Where's Jesus? the story of Moses striking the rock, again (Numbers 20:10-12)

Do you remember the Where's Waldo books?  On each and every page, Waldo is hidden in the picture.  Such is the case with the Scriptures. In each and every story, Jesus is present, either literally or in a prefigured state.  Such is the case with our text today.  Kerry Hasenbalg does an excellent job of showing us Jesus both in the striking of the rock and how that relates to our calling today.  I will quote from her devotional Hope for the Journey- an adoption companion, pg 15:

I used to really struggle with the fact that poor Moses, after all that work he did with the Israelites, was not permitted to go into the Promised Land - just because he struck the rock when he shouldn't have (Numbers 20:10-12).  I understood that he didn't technically obey God, who told Moses to strike the rock the first time for the water to flow, but the second time to only speak to the rock.  But it must have been tough working with those stiff-necked Israelites, and Moses wanted to make a point, so he struck the rock the second time as well.  I just did not think that he deserved the harsh judgment he received.

However, as I began to understand that his sin was the misrepresentation of what God was about to do for the world through Jesus, I saw that this was indeed very serious to God.  The rock, which represented Jesus, the Rock, was only going to be struck and broken once for our sins.  From that point on, we would only need to speak to the Rock in order for His living water to flow.  This sheds light onto why God is so serious about us going to the orphans. We are to be a picture of what God is about to do - return for us, His orphans!

God's people in the Old Testament practiced the religion that God accepted at that time: animal sacrifices.  Why was animal sacrifice the action that God chose as acceptable religion?  Not because animal sacrifices ever saved any man: "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4).  Through the Israelites' obedient actions, God was revealing to the world a picture of what he was about to do - sacrifice himself to atone for the sins of the world.  He was the slain Lamb of God, the last sacrifice.

God has told us, His people, that pure religion that God the Father accepts is to go and look after orphans in their distress.

Why?  Because we, His church, are to announce what God, Almighty, is about to do for the world by representing him with our actions!  That for which the world is now waiting, the prophecy yet to be revealed, is the return of Christ for His church. As Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you" (John 14:18).  It's all about God's glory and plan for the world.  Instead of offering sacrifices, we are to offer up our bodies as living sacrifices, exemplifying the God who will return to bring us home as members of His family forever.  We are to be a visible picture to the world, as always, of what God is about to do.