Dr Paul Allen

English: Moses striking the rock (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb ; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink . And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” ( Exodus 17:6 ) This amazing provision of drinking water for the Israelites in the midst of a barren wilderness is surely one of the most remarkable miracles of creation recorded in Scripture. Furthermore, it was not a one-time event but somehow continued to provide water for them during the entire 40 years they spent in the desert. God provided daily water just as He provided their daily bread. “Our fathers . . . did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ ” ( 1 Corinthians 10:1 , 3-4). The provision was an act of pure grace on God’s part, for even after God created the manna for them,...

Image via Wikipedia Matthew 7:24 says: Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock . The wise person will build his life on the rock. The rock that Jesus is referring to in today’s verse is God’s Word, the Bible . Building on the rock is therefore equivalent to hearing and obeying Christ ’s words, and for us that means living according to Scripture . After Peter confessed, “‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,’” our Lord told him, “‘…flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church’” (Matt. 16:16–18). Jesus’ word for “rock” in this verse is the same one He used in Matthew 7:24. It is the bedrock of God’s revelation, His Word. The rock of the solid foundation is the kind of sure, divine guidance Peter received, and it is the only base on which the true Christian life c...

Image via Wikipedia "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" ( Jeremiah 23:29 )   One of the most picturesque of the figures used to describe the Holy Scriptures is that of the hammer striking and shattering a rock. In this text, however, the "rock" is literally a mighty rock mountain.   Furthermore, the effect of the hammer is to "break in pieces." This phrase actually is a single Hebrew word which normally means "disperse," or "scatter abroad," usually used in describing the worldwide dispersion of the children of Israel . It was used even earlier for the first dispersion at Babel: "So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth" ( Genesis 11:8 ). Perhaps most significantly of all, it is used in the prophecy of   Zechariah 13:7 : "Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."   This verse was quoted by the Lord Jes...

Image via Wikipedia "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" ( Jeremiah 23:29 )   One of the most picturesque of the figures used to describe the Holy Scriptures is that of the hammer striking and shattering a rock. In this text, however, the "rock" is literally a mighty rock mountain.   Furthermore, the effect of the hammer is to "break in pieces." This phrase actually is a single Hebrew word which normally means "disperse," or "scatter abroad," usually used in describing the worldwide dispersion of the children of Israel . It was used even earlier for the first dispersion at Babel: "So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth" ( Genesis 11:8 ). Perhaps most significantly of all, it is used in the prophecy of   Zechariah 13:7 : "Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."   This verse was quoted by the Lord Jes...