WATER FROM THE ROCK!

TEXT:  PSALM 105:41  He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.

Water is mentioned in the Bible more often than any other material resource.  Water is vital, important, or necessary for survival.  It was recognized as essential to man.  Genesis 21:14-15  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away:  and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.  And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

The value of water was emphasized by David when his friends, in spite of their great danger, brought water to him in the cave of Adullum where he hid.  1 Chronicles 11:17  And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!  Adullum (Hebrew word for justice of the people) is a cave which David escaped into fearing for his life.  Spiritually “adullum” is an aspect or form of prayer where there is composure, steadfastness, and discernment within people.  Being in a low place emotionally would not refer to a high exalted state of mind in prayer but could be elevated so that a balance could be established and an adjustment made in total body consciousness.  Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him:  for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Jeremiah in his Jerusalem dungeon was thirsty.  Jeremiah 38:6  Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison:  and they let down Jeremiah with cords.  And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire:  so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.  And Jesus on the Cross in John 19:28  After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

Water is sometimes used to express the friendliness of the universe and God’s blessing to man!  Psalm 33:7  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap:  he layeth up the depth in storehouses.  In Psalm 148:4 the psalmist hints that even the waters praise God:  Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.  These are the ones with the message of the kingdom in their mouths, the “sons of God”!

Heaven is the dwelling place of God - that’s the heaven of heavens.  God is the highest heaven and  then are the “us gods” (heavens), or “phantom gods”.  A “phantom” is something that exists but has no physical reality.  We all know that God exists, but it is us, His people, that give Him His physical reality.  We, like Jesus, are the invisible God made visible!

Water was part of the original created earth in its formless void.  Genesis 1:2  The earth was without form, and void; … the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  The first occurrence of the word waters was in description of the ones who had taken on His countenance, His mind, wisdom, by His breath.  Then in Genesis 1:6-10 when the “waters” gathered together, He called them “seas” because of the many different bodies of water.  Vs 10  And the gathering together of the waters called he Seas.

Still talking about how essential, valuable, and important “water” is.  For the Jews, “water” was used for ceremonial washings.  And to the Christians, it’s essential for baptism to indicate the washing away of sin.

Water was a symbol of God’s salvation.  Isaiah 12:3 is the prophecy that God’s people would draw water out of the wells of salvation!  Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

But how many know that when Jesus came on the scene, it became the “Living Water”?  The Woman of Samaria found out that He was the “Living Water” in John 4:10.  If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water!  John 7:37-38  If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

The word belly means the matrix or womb, the heart of man or his inner-most being; the soul or seat of emotions.  Shall flow means to run, stream, or issue as water pouring out of you (the rock).  

1 Corinthians 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink:  for they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them:  and that Rock was Christ.  1 John 4:17  As he is, so are we in this world.  This lets us know that we need to do what 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to do:  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman (skilled craftsman) that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, then God will fill our well with:  

• His revelation – the process by which God reveals or unveils Himself and His will according to Ephesians 1:17  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, and Colossians 1:9  For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.  
• His Inspiration – the “divine guidance” of God in delivering or recording His Truth.  

2 Timothy 3:16-17  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.  Meaning, the “water” that is in you is the very life and word of God in the well of your belly, springing up into everlasting life!  

• His illumination – the spiritual understanding given by the Holy Spirit Himself to enable us to apprehend (see), comprehend (understand), and reprehend (pull back) the divine truth.  Ephesians 1:18  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling.  John 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.

Talking about the “water from the Rock”!   Once you have allowed God to fill your reservoir (well) with His revelation, inspiration and illumination, then out of your belly shall flow “rivers of living water” to feed the nations!

It’s “living water” because it signifies the inspiration of Spirit which is the “water of life”!  It is “living water” because it will be refreshing and pleasant to those who consume it!

Now let’s go back to Psalm 105:41 “He opened the rock”.  Now there is no doubt that most of us would say that God is definitely all powerful!  Sometimes we limit our confidence in God to things that are humanly possible.  Yet Psalm 105:41 reminds us that God brought provision from a most unusual place that was not humanly possible.  He showed His power from a place where people probably were not looking because it wasn’t something they could have produced.  But water coming from a “rock” was a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ.  “The Rock”, in other words, was revealing how “all provision comes from Him”!  It comes from a miraculous source.  So instead of just looking to your jobs or some rich relative or even trying to hit the lottery, maybe it’s time to refocus on Jesus and His supernatural provision!

How many know He will bring what you need in the way you least expect or perhaps even wanted.  Sometimes it will happen right when you feel you have fallen into absolute failure and calamity, or when you’re in a low state, or things look to be ultimate destitution (lack of means for living).  How many know that it is then that God will “open a rock” for you!!

In the Old Testament God was “The Rock” or His people’s “Deliverer”!  2 Samuel 22:2  The Lord is my Rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.  

What about Him being “a way of escape”?  2 Samuel 22:3  The God of my Rock; in him will I trust:  he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.  

God was their “Salvation”!  Psalm 89:26  Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.

He is Israel’s “Rock”:  Deuteronomy 32:4  He is the Rock, his work is perfect:  for all his ways are judgment:  a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.  Isaiah 26:4  Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Rock).

He (Jesus) was the “Rock” or “Stone” which would be rejected by Israel.  Psalm 118:22  The stone: which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  Isaiah 8:14  And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin (Hebrew – pach’- a spring net) and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  This “rock or stone” would become the “chief cornerstone” at His resurrection!!!  Paul said that it was Christ the Rock who nourished Israel in the wilderness.

So “sons of God”, it is imperative that we grasp what Jesus said in Matthew 16:18  Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  He didn’t mean that Peter was the “Rock” because Peter means, petros, meaning a fragment of a greater “rock”, a bed-rock.  “Peter – Rock – Church”!  In those words, Christ was promising to build His church on the truth of Peter’s confession - that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Jesus called His disciple “Peter” or petros, meaning a small stone but goes on to say, “Upon this rock (petra, meaning a massive rock, or rocky cliff) I will build my church.  It is Jesus Christ who is the “Rock”, the first and great foundation of the church.  1 Corinthians 3:11-12  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold (divine nature of God), silver (life of God) and precious stones (you and me).  

Peter declared that Jesus is the “Living Stone”.  He is the Chief Cornerstone. He is the Stone which the builders disallowed.  And it was in Acts chapter 2 after the fire baptism that the “small rocks”, the “living stones” (the church), began to come together as the structure of the spiritual house that God was building.  Peter was the first New Testament “stone” placed upon the “Cornerstone” who is Christ!

Now the Church is being erected on the foundation of the prophets and apostles with Christ Jesus being the Cornerstone.  Ephesians 2:19-20  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.  Vs 21-22 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God, through the Spirit.

In Luke 19:40, in relation to the “stones crying out”, those stones are God’s people with the message of the kingdom in their bellies.  The “stones” crying out are those that God has given the keys to the kingdom, which is a badge of authority, power, and dominion.

You must clearly understand that you are not the “faith thinker” Peter, but you are Jesus!  And Peter is one of your twelve disciples or faculties that you must discipline or begin to train.  The first is faith, which is Peter!  You must know that you are a “Rock” just like Jesus, “The Rock”!  That’s why we are called the “lively stones”.  1 Peter 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  Remember this, the rocks we see in the natural are only physical testimonies of that which is inanimate that can’t move or speak, but we can!  We are the “lively stones”!!!

We must subject our soul to the manifestation of that life / eternal life and start on “the Rock” and the Word of Truth because it is truth that will make us free.  John 8:32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.  

When we draw from “the Higher Fount” that’s within, or the well that God has filled with His revelation, inspiration, and His illumination, we will have it gathered in our six water-pots of stone so that we can pour into His people.  Jeremiah 17:13  O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.  Fountain in the Hebrew is maqowr’, meaning, the source (of water); happiness; wisdom progeny; well-spring.  

When we know Truth, we won’t allow the issues, dis-eases of life along with disappointment and discouragement, and give up on God, which causes our waters to become polluted.  Also error and the under- tows of life can also cause our waters to gather in “holes” which will cause our waters to be poison and cause death to the people.

Truth will confine the waters to their natural channels, and strength is stored, and our waters will flow with freshness and newness of life.  The word says, the water will gush out (flow freely; overflow).  The waters ran into the dry places.  There are a people out in the wilderness, solitary places, desert (no water of life), and God is going to take us to these dry places so that we can water their earth.

So when the people consume the waters of life which God has given to the sons of God or believers to pour into His people, it shall be refreshing and pleasant to them, and it will be “rivers of water of Life” that will cause them to live!!!!

Evangelist Jackie Burton