I mean, more or less play, not more or less myself.
Well, maybe that too. Would you open your Bible,
please, to Exodus, chapters 17 and 18, as we
come once more to the deliverance of the people
of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Today
we're going to be looking at both of these chapters,
so we don't have time really to read the full
text. But we'll be dealing with it all. As we
think about Israel's experience in Rephidim,
you may recall that following their redemption
and deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites faced
a series of experiences which served as tests
for them. Immediately after they were delivered
by God's mighty power at the Red Sea, they went
into the wilderness of Shur, you may recall.
And there was no water there in the wilderness
of Shur. It seems to me that the name of the
wilderness indicates to us that these were Norwegian
Jews. As they entered in, they said, Yah, Shur.
And through the centuries, the Yah has been dropped
and just leaving the Shur behind. There was no
water there, and eventually they came. to a place
called Merah where there was bitter water. And
so after having no water, they had water, but
they couldn't drink it. It was brackish, a severe
test of their faith, which they didn't pass with
flying colors. And yet God directed that a tree
should be hewn down and thrown into the water,
and it sweetened it. God provided for their needs.
From there in chapter 16, they went on into the
wilderness of sin. There they suffered hunger,
so much so that they longed to return to Egypt
with its onions and leeks and garlics and melons.
Some of that sounds alright to me, some of it
doesn't sound too good. But that was the part
of the diet that they were missing, the spices,
the taste of that food down there in Egypt. They
said, did you bring us out here in the wilderness
to die? Weren't there enough graves in Egypt?
Again, they didn't pass the test very well as
God put them to the test, and yet God provided
for them, didn't He? Graciously, God gave them
manna, that bread from heaven, and He sent quail
to them so that they would have that meat to
eat. When you and I don't learn our lessons the
first time around, what do you think God does?
Well, that's right. He designs new trials or
tests. Sometimes, with strikingly familiar circumstances,
it's almost deja vu. And the purpose of it is
that He might test us again. Keep in mind that
the trials that God puts us through are trials
to test us. But more than that, they are sent
to train us at the same time. God is not so concerned
with the comfort of His people's circumstances.
as he is with the maturity of their faith. While
Israel was encamped at this one site in Rephidim,
there were three significant trials that surfaced,
each of them providing a lesson for us to observe.
The one trial dealt with a physical need. And
there's some similarity here, isn't there? For
there is lack of water in verses one through
seven. It says at the end of verse 1, there was
no water for the people to drink, therefore the
people quarreled with Moses and said, give us
water that we may 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 they grumbled against Moses and said, why
now have you brought us up from Egypt to kill
us and our children and our livestock with thirst?
So, Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, what
shall I do with this people? A little more and
they will stone me. So, you can see how serious
the situation actually was. Here is the trial
of physical need. And then beginning in verse
8 through the end of the chapter, there is a
trial that comes from an enemy attack. It says
in verse 8, then Amalek came and fought against
Israel at Rephidim. So, Moses took some action.
And then in chapter 18, there's a third trial
of a different sort. It is the trial of overloaded
leadership. Now with God's help, we want to look
at each of these trials this morning and see
what lessons we can glean for our lives. The
first one deals with the smitten rock, for that
was how God provided the water on that occasion.
The Lord said to Moses, verse 5, 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. 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.
And he named the place Massah and Meraba because
of the quarrel of the sons of Israel and because
they tested the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among
us or not? The smitten rock. We see here once
more the sad tendency of the human heart, a heart
like you have and like I have, to distrust God,
even after He has done so much for us. God here
graciously provided for the physical need of
His people, even though again their complaint
exposed their lack of faith. In providing in
the way he did by the smitten rock, God also
gave a type or a picture of Jesus Christ. For
the smitten rock pictures to us our Lord and
what he did that he might provide for our thirsty
souls, that he might provide salvation for our
spiritual need. Keeping your finger here, would
you turn into the New Testament, please, to 1
Corinthians, the 10th chapter. In this passage,
the Apostle Paul draws upon the experience of
Moses and the Israelites to warn the Corinthians,
to warn them about unbelief, about failing in
the test. He reminds them of the spiritual privileges
of the Israelites in verse 1. He says, I do not
want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers
were all under the cloud and all passed through
the sea and all were baptized into Moses in the
cloud and in the sea. Here we see baptism used
in a non -literal sense. The word means to dip
or to immerse. Thus we practice what we do in
our church. But the word has a metaphorical meaning,
to identify with, or to unite with. And that's
the thought here, where it says that these Israelites,
by the experience of coming through the Red Sea,
were united to Moses as their earthly leader.
And it says in verse 3, and all ate the same
spiritual food. The word spiritual here should
probably be understood in the sense of supernatural.
And so obviously he's talking about the manna.
the quail that God provided. All ate of the same
supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural
drink, that is the water that God supernaturally
provided. For they were drinking from a supernatural
rock which followed them. Now this was a tradition
of the rabbis of that day. That is that the rock
that Moses hit in the wilderness actually followed
them then throughout the wilderness journey.
Now there is no historical evidence of that.
That is merely a legend that the rabbis were
teaching at that time. But Paul here is sort
of picking up on that thought and he's saying
yes in a sense that rock did follow them. It
was with them because he says the rock was Christ.
Now we believe in the literal interpretation
of the Bible, but that doesn't mean that our
Lord is a rock, like a piece of stone. The literal
interpretation of the Bible means you take it
in its normal sense. Obviously here the normal
sense is a metaphor. Paul is speaking of our
Lord as though He were a rock, indeed the very
rock that Moses smote. He is saying that there
is an identification factor. between what happened
there in the wilderness at Rephidim in Exodus
chapter 17 and the Lord Jesus Christ. He says
the rock was Christ. He was that supernatural
rock. Now let's think of some parallels and think
of how that rock was like our Lord. In the first
place, that rock at Horeb was there by God's
sovereign plan, His design. He is the one who
put that rock there and then who led the people
to that rock which Moses smote and then which
burst forth with water. So I would suggest to
you that likewise the rock, Christ our Lord,
was provided for us by God's sovereign plan.
He was not created by the fanciful imaginations
of some of his disciples or the Apostle Paul.
He was provided as the Lord and Savior come down
from heaven by God Himself. Secondly, that supernatural
rock that God provided on both occasions had
to be smitten. That rock in Moses' day had to
be struck by the rod, by the staff of Moses,
by God's divine order. Likewise, the rock, Jesus
Christ, had to be smitten by divine order and
for Him to give forth eternal life. Isaiah the
prophet says it beautifully if you would turn
there to Isaiah 53. He says in verse 4 of that
53rd chapter, Surely our griefs he himself bore,
and our sorrows he carried. Yet we ourselves
esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted."
And that agrees with what it says in verse 10,
but the Lord was pleased to crush him, putting
him to grief. If he would render himself as a
guilt offering, he will see his offspring. He
will prolong his days, and the good pleasure
of the Lord will prosper in his hand." Isaiah
is saying regarding the suffering Messiah that
he describes in this chapter, that he was smitten
by the divine order of God, just as Moses took
that rod which spoke of God's judgment and God's
power in his hand. and struck the rock. So by
God's divine order, Jesus Christ was smitten
and stricken by God, that as he suffered on that
cross, he might suffer for you and for me, and
bear our sins in his body on the tree. Then there
is a third parallel that I see, and it is this,
that the rock was the source of God's gracious
provision. It was water in Moses' day, but for
us it is that water of life. It is salvation
that Jesus Christ provides for us because He
was smitten on our behalf. He, Christ, is the
only source of the water of life. In the Gospel
of John, on several occasions, He spoke about
Himself in that context. In chapter 4, you well
remember the woman at the well. to whom He offered
water that if she drank of it, she would never
thirst again. The water of life. In chapter 7,
on a different occasion, He stood before the
multitudes in Jerusalem on the last day of the
great feast. And as they were accustomed to pouring
out water as part of their ceremony on that occasion,
He drew attention to the water and He said, He
that believes on Me, out of his innermost being
shall flow rivers of living water. talking about
those who believe on Him giving forth that water
of life from their spirits. But it goes on to
say there that Jesus was speaking in the future
tense because He had not yet been glorified.
That is, He had not suffered for our sins, been
raised from the dead and ascended back to heaven.
And it says there that that water of life was
symbolic of the Holy Spirit. whom those who believe
on him would receive. That rock was Christ. I
want you to know today that that water of life
that flows from Jesus Christ is flowing for you.
He said, he who is thirsty, let him drink of
the water of life freely. That is his invitation
to all of us. Do you understand the parts? Thirst
in your soul. If you're without Jesus Christ,
surely you're aware of that. That thirst within
you, that longing for reality, that longing for
something that you can't name, you can't describe,
but that emptiness is there. It is Jesus. And
because He is the smitten rock who gives forth
the living water. You may find that emptiness
filled by Him if you will come to the water of
life and drink." See, how do you do that? Well,
obviously it's not H2O we're talking about. We're
talking about a supernatural, a spiritual sustenance
or provision. We receive that by appropriating
it just as you take a glass of water and you
lift it to your lips and drink it to make it
a part of your body and to use it. So, you must
reach out by faith and appropriate Jesus Christ.
Receive Him. Invite Him into your life as your
Savior and Lord. And in so appropriating Him,
you will find that inner need satisfied. Because
He has been smitten, there is water for you today.
Have you drunk deeply of Him? Is there water
flowing out of you today because the Spirit of
God lives in you? As we return now to our text
in Exodus, chapter 17, let's think together regarding
the second trial which dealt with the uplifted
rod. Once more the rod is in view. As the enemy
came to attack, Moses said to Joshua, choose
men for us and go out, fight against Amalek.
Tomorrow I will station myself at the top of
the hill with the staff of God in my hand. Moses
did as Joshua did, rather, as Moses told him,
and fought against Amalek. And Moses, Aaron,
and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so
it came about when Moses held up his hand that
Israel prevailed. And when he let down his hand,
Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy.
Then they took a stone and put it under him,
and he sat on it. And Moses, rather Aaron and
Her, supported his hands, one on one side and
one on the other. Thus his hands were steady
until the sun set, and Joshua overwhelmed Amalek
and his people with the edge of the sword." It
was a great victory for Israel on that day. Amalek
descended from Esau through his son Eliphaz.
And so these were cousins who were fighting,
now quite distant cousins, but nonetheless related
through Esau to Abraham. The Amalekites were
a nomadic tribe, and they had the reputation
of being the most savage and inhumane of all
of the Canaanites. They were persistent enemies
of Israel until they were finally destroyed by
David in 1 Samuel chapter 30. Here in this battle
that takes place, the first time now the Israelites
have gone to war, gone into battle, we see another
picture. It is the picture of spiritual warfare
that you and I enter into when we trust Christ.
Trusting the Lord Jesus Christ puts us on the
opposite side of Satan and his forces, and he
attacks. We learn in what happened here the secret
to victory. That secret is found in what Moses
did when he lifted up the rod of God with his
hands. It says in our text that when he held
the rod up, Joshua and his soldiers prevailed
in the battlefield there in the valley. And when
that rod would slip down, then Amalek would prevail
and push back the troops of Joshua. Finally,
Moses' hands were heavy and they got a rock for
him to sit down and then Aaron and her lifted
the hands of Moses so that that rod was up until
the victory was won. My friend, that uplifted
rod speaks. of nothing less than prevailing prayer.
It is a picture of intercession, of our lifting
our hands to God in prayer on behalf of our battles
and the battles of others around us. Do you find
yourself this morning in spiritual struggle in
your life? Then your answer, my friend, lies
in your prayer life. Do you know some who are
going through a difficulty? You can join the
battle on their behalf by upholding their hands
in prayer. Is there some missionary that you
have coveted to pray for daily and regularly?
You enter into the battle on that mission field.
as you uphold their hands in prevailing prayer.
This is the picture that is seen in the uplifted
rod. That rod was used on one occasion to impress
Pharaoh. On the very first time that Moses stood
before him and announced, let God's people go,
he threw down the rod and it became what? A serpent?
And he picked it up by the tail and it became
a rod again. It pictured the power of God. Later
he smote the Nile River with it and it turned
to blood. And then he held it over the sea, the
Red Sea, and it parted. When you and I enter
into prayer, and as it were lift up that rod,
you and I enter into the power of God. I do not
understand that, I confess. I do not understand
how God's sovereign, eternally declared purposes
still need our prayers and depend upon our prayers,
but they do. God intends for you and for me to
enter into His divine purposes through our prayer
life. Prayer is so much more than bowing our
knees and asking God to do little things. Oh,
that we could understand the dimensions of prayer.
Oh, if only our eyes could be opened and we could
see. We could see what takes place when we pray.
I tell you that the enemy trembles when the weakest
Christian is on his knees in sincere prayer before
God. There is power in prayer. I have been reading
the story of Ivan Moisevich in the book Vanya,
which some of you may have picked up during the
missions festival. The story of a Russian soldier,
a Christian. and how he was willing to stand
for his faith in Jesus Christ under the immense
pressure of that military system that tried to
break him. And so desperate were they to break
him that over the process of a couple of years
they finally turned him over to the KGB who tortured
him to death for his faith in Christ. And Vanya
never broke. I don't understand why God does
some things for some people and others he does
it differently, not quite as spectacularly perhaps
as we think of it. But I want to tell you that
Vanya had some unusual experiences. On one occasion
he was able to slip away and he prayed all night.
This was during a time of intense pressure and
persecution at the hands of his superiors. He
found a place that was normally empty. As I recall,
it was an area where they kept uniforms and that
sort of thing. And he found that he was able
to get back in there and pray, and pray out loud.
And the clothing and the other items in that
room muffled the sound so that it didn't carry.
That night he was so heavy. And he said, Lord,
I don't know if I can take any more. He began
to quote scripture to himself, and he glanced
up and looked out the window that was there beside
him where he knelt in prayer. And suddenly that
sky began to brighten. And he testified in a
tape recording that he made just two months before
he was finally killed when he went to visit his
family briefly. He testified as a 22 -year -old
young man that as he looked out that window,
He saw an angel who came nearer to him and brighter
and then more angels and more and more until
the whole sky was lit with angels of many different
hues and colors. It was a spectacular and beautiful
sight. And he found himself greatly encouraged
and strengthened by the presence of these messengers
and angels of God who encouraged him that night.
And gradually they withdrew until the sky was
dark again and then the sun rose and he began
his day. Story after story like that in that
book called Vanya. Look how God encouraged him.
My friend, prayer, if you and I could only understand
what happens in the realm of spiritual things
when we pray and what does not happen when we
don't pray. This rod that is lifted up is nothing
less than a reminder to us that prevailing prayer
is essential for victory to be won. Would God
have allowed Amalek to defeat Israel on that
occasion? That is a question we don't have the
answer to, but this I know that as long as Moses
was in that position of prayer. trusting God
and waiting upon God, there was victory. And
I tell you that there will only be victory in
the ministry of our church when we as a people
lift up our hands in faith and prayer to God
and believe God. And when our hands are down,
God will allow us to experience whatever comes,
even defeats. Because you see, God is not so
concerned about our comfort as He is our maturity
of faith. We have to move ahead to a third area
of lesson that we see. We come now to Exodus
chapter 18. Moses receives some very important
visitors. Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses'
father -in -law, heard of all that God had done
for Moses and for Israel as people, how the Lord
had brought Israel out of Egypt. And Jethro,
Moses' father -in -law, took Moses' wife, Zipporah.
after he had sent her away. And her two sons,
of whom one was named Gershom, for he said, I
have been a sojourner in a foreign land, and
the other was named Eliezer, for he said, the
God of my father was my help and delivered me
from the sword of Pharaoh. In Jethro, Moses'
father -in -law came with his sons and his wife
to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped
at the mount of God." So this is the same place
at Rephidim. Here we see a wise recommendation
given by this man whose name was Jethro, or Ruel,
as he is called elsewhere. You and I know that
Moses' leadership was God -ordained, and generally
it was respected among the people of Israel until
they came into the times of crisis and trial
when they grumbled and rebelled. But generally,
when the provision was there, they looked to
Moses with respect. But eventually, Moses' leadership
became bottlenecked. He was overtaxed. What was
taking place was not efficient. Notice in verse
13, it says, it came about the next day that
Moses set to judge the people, that is to settle
their disputes. And the people stood about Moses
from the morning until the evening. That was
the situation. This was a benevolent dictatorship,
let's put it that way. Everyone looked to Moses.
He had the final answer on everything. And so
if there was a dispute here and an argument over
there, They would all come to Moses and they
would stand around him all day long until he
could hear their case and settle the issue. Remember,
we're talking about a population here of over
two million people. He's trying to settle the
disputes for all of them. And now when Moses'
father -in -law saw all that he was doing for
the people, he said, what is this thing that
you're doing for the people? Why do you alone?
sit as judge, and all the people stand about
you from morning till evening." Moses said to
his father -in -law, because the people come
to me to inquire of God. When they have a dispute,
it comes to me and I judge between a man and
his neighbor and make known the statutes of God
and his laws. And Moses' father -in -law said
to him, the thing that you are doing is not good.
You will surely wear out both yourself and these
people who are with you, for the task is too
heavy for you. You cannot do it alone. Now listen
to me. I shall give you counsel, and God be with
you. You be the people's representative before
God, and you bring the disputes to God. Then
teach them the statutes, the laws, and make known
to them the way in which they are to walk and
the work they are to do. Furthermore, you shall
select out of the people able men who fear God,
men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain.
And you shall place these over them as leaders
of thousands of hundreds of fifties and tens,
and let them judge the people at all times and
let it be that every major dispute they bring
to you but every minor dispute they themselves
will judge so it will be easier for you and they
will bear the burden with you. And so we have
here a provision of wisdom in this wise recommendation
from Jethro. He accurately evaluated what the
situation was and then counseled Moses to draw
upon a plurality of leadership. He said, you
need to organize the people. And he gave certain
qualifications which were to be followed. And
to them, he was then to delegate various roles
in order to spread out the responsibility for
the nation. This is a wise recommendation. I
have heard people dispute that, believing that
this was not the proper thing to do, that it
was fleshly wisdom, but I disagree. I believe
that this was an answer to Moses and what he
needed at that time. Moses could not see it himself.
He needed someone to point it out to him. You
and I, as we grow in leadership, whether it be
in a small church or the church as a whole, or
over that department that we work for or that
corporation that we're employed by. As you and
I grow in leadership, we have to adjust to a
changing role. Now as is true in the business
world, so it is true in the ministry as well,
there are some leaders who thrive on being the
center of everything. Every issue, every decision,
every plan must be brought to them. I had to
have a pastor friend who is basically that way.
I don't fault him for it. That's just the way
he's put together. He built a solid church. He
took a church that was about a thousand and over
a period of eighteen years it grew to a membership
of almost three thousand. With an attendance
of about two thousand. But everything had to
come to him. Eventually, as a result of that,
two things happened. The work of the church became
sluggish and bogged down, and he burned out,
and he finally resigned. Now whether it's in
the ministry or, as I say, in your profession
in the business world, as you grow in your leadership,
in your responsibility, you must adjust to a
changing role. and learn to delegate. There are
some principles that are seen here, and I want
just to give them briefly. Chuck Swindoll has
pointed these out to us. Number one, in every
responsibility, two factors are present, the
essential and the additional. Keep that in mind.
In whatever you're doing in your leadership role,
There are some things that are obligations for
you as a leader that you must do. And then there
are other things that are peripheral. They're
extracurricular, so to speak. You as a leader
must be able to discern the difference between
the two. What you have to do and what others
are able to do, if you let them. And that brings
us to principle number two, that as the workload
increases, The wise leader restrains his involvement
and involves others more. The simple word for
this is delegation. A wise leader learns to choose
men and women that are trustworthy, to whom he
can commit responsibilities. And with the responsibility,
he's willing to give them authority to carry
out what they need to do. He keeps them accountable,
but he doesn't keep his fingers in all the pots.
He withdraws unless those who are his delegates
carry out what they are to do. That is a basic
principle and I think Moses learns it here and
he learns it well. Then there's a third principle.
God's servants are not exempt from the penalties
of breaking life's natural laws. In other words,
if we grow in our responsibilities, in our leadership,
and we refuse to sufficiently delegate, inevitably,
eventually, that will bring us to physical, emotional,
or mental breakdown. It will. No one can continue
functioning under intense pressure and long working
hours without cracking in some way. God has designed
us that way. You may feel that you are a servant
of God and God gives you extra strength and grace
and indeed he does. But he does not exempt you
from the penalties of breaking life's natural
laws. And then the fourth principle is this.
Efficiency is increased not only by what is accomplished,
but also by what is relinquished. Whenever we
believe that we can or should do it all, and
at the same time maintain a high standard of
productivity and excellence, our mind should
reflect, says Swindoll, long and hard on Moses'
ineffective leadership methods. Not only did
he exhaust himself, but he failed to meet the
numerous needs of the Israelites. However, Moses'
situation was remedied because he chose to apply
some sound advice. And like Moses, only when
we began doing the essentials and delegated the
incidentals will we experience both relief and
success. So some good principles for those of
you who are in leadership positions out there
in the business world, seen here from the Word
of God in Exodus chapter 18. Today as we camp
with the Israelites at Rephidim. It may be that
one of these trials is just where you're at.
It may be that you are one who is here today
struggling under a lot of responsibility that's
been laid in your lap by promotion, and you're
not sure how to handle it. Well, learn some lessons
here. Here's a place to begin. Learn how to wisely
delegate to others that responsibility. It could
be that you are one who is struggling in your
prayer life. Will you learn from what happens
with Israel that you must lift up your hands
in prayer if there is to be victory? If you would
know spiritual victory in your life, in your
church, in your Bible study, in your ministry,
then it will come through the uplifted hands
as we pray. Are you one who today is thirsty
of soul? And within you, you long for something
that would satisfy. Jesus invites you to come
and to drink of the water of life which He can
provide for you because He is the Rock who was
smitten, the Savior who was crucified for you.
Let's pray. Our heads are bowed. Our eyes are
closed. And I wonder if in the quietness of these
closing seconds, if in some measure the Spirit
of God has ministered to your life and you need
to respond today in a particular way. How about
leader? How about it? Are you willing to learn
how to lead more effectively? Will you ask God
to teach you to be a more efficient, more fruitful
leader by applying the principles of His Word?
Certainly all of us need to apply what is said
about prevailing prayer. And is there someone
here who needs the water of life? Drink of Him
today. Right now, trust Him right where you're
seated. Receive Him, and you will never thirst
again. Father, I thank you for the sufficiency
of Jesus Christ, for whatever our circumstances
may be, whether we're in camp at Rephidim or
Roseville. Jesus is that supernatural rock that
is with us throughout the journey. Thank you
that we find in Him all that we need. Let's sing
that little chorus with our heads bowed. Christ
is all I need. Christ is all I need. All, all
I need. I know you believe that. You've sung
it from your heart. Will you tell them, thank
you? Will you appropriate him for what you need
today? Lord Jesus, truly be all in all to us.
Forgive us when we enter into the God -designed
tests and fail them. Oh, thank you for your grace
that meets us even there in our failure and leads
us on. But oh, that we might pass the tests.
Oh, that we might grow and mature in our faith.
that we might trust you. Today may we find in
Jesus the answer to our every need, each of us
here. In His name we pray, amen.