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What was the rock of Rephidim?
Exodus 17:1 - 7
ESV - 1 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 ?
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Asked April 18 2015
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Yvonne Johnson
Supporter
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Tim Maas
Supporter
In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul identifies the rock at Rephidim (meaning "supports") from which God caused water to flow for the benefit of the Israelites (as described in Exodus 17:1-7) as being representative of Christ, through the manner in which the triune God spiritually supported and provided for Israel during its journey to the Promised Land following the exodus from Egypt. In addition, the way in which the rock broke open, and water flowed from it, when Moses struck the rock with his staff, was a prophetic foreshadowing of the manner in which Jesus would be smitten for our salvation, and specifically of how blood and water flowed from Jesus' side when a Roman soldier pierced it with his spear following Jesus' death by crucifixion (John 19:34) -- blood which Jesus shed to give us eternal life, in the same manner in which the water from the rock at Rephidim provided life for the Israelites and their cattle. The parallel with Christ is further reinforced by a later incident in Numbers 20:2-13. God again brought water from a rock at Kadesh for the Israelites. However, on that second occasion, He instructed Moses only to speak to the rock, rather than to strike it with his staff. To me, this symbolizes that Jesus was smitten by God once, and that His sacrifice was sufficient for all time, with no need for repetition. When Moses struck the rock, as he had at Rephidim (and struck it not just once, but twice) instead of speaking to it, and also failed to give God glory for it by saying to the Israelites, "Must we bring you water out of this rock?", God punished him by telling him that he would not be allowed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Mark Kaszubowski
Supporter
I also believe that Jesus in Matthew 16:18 said "Your name is Peter and on this rock I will build my church. The rock Jesus speaks of is himself as mentioned in Exodus 17 1-7 and by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.. Jesus is also the corner stone which was rejected and a stumbling block to many. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God Bless you all!
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