Anticipating Jesus: A Type of Christ in the Wilderness
Judgement, Mercy, and the Rock of Salvation
Last week, in our journey to find Jesus in the Old Testament, I wrote about an example of a Christophany. If you missed it, you can catch up on the series below:
Finding Christ in the Old Testament
Creation and the Promise to Come
This week I want to focus on an example of typology, which is honestly one of my favorite topics in the Old Testament. Types are symbols or pictures in the Old Testament that point us to Jesus. David Murray defines types as “a real person, place, object, or event that God ordained to act as a predictive pattern or resemblance of Jesus’ person and work, or of opposition to both.”
When We Feel Forgotten by God
Early in Israel’s journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai, the Bible gives us a vivid picture of God’s grace that foreshadows its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. In Exodus 17:1–7, the people travel in stages through the harsh wilderness of Sinai. It’s dry and barren in every direction. From a human perspective, their situation looks hopeless. As their water supply dwindles, the people panic.
Verse 2 says that the people “quarreled with Moses and said, ‘Give us water that we may drink.’” That word “quarrel” doesn’t really capture the full meaning of the Hebrew. The word is the root of Meribah, which is what they will call this place. It’s a legal term describing the filing of a lawsuit. It’s like they are filing a legal complaint demanding God’s provision.
How does Moses respond to their charge? He says, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” In other words, you’re filing a complaint against the wrong person. Your complaint is with God. Why are you testing Him? Are you so bold that you would put God on trial?
In verse 3, they’re not just asking why did you bring us out of Egypt. They’re asking why did you bring us out here to kill us and our children. They’re not saying God doesn’t have the power to give them water. They’re saying He doesn’t intend to give them water. They’re essentially charging Moses with treason, and by proxy charging God. They’re saying God is not a saving God, but an untrustworthy God. They’re not just questioning God’s timing or methods. They’re questioning God’s goodness.
God Steps Into the Trial
Moses goes to God and asked what he should do, because the people are getting ready to stone him. What does God tell him to do? In verse 5 God says, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.”
God is saying several things here.
What I’m about to do will be public. Moses is to pass before the people. They are to see him go. It’s going to be a public display.
It will be well verified by the leaders of the people. The elders are to go with him. This is a legal proceeding. They will stand as the jurors and later testify to what they saw.
He’s to take the staff he used to strike the Nile. The people know this staff well—it’s a symbol of God’s power. It reminds them of the plagues in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. This is the same God, displaying the same power, offering the same grace.
The Rock Was Struck for Them
Then God makes an amazing statement in verse 6: "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
God could have said I’m done with this people. They don’t trust me. They’re hardheaded. They dare to think they can stand in judgement of Me? I’m going to leave them to die. Or I’m going to strike them down.
God didn’t choose to do any of that. He said I will stand on the rock before you, and you strike the rock. I will give you life-giving water to drink. That’s exactly what He did.
A Glimpse of the Cross in the Desert
Verse 7 says, “He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, ‘Is the LORD among us, or not?’” You see what they needed more than water was God’s presence, and God answered that question. He came and stood before Moses, the mediator, and His presence brought life.
Instead of striking the people, who deserved it, Moses was commanded to strike the rock on which God stood. What does this have to do with Jesus in the Old Testament? Hopefully, you’ve already started to make some connections.
God stood on the rock in the place of the guilty. He took the blow of judgment. Was He the one at fault? No. The people were guilty. Yet God Himself bore the punishment.
Living Water for the Thirsty
This moment doesn’t meet all the criteria for a Christophany, since God does not appear in human form to deliver a message to an individual. Yet there is little doubt that the one standing on the rock was the second person of the Trinity—the one we now know as Jesus. This scene is a type pointing forward to Christ, who would one day fulfill the symbol by becoming its ultimate reality.
Isaiah 28:16 says, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.”
Jesus is the cornerstone. He is the Rock of our salvation.
Jesus was put on trial though He was innocent. Yet it was the guilty who passed judgment, shouting, “Crucify Him!” On the cross, He took the punishment His people deserved. And in exchange, He offers life-giving water, grace poured out for the thirsty.
Grace Before the Law
In Exodus 17, the people ask, “Is the Lord among us or not?” The answer is yes, but in a way they could never have imagined. He stood on the rock, not only among them, but in their place. And this happened even before God made His covenant with them at Sinai. Already, He was pointing toward Calvary.
Next week, we’ll look at prophecies in the Old Testament that point to Jesus. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a post! In the meantime, if you’d like to explore typology further, here are some great books to check out: