It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.

As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.

Torah Portion Name and Readings-

Beshalach is the Hebrew word for “when he sent”, this is the name for the weekly Torah Portion reading for the Exodus starting in chapter 13 verse 17 and going through chapter 17 and verse 16.

Prophets and New Testament-

It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Judges in chapter 4 verse 4 through chapter 5 verse 31.

The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Matthew in chapter 14 with verses 22 through verse 33.

Torah Portion Overview-

In this torah portion we see the people on the exodus from Egypt to Canaan. Yahweh chose to lead them the long way lest they be destroyed and lose heart. Every night He appeared in a pillar of fire and during the day He appeared in a pillar of cloud. God hardened the heart of Pharoah and the Egyptians to go after Israel. The Israelites were afraid and cried out to the Lord. The Lord made a way, and Moses told the people to stand still and see the salvation of Yahweh. The Angel of Yahweh went and stood behind Israel in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to block the Egyptians from following and attacking Israel. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and it was parted. Israel was led to cross the red sea on dry ground! Then the Egyptians were allowed to rush into the sea and the Lord struck them with fear and confusion. Their chariot wheels got stuck, and then the sea walls came down and covered them and they drowned. Thus Yahweh destroyed their army and brought Israel to safety across the red sea. Moses sang a great song to the Lord to honor Him for saving them and for their safety. Miriam also sang a song in worship. The people then came to a place where there was no water. The people complained again against the Lord and Yahweh showed Moses a piece of wood to throw into the waters, and the waters were cured of their bitterness. Again the people complained against the Lord for a lack of bread and meat. God responded by giving them “bread from heaven” which they called manna, because they didn’t know what it was. He gave them manna in the morning and quail at night. This was obviously a great miracle if you consider just how much quail would be required to feed that many people. He then instructs the people to gather one omer of manna per person, except on Friday, the sixth day, where they were to gather a double portion for the Sabbath. If they took too much manna then it spoiled and had worms in it, however, the double portion for the Sabbath did not go bad. They were further instructed to take a portion of manna to save as a memorial. They would later put this in the ark of the covenant. When they needed water again, God commanded Moses to strike the rock. Moses did so and water came out of the rock. Then Amalek attacked Israel. God had Moses select fighting men. Moses went up on a hill and stood with Aaron and Hur. When Moses held up His hands Israel would win, and when he put them down the Amalekites would win. Aaron and Hur helped Moses keep his hands up.

Today I want to talk about the water that came from the rock.

“From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do for this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

Exodus 17:1-7 (NRSVue)

As the people came to Rephidim, an unknown place today, that would be near Mount Sinai, they ran out of water. Fear set in and they began to quarrel with Moses. Their reactions seem extreme, but we should remember that they have just been slaves for at least a hundred years, probably over one hundred and fifty years at least. Multiple generations of slavery has not taught them to trust authority. Over and over their authority abused them, beat them, and mistreated them. Now Moses has been put in a place of authority over them. And so they transferred this mistrust to him. They assume that He has indeed brought them out into the wilderness to die. Suffering they see, is what authority brings. They are truly a hurting and suffering people.

Perhaps this is why the Lord sought to test them. Perhaps He was trying to teach them a lesson. Over and over He performed miracles to show them that He could be trusted, that He would provide for them and protect them. Yet they did not believe Him. How many of us truly believe the Lord will protect and provide for us? What if we lose our job, get into a car accident, or lose a loved one? Do we still believe? All too often we judge Israel and almost mock them with our attitude. But I believe there is much we can learn here, that we can see ourselves in them.

As they accuse Moses, he points out that it is not him they are testing and speaking against, it is the Lord. Moses was appointed by the Lord over them, and so when they speak against him, they speak against Yahweh. He cried out in panic to the Lord to save Him.

The Lord responded by reminding Moses of His past miracles, reminding Him of the miracle of the Nile river being turned into blood. Here God is going to do another miracle with water. Whereas before He destroyed with he water, now He will bring life. Even though they complain against Him He will show mercy and grace and give His people water.

And so Moses goes to the rock that Yahweh shows Him. Moses is famous for striking a rock that God told him to speak to, but here he is commanded to strike the rock. It is interesting that it says that God is standing on the rock. Was the pillar of cloud above the rock? Or was this something else? Was Jesus standing there at the rock? I think so!

Paul made reference to this rock and the water that came from it.

“and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.”

1 Corinthians 10:4 (NRSVue)

First of all, what?! The rock followed them?! Well, today scholarship mostly has a different view of what this means. As Derek R. Brown and E. Tod Twist explain in Lexham Research Commentaries for 1 Corinthians,

“Most interpreters now argue that “spiritual” denotes the source of the bread and drink (see Lenski 1963, 391–92; Verbrugge 2008, 342–43). Fitzmyer (2008, 382), for instance, argues that the “food and drink” mentioned in 1 Cor 10:3–4 is “spiritual” because it is a gift of God’s Spirit. This view may be supported by the description in OT texts outside the Pentateuch of manna as a gift of God’s “good Spirit” (Neh 9:20; see also Psa 78:24–25).”

In other words, it was spiritual because it was a miracle from God. The rock then, is probably not what followed them, but the source of the miracle. However, it also could imply that the miracle power of God, and His provision, followed them!

It says that the Lord was testing the people. Remember when He tested them with hunger, He said,

“And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)

Man shall not live by bread alone, but what about water? Couldn’t we apply this verse to water as well? But what would it mean? Let’s start by replacing bread with water.

Man shall not live by water alone, but man shall live by…

What would the water be replaced with? The water of life is to be “replaced” with the Spirit that brings life, the Holy Spirit! As D. A. Carson explains in The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary,

“The water was offered to God at the time of the morning sacrifice, along with the daily drink-offering (of wine). The wine and the water were poured into their respective silver bowls, and then poured out before the Lord. Moreover, these ceremonies of the Feast of Tabernacles were related in Jewish thought both to the Lord’s provision of water in the desert and to the Lord’s pouring out of the Spirit in the last days. Pouring at the Feast of Tabernacles refers symbolically to the messianic age in which a stream from the sacred rock would flow over the whole earth (cf. J. Jeremias, TDNT, 4. 277f.).”

Man shall not live by water alone, but by the Spirit of God! And so we see that man shall live by the Word of God and by Spirit. This is what Jesus is talking about in John 4:23!

“But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.”

John 4:23 (NRSVue)

And so we see that the Father was inviting the people to understand that He would provide for them, He would protect them. They were not going to trust in food in water, but they were going to live by the Word of God and the Spirit of God. The people though were unable to leave their slave mentality and find the truth of God. They were unable to trust Him! They were unable to look to Him as their source. We now have this chance. We can look to Him as the source of all our life, our provision, our protection! We can live by His word and by His Spirit!

Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-

• Exodus 13:17 God led the people the long way in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

• Exodus 14:1 Israel crossed the red sea on dry ground and the Egyptians were drowned.

• Exodus 15:1 Moses sang a song in worship to Yahweh.

• Exodus 15:20 Miriam sang a song in worship to Yahweh.

• Exodus 15:22 Moses cures bitter waters.

• Exodus 16:1 The people complain against the Lord for lack of bread and meat, and the Lord brings Manna (in the morning) and quail (in the evening).

• Exodus 16:15 The laws of Manna and the command to keep some as a memorial.

• Exodus 17:1 Moses strikes the rock to obtain water.

• Exodus 17:8 Israel miraculously defeats Amalek with Moses raising his hands with the help of Aaron and Hur.

Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-

• Judges 4:4 Deborah the prophet and judge instructs Barak to fight the general Sisera.  Sisera is defeated and killed by a woman named Jael.

• Judges 5:1 Deborah and Barak sings a song.

Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-

• Matthew 14:22  Jesus prays during the day and walks on the sea and Peter also walks on water.

Bibliography

• Eugene Carpenter, Exodus, vol. 1 of Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016), 586–589.

• Jo Ann H. Seely, “Rephidim (Place),” in The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday, 1992) 677.

• Derek R. Brown and E. Tod Twist, 1 Corinthians, ed. John D. Barry and Douglas Mangum, Lexham Research Commentaries (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013), 1 Co 10:3–4.

• D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 322.
  See also TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich (eds.), Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols. (ET Eerdmans, 1964–74).

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