Do you remember that Moses struck the rock referred to in 1 Corinthians 10 on two separate occasions? The first time he struck it once; the second time he hit it with his staff twice. And, for that second act, God forbade Moses from entering into the promised land. How could that be? On the surface this seems insignificant compared to the things Moses did during his forty years of leading Israel to the promised land. Remember, the Bible calls Moses “the meekest man in all the earth” and Hebrews 3:2 singles out Moses and actually says, “Moses was faithful in all God’s house.” Did God actually prevent Moses from going into the promised land after all of his service and faithfulness to the Most High? Yes, he did. Moses died just before Joshua took Israel across the Jordan into the land of Canaan. Does this mean, then, that Moses was not an overcomer and that he will not share in the glories of Christ’s Kingdom of Heaven? Ah, now we have to seek the meaning of this very obscure parable, a parable which most of the Church does not understand and seemingly does not want to understand.

To answer this question let’s first look at 1 Corinthians 10 again. Remember, this is the passage that introduces us to “types.” Remember that types are historical characters and events (parables) which tell a prophetic truth.

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[a] that our fathers were all under the cloud, and allpassed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown[b] in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ[c] to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. [1 Corinthians 10:1-14 ESV]

This passage teaches us that the rock which Moses struck with his staff actually was or at least specifically represented Jesus Christ himself. Moses struck the rock first at the beginning of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Concerning this Moses wrote,

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah[a] andMeribah,[b] because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” [Exodus 17:1-7]

Here the LORD specifically instructed Moses to strike the rock with his staff. He also told Moses that he, the LORD, would stand before Moses there “on the rock.” In essence then, interpreting this in light of 1 Corinthians 10, God told Moses to strike Him! What does this represent typologically? Christ’s crucifixion of course, just as Isaiah prophesied almost 800 years before the actual event.

The historical account of Moses striking the rock the first time prophetically portrays Christ, who according to 1 Corinthians 10 “was that rock,” being stricken by God “for the transgression of God’s people.” It is important to understand that the account of Moses first striking the rock occurs at the beginning of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, the beginning of their wilderness journey. This corresponds to the beginning of the Christian’s walk of faith in life. We begin that walk by faith in the crucifixion (striking) of Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sins of he world. Then, like Israel, we begin our wilderness walk. After we come to faith in Jesus (faith in our spiritual salvation and reconciliation to God) we begin our walk of faith (faith which leads to the salvation of our souls, not our spirits). During our wilderness journey we learn to “come out of Babylon,” that is, leave the ways of Egypt (Satan’s world). For many of us this is a very long journey, just as it was for Moses. It was at the end of his 40 year walk in the wilderness when Moses struck the rock (Jesus) a second time. Here is that Biblical account:

1 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.

The Waters of Meribah

2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. 3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought the assembly of theLord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” 6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, 7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” 9 And Moses took the staff from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Moses Strikes the Rock

10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” 13 These are the waters of Meribah,[a] where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.  [Numbers 20:1-13]

Notice that here God told Moses to take his staff and speak to the rock only; he did not command him to hit the rock at all. Moses, however, apparently in anger, struck the rock twice with his staff, not once, but twice! He was supposed to merely speak to the rock, so why did he hit it twice this time? Because it is a prophetic action, a parable. In a type Moses acted out Hebrews 6. (Hebrews is a book that almost every Christian misunderstands. I regularly teach from the Book of Hebrews.  Click here for a good place to begin reading some of my commentary.) Following is the relevant passage:

Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings,[a] the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. [Hebrews 6:1-12]

I do not teach the elementary doctrine of Christ very often, but you can find some articles on this site concerning verses 1 and 2 if you look for them. This article is not one of them. This article deals with a Christian “losing his salvation” as some would say. Christians do not understand the Book of Hebrews because they do not like to think that they could possibly lose their salvation. But, over and over again Hebrews makes it clear that a Christian can. Read the passage above. Now read the bolded verses again. The reason that Moses could not enter into the promised land was because it was impossible for him to do so. By striking the rock twice he had, in a type (parable), crucified the son of God a second time.

Once you see this you will say, “Of course! That is so obvious!” Yes, it is. So, what does it mean?

Look at what God said to Moses immediately after he struck the rock twice. God said, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” Jesus said that if we believe in him then we would obey his commandments. Most Christians do not obey his commandments. Most Christians still reside in Babylon and follow the ways of the world. They do not believe that we are to work out our salvation (soul, not spirit) in fear and trembling. They do not take the word of the beloved prophet to heart who said,

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure thateveryone who practices righteousness has been born of him.

3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears[f]we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. [1 John 2:28-3:3]

Since Christians do not take the word of God to heart they, like Moses in this parable, do not uphold the holiness of God. Christians have become a worldly people, not a holy people.

Christ died for all.  We all strike the Rock once.  But, when we refuse to obey him after we have understood his sacrifice for us, when we refuse to apply the precepts of Scripture to our lives, then we strike him a second time. For those who do this it will be impossible to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, the promised land. Count on it. Moses, although a true overcomer, did not physically enter the promised land. He paid a very high price to teach us this lesson.