Ps.78:20 – Behold, He struck the rock so that waters gushed out, and streams were overflowing; can He also provide bread? Will He prepare meat for His people?”
This passage from Psalms describes the prophetic act of Moses, he struck the rock in the wilderness and water gushed out. This gave the people of God nourishment in their journey. It is also an obvious picture of our Lord being struck that we might receive the water of life. Here is how F.E. Marsh describes this verse.
“Before the water came the rock was smitten. “He struck the rock”. The word smote (struck) is a primary one, and means to smite, often in a punitive sense, hence, it is rendered punish, smote, and smitten in reference to God’s judicial acts, and is also the word used in Zechariah 13:7 – “smite the Shepherd”. He was smitten by judgement that we may be saved from it. He was punished that we might be pardoned. Our rock was smitten that He might supply all of our need.”
From this smitten Rock this Psalm says that the waters gushed out. This was pictured by the water flowing from the pierced side of Jesus at Calvary and is fulfilled as the waters of the Holy Spirit began to inundate the earth after the day of Pentecost. Here is how Marsh describes this water gushing from the Rock.
“The waters gushed out. The Hebrew word for gushed out means to flow freely and is used to describe the plenitude of the land of Canaan, as a land flowing with milk and honey. That the water was abundant is emphasized by the supplementary statements, the streams overflowed and they ran in dry places like a river. The word overflowed gives the thought of abundance, for it not only means to gush, but to inundate, and with the added significance of force, hence, to gallop, to cleanse, to conquer…..From the wounded Savior, by the Spirit, there comes to the child of God a cleansing which is thorough, a blessing which satisfies, a power which is irresistible, a love which is unquenchable, a life which is abundant, and a supply which is constant. ”
This is absolutely stunning to me, Moses struck the Rock by faith and supplied water in the desert for 2-3 million people. The wounded side of Jesus is gushing out the fulfillment of this prophetic act at the end of the age. The Living Water from heaven is pouring out upon everyone who is thirsty today. We preach Christ crucified, the Rock who was struck for me. The response is that the Water from heaven pours over me and into me, satisfying my thirst in the dry desert of a world that we live in.
