John 7:37-39 and the Water from the Rock

This week in our L3 journals, we read about something Jesus said on the last day of the Feast of Booths. He said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" (Jn. 7:37). He continued, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (Jn. 7:38). What is not readily obvious to us here is that Jesus is referring to a particular narrative from the book of Exodus, and it will help us understand the work of the Spirit in believers.

The Feast of Booths

The Feast of Booths is a celebration of God's protection and provision in the wilderness after the Hebrew people crossed the Red Sea. They would set up "booths," which were shelters built from branches, to remember God's protection and shelter; then they would take a pitcher of water out of the Pool of Siloam and pour it out to remember God's provision of water from the rock. In Exodus 17:1-7, we find that God's people were thirsty and began complaining against God and against Moses (as they often did in the wilderness), and they looked back favorably upon their time of slavery in Egypt. They accused God and Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness to kill them. When Moses prayed to the Lord for help and for guidance, God told him to go ahead of the people with the elders, and to strike a rock at Horeb. When Moses did this, water came flowing from the rock. This was a miracle of God's provision.

A Different Story

Later, in Numbers 20:2-13, we see a similar, but different, scene. God's people were thirsty yet again, and again they were complaining against God and against Moses. This time, however, God told Moses "to tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water" (Ex. 20:8) Instead, Moses chided the people and struck the rock twice with his staff, and the water came out. God counted this as sin, and it is the reason Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land with God's people.

Why was this an issue? Why was this a sin? Well, on the Sinai peninsula and the surrounding areas, rain seeps down through the rocky plateaus and mountainous regions, and forms mineral deposits on the sides of the rock. Bedouin people, even today, can find these deposits, knock them off of the rock, and drinkable water will come out.

The first time God told Moses to strike the rock, He was teaching Moses how to find water for the people. The teaching was the miracle then. In this second occurrence, Moses speaking to the rock was supposed to be the miracle God was going to perform. God was going to get the glory that way, because it wasn't something Moses could do. Instead, Moses settled for his own, lesser glory, and took the credit for himself by making a show of it. This is why it was a sin before God. Moses knew that striking the rock would produce water, so he did it his way. He wanted the glory for himself in that moment. God responded to Moses' actions by saying, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them" (Ex. 20:12). Moses did not trust God to do what He said He would do.

The Work of The Spirit

This idea translates to the work of God that Jesus is speaking about in John 7. Whoever believes in Jesus will have "rivers of living water" flowing from his heart. If we believe in Him, He will give us the Holy Spirit, and our hearts will be changed, and we will have "living water" (the outflow of the Spirit's work in and through us) to share with those around us. We will be conduits of God's blessing to others, as we share His love and mercy, which was shown to us through the cross of Christ.

Notice, however, that John clarifies: the Spirit is only given to those who believe in Jesus. Not everyone has the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, we see the Spirit coming and going from certain "anointed" people (usually kings and prophets), such as Saul and David. Now because of Christ, the Spirit comes and remains with those who believe in Him. When we are in Christ, we have the Spirit, and the miraculous work of God in us. This is not something that can be manufactured or faked before God. He knows what is really happening within us. He knows if we truly believe, or if we are putting on a show. He can see it by what is flowing from our lives.

The Bottom Line

The real question for each of us is this: what is flowing from our lives? Is it the living water of Christ, or something else? Do we truly believe in the saving work of Jesus on the cross in our place for our sins, and giving Him all the glory for our salvation? Or are we faking it, and still attempting to make it into His favor by our good works, and really taking the credit for ourselves inside? Which is it? We cannot have it both ways.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor