Saved by the Well – Water from a Rock

August 17, 2026

Saved by the Well – Water from a Rock (this post is in process and incomplete at this time)

“Tremble and quake, O earth, for you are in the presence of the Lord, the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, solid flint rock into a flowing wellspring of life-giving water.” (Psalm 114:7-8).

SAVED: The Hebrew word for save is “Yasha,” which means to be set free into the wide open; to be delivered in a time of desperate need; to be saved from destruction and certain death. “Salvation” literally means to become spacious, and refers to “the sense of deliverance from an existence that had become confined, compressed, or cramped.” (Eugene Peterson). When Jesus delivers us from our inner spiritual confinement, we are liberated into a wide open, broad, expansive place. The word for “wide open space” is the opposite of a straitjacket. Without Jesus, our soul will never be freed from our spiritual straitjacket. There are three passages in Psalms that describe this freedom deliverance beautifully:

“From my distress, I called upon the Lord. He answered me and set me on a large place. After being in a tight spot, the Lord placed me into a broad space. Because I was hemmed in, I called on Lord Yahweh. He answered me and gave me room.” (Ps. 118:5);
“Lord, you have not given me over into the hands of the Enemy; You have liberated me and set my feet in a wide expanse, a good and spacious land. You have given me the freedom to roam at large, where I can freely move. You have given me room to breathe.” (Ps. 31:8);
“The Lord rescued me because He delighted in me. He brought me out to freedom into a wide-open space. My soul has been delivered because of God’s love for me, and my soul finally has some elbow room!” (Ps. 18:19).

THE WELL: There are four Hebrew words used in the Jewish Bible to describe the different kinds of ancient wells. There was the traditional well that was a deep hole dug in the ground to tap into an underground source of water. Another type of well was a fountain spring that had naturally broken through the earth’s surface on its own without man’s help. The wellspring is another version of well in Scripture in which fresh water flowed out of the ground in any number of ways to become available for cleansing, nourishment, refreshment, for survival itself. Life-giving wells of water have always been a powerful picture of our dependence upon God for spiritual survival. Just as Creator God has designed the human body to completely depend on water to live, our spiritual life totally relies on His presence in us to not just survive but to flourish. God is our spiritual well of fresh water, the only stable source of nourishment and purity. He is our fountain of life that gushes forth to replenish and cleanse us. God is our eternal wellspring of living water that will never run dry. Each of us is born spiritually dehydrated, and God alone is the constant, reliable water source to bring us back to life. As the silly joke goes, wells are a deep subject, and the biblical wells involve such stalwarts as Hagar and Abraham; Isaac and Moses; Samson and Solomon; the psalmists and the prophets. And of course, the glorious fulfillment of all these ancient stories of wells… Messiah Jesus and the woman at the well.

Psalm 114 is one of the famous Hillel psalms, because it is intended to be either introduced or concluded with a vociferous “Hallelujah!” This particular Bible song is an official part of the Passover service, sung by all participants before the meal begins. This psalm remembers and celebrates the Exodus, Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, the most important event in Hebrew history. The lyrics also highlight God’s selecting the Jews for His chosen people in whom He will dwell and through whom He will bless the world. Creator God’s power over nature is emphasized, and what happens when God wants to affect elements in nature for purposes of caring for His people. The Creator has the power to turn nature on its head, to change the order of things for His purposes. The strongest natural forces in creation cannot lift a finger against God’s power at work. When God intervenes in nature, He is like a maestro conducting His orchestra and directing everything that happens. A dramatic example is mentioned at the end of the psalm, when God made water gush out from a solid boulder, enabling the entire caravan of Jews to slake their thirst in the middle of the desert wilderness.

Tremble and Quake. The Hebrew word for “tremble’ here can mean to shake fearfully, but it can also mean to wait expectantly or to whirl and dance. So there are some translations that start this verse with “Whirl and dance, tremble and quake.” The psalm reminds the readers of Scripture what happens when the Lord decides to make an entrance, when nature itself seems to split at the seams to try to contain God’s glory. The awesome majesty and power of Yahweh had been on full display to the Israelites, complete with a fire on the mountaintop, a loud heavenly shofar blast, flashes of lightning, billowing smoke, claps of thunder, and the very earth shaking underneath them. The people had agreed to follow the Lord’s commands, but they didn’t want to hear the voice of Yahweh. They were panicked with fear, they were terrified, and they wanted Moses to be the intermediary. But that’s not the whole story when it comes to fearing God. Instead of our worst fears, let’s think about our best fears. Imagine an old-fashioned scale with two sides hanging down, ready to weigh different objects and compare their relative weights. On the one side you place all these human fears, and you watch as the scale is overwhelmed, dramatically revealing the heaviness of these fears. But then on the other side you place the holy Fear-of-the-Lord. And you will clearly witness a miracle… the Holy Fear side significantly outweighs the Human Fear side. All the human fears we can come up with, our worst fears, are outweighed by our best fear, our holy fear. The Fear-of-the-Lord ends up having more weight, more substance, more density, more eternal meaning. Holy fear is heavier and more significant than human fear. In a broken world, we are prone to fearfulness. In our weak moments, we are vulnerable to fear. On the other hand, here is how Eugene Peterson looks at this passage... “The word ‘tremble’ here reaches for the transcendent with awed respect and reverent humility. Trembling here isn’t, as outsiders so often think, being scared in the presence of God. It’s something more like a holy playfulness, like faith frolicking. Prayer that enters into relationship with earth and sky, sea and mountains, plays. It skips and dances.”

Other Thoughts on the Fear-of-the-Lord:

“I’ve heard all kinds of preachers… but the ones who have helped me most were the ones who were awestruck in the presence of the God about whom they spoke. I believe we ought to have again the old Biblical concept of God which makes God awful and makes men lie face down and cry, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.’ When the Holy Ghost shows us God as He is, we admire Him to the point of wonder and delight, struck with astonished wonder at the inconceivable elevation and magnitude and splendor of Almighty God. Adoration is to love God with all the power within us. To love God with fear and wonder and yearning and awe.” (A.W. Tozer).

“Fear is a healthy and necessary disposition toward God. In avoiding the word ‘fear’, translations are taking the edge off the point that the Biblical writers are making. The writers are speaking first of all of our proper gut response to God. Fear is an elemental response, the unmistakable feeling in our bodies, in our stomachs and our scalp, when we run up hard against the power of God. If we can experience that power close up and not be gripped in our guts by the disparity between God and ourselves, then we are in a profound state of spiritual slumber. Fear of the Lord is the deeply sane recognition that we are not God.” (Ellen Davis, Getting Involved With God).

“Holy fear involves the raised hands of adoration; the knocking knees of apprehension; the bare feet of awe; the dry mouth of uncertainty; the quickened heartbeat of anticipation; the bowed head of reverence; the humbled spirit of devotion; the straight posture of respect; the closed mouth of deference; the open mind of discovery; the tender heart of gratitude; the open ears of full attention.” (Steve Larson).

Cool Water

“… the people thirsted there for water… ‘Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.’ And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.” (Exodus 17:6); “As the people watch, speak to the rock over there, and it will pour out its water’… Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their full.” (Number 20:8-11).

There is a lot to think about regarding the miracle that was referenced in Psalm 114:

(1.) Some Jewish authorities see the Rock as representing Wisdom. And that water was a metaphor for Torah, which sustained them spiritually during their journey.

(2.) Rabbinic tradition said that the rock that miraculously produced water in the wilderness two different times was literally the same rock. The belief is that this miraculous rock followed the Israelites throughout their journey and continued giving them water. This rock produced water at the beginning of their journey (Ex. 17), and at the end of their journey (Nu. 20). And Moses gave the same name to this rock both times, “Meribah,” which means contention, since the people were contending with God. So… the same name, the same rock.

(3.) Moses’ prophetic sister Miriam was involved in these miracles as well… There are two rabbinic traditions regarding Miriam during the wilderness journey. One tradition maintains that, because of Miriam’s righteousness, and so due to her merit, a miraculous well accompanied the wanderers all the while she lived in order to provide water for drinking. Thus when she died, this well dried up (Numbers 20:1-2). The other tradition is that Miriam’s role during that long journey was to lead the people in praise, just as she did during that victorious Song of Moses at the Red Sea (Ex. 15). Like water itself, she was a continual source of refreshing praise. So when Miriam died, no one was there to lead the people in praise to God. When Miriam died, her well of praise died with her.

(4.) “… They all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians 10:4). Paul evidently accepted the Jewish tradition and assumed that the rock did indeed accompany the Israelites throughout their journey. Paul seemed to believe that Jesus Christ was a spiritual presence in the wilderness. Because he said “spiritual rock,” maybe it can be assumed that Paul didn’t take the rock of Jesus literally, but figuratively. Perhaps Paul meant that Jesus Himself spiritually sustained the Israelites during their journey, and the rock is a physical picture of a spiritual reality.

(5.) Biblical scholar Dr. David Stern translated 1 Corinthians 10:4 this way: “They all drank the same drink from the Spirit – for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which followed them, and that Rock was the Messiah.” Dr. Stern seems to believe that the “spiritual rock” means a Rock that was sent by the Spirit of God, and that Spirit-sent Rock was Jesus Christ.

(6.) The Orthodox scholars assert that the spiritual rock was a type of the Son of God. The Rock prefigures the body of Christ, and His earthly humanity. And the spiritual drink was a picture of Christ’s blood that flowed out of Him after being “struck” on the Cross like the rock in the wilderness was struck by Moses. The spiritual rock is not to be taken literally, but figuratively. Christ was not in the form of rock.

(7.) It seems to be true, and many Biblical scholars agree, that the preincarnate Christ was active in Israel’s history, including the wilderness journey. There was so many verified Christophanies in the Hebrew Bible in which the preincarnate Christ was called the unique “Angel of Yahweh,” that it’s more or less beyond doubt. Jesus was called upon to make an appearance before His earthly existence many times. He showed Himself to Adam in the Garden (Genesis 3); Hagar (Genesis 16); Abraham (Genesis 18); Isaac (Genesis 22); Jacob (Genesis 32); Moses (Exodus 3, 14, and 23); Balaam (Numbers 22); Joshua (Josh. 5); Gideon (Judges 6); Samson (Judges 13); Elijah (1 Kings 19); Isaiah (Is. 63); Daniel (Dan. 10). “The Angel of Yahweh is the visible Lord God in the Old Testament, as Jesus Christ was in the New Testament. Thus His deity is clearly portrayed in the Hebrew Bible.” (Amplified Notes).

(8.) With the active involvement of the preincarnate Jesus in mind, let us turn to His presence with the Israelites on their journey. In Exodus 23, the Israelites have already been camped at Mt. Sinai, and Moses has received the words of instruction directly from Yahweh. The Ten Commandments have been declared, as well as much of the Law. Yahweh now makes an astounding promise to the Israelites. He is sending a special Messenger, the Angel of Yahweh, to walk before them on their journey, to bring them into the Promised Land. Yahweh referred to this Angel when He said, “My name is in Him.” (23:21). This Messenger is to be obeyed, they are to follow His guidelines and direction. They are not to provoke the Angel in any way. “So you shall serve Yahweh your God, and He will bless your bread and your water.” (23:25). Interesting… this special Messenger from Yahweh “will bless your water.” In other words, the Israelites will be serving Yahweh by obeying the Angel of Yahweh. This Angel is God’s representative throughout their journey. The Angel is acting on God’s authority. This Messenger is Jesus Christ, for He bears the name of Yahweh, the Great I Am. His role with us remains the same as it did with the Israelites… If we want to safely reach the Promised Land, we must learn to follow Him in our journey.

(9.) When we think of water coming from the spiritual rock of Christ, we immediately recall the tender and powerful conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus started things off by asking the woman for some water. Then He hints at the Hebrew Bible idea that she is probably not familiar with, since it’s not in the Pentateuch… the idea of God being a fountain of living water. Jesus starts slowly by hinting at living water. He could have quoted from Jeremiah 2:13 or 17:13 where that idea is mentioned. Or He could have quoted from Psalm 36:8-9, where David talks about drinking from God’s delicious streams since God is “the fountain of life.” Or Jesus could have told her about Isaiah 55:1: “O, Come to the water all you who are thirsty.” Jesus didn’t start too heavy-handed by quoting unfamiliar passages like Isaiah 12:3: “And you shall draw water with rejoicing from the spring of salvation.” But then soon enough, after she got off track by taking Him literally, Jesus began to teach her about the spiritual water of His Holy Spirit. Jesus said that indeed He Himself is the living fountain that will satisfy her spiritual yearning for God. Only He can provide a never-ending stream of living water so that she will never be thirsty again. Only He can quench her spiritual thirst.

(10.) His conversation with the woman at the well wasn’t the last time Jesus talks about spiritual water. Later in His ministry Jesus spoke about water once again in the Temple, shouting out to the assembled crowd, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that ‘Rivers of living water will flow from His heart.’” (John 7:37-39). The Holy Spirit will provide the eternal life for which all people thirst. And much later St. Paul referred to some biblical history that the woman at the well would have found more familiar, in 1 Corinthians 10:4. Paul referred to the miraculous rock struck by Moses that provided water for the people. He said that Christ is the spiritual rock out of which flows spiritual water, a rock that will always accompany us wherever we go. Finally, the water theme in Scripture concludes with a closing comment in Revelation 22:17, “Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires, drink freely from the water of life.” And that is what Jesus is offering all of us in the entire world, the living water of eternal life.

Isaiah 55 – Is Anyone Thirsty || Bible in Song || NO AI! || #26

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