occurred during the 40 years of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. Fairly soon after God had miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea so that the Hebrew Nation could escape slavery in Egypt, the people began to grumble against Moses for lack of water. The verses from Exodus describe the obedience of Moses to God’s directions as he struck a rock with his staff resulting in an abundance of water pouring into the desert for the people. Toward the end of the sojourn in the desert, the disobedient generation again complained to Moses. In Numbers, Chapter 20, we watch as God tells Moses to speak to a rock so that the people might have water, but, in his anger and frustration, Moses strikes the rock. Twice. Although God provided the needed water, because of his dishonoring the Most High, Moses and Aaron were only permitted to see the Promised Land before they died—they were not allowed to enter it.

The graphic illustrations I’ve seen that depict these events generally show a handful of people standing around Moses (who has apparently just struck a rock the size of a Volkswagen) watching a fire hydrant type stream gushing into a fish pond size pool of water. The problem with this picture, of course, is that there were up to two million Israelites, plus all of their animals, waiting around for a drink. Try to imagine how much water it would take to satisfy the thirst for what amounts to a goodly sized city for even one day. The number of gallons needed boggles my pea-brain’s ability to develop an image. The magnitude of this event would astonish even seasoned urban managers and army engineers. I have to wonder, “How big was the actual rock, and how wide the resulting river?” Wow. And God didn’t do it just once...He did it twice in a generation.

I forget just how BIG our God is. As Hannah says in First Samuel 2:2, There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God; or as stated in Deuteronomy 32:31, For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede (NIV). Our God IS big...and the miracle of twice flooding the desert with water from a rock, or parting the red sea, or even His flooding the whole earth is not nearly as amazing as the Father giving up His Son as a sacrifice so that you and I might be granted forgiveness of sins and granted eternal salvation from judgment. The greatest outpouring of the Father’s merciful love is the gift of the Holy Spirit for everyone who calls on the name of Jesus Christ. Listen to the Prophet Isaiah as he speaks to us the very words of God, For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants (Isa. 44:3, NIV). This is the fountain of living water—the River of Life.

Isaiah tells us in 43:16-21, This is what the LORD says-- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise (NIV).

God providing a drink of water to two million people and all of their livestock is truly a miracle. That God the Father allowed His Son to be struck as our Rock so that all people throughout all ages are given the opportunity to eternally drink from the Living Fountain of Life has to be the greatest of miracles. Amen.