Jesus ~ Rock

Rock:

“…and all drank the same spiritual drink.

For they drank of a spiritual rock

that followed them,

and the rock was Christ.”

~I Corinthians 10:4

While thinking about this passage of Scripture,

a childhood memory surfaced

which hadn’t come to mind for many years.

My dad used to tell me

that one of the most important things to consider

when buying a piece of land is the availability of water;

city water, well water, Artesian spring,

or even a stream, if it didn’t have a habit of drying up.

Whenever he contemplated acquiring some property

without a water source previously established,

he would hire a well-witcher who would walk the acreage

while carrying a long forked stick.

The man would hold the forked end, one tine in each hand,

and point the stick out in front of him parallel to the ground.

Whenever the end of the stick was drawn downward,

that meant there was water under the ground.

Dad described to me how water, coursing through rock strata,

was filtered of contaminants and impurities

as it flowed hundreds of feet deep beneath us.

Dad liked well water the best.

A good water-witcher might ascertain

where several underground streams crossed

and would advise us to have the well drilled at their intersection.

The streams were likely to be flowing at different levels,

so when the well was drilled, it would be fed by several sources.

As a child, I questioned the validity of such practice

and wanted to watch my dad try it;

if Dad could do it, then it would be real to me.

The well-witcher smiled as each of us gave it a go in our yard;

my dad knew where the sprinkler lines were buried.

It didn’t work for Dad or I,

but a few of my brothers felt the stick tug downward

in exactly the right places.

Dad said it had something to do with body chemistry.

I was suspicious nonetheless.

As Moses led the people through the rugged, arid wilderness,

water sources above ground were scarce.

After being released from generations of enslavement in Egypt,

it was unlikely that the Israelites would know the location of springs

or would understand how to read strata.

God told Moses to tell them where to go,

and they went.

...and God was with them…

 “…(they) were all under the cloud,

and all passed through the sea;

and all were baptized into Moses

in the cloud and in the sea;

and all ate the same spiritual food,

“and all drank the same spiritual drink,

for they were drinking from a spiritual rock

which followed them;

and the rock was Christ.” 

~I Corinthians 10:1-4

Jesus Christ was their Rock;

cleansing, filtering, purifying.

Through Jesus flowed their strength and their song,

the springs of their salvation,

the water of life.

As God caused the manna to rain from above

and the often unseen water courses to follow them,

just so was their every spiritual need provided for

through God alone.

 “’Behold, God is my salvation,

I will trust and not be afraid’

for the Lord God is my strength and song,

and He has become my salvation.’

“Therefore you will joyously draw water

from the springs of salvation,

and in that day you will say,

‘Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name…”

~Isaiah 2-4

“…It is done.

I am the Alpha and the Omega,

the beginning and the end. 

I will give to the one who thirsts

from the spring of the water of life

without cost.”

Revelation 21:6

Jesus Christ is my Rock;

cleansing, filtering, purifying.

Through Jesus flows my strength and my song,

the springs of my salvation,

the water of life.

And as the often unseen streams of living water follow me,

just so is my every spiritual need provided for

through God alone.