The vicarious suffering of Christ

 

Trust Maanda
Looking at the unseen

 

EXODUS 17:5-6 KJV

And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

 

[6] 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.

When Israel in the wilderness had sinned against God by continuous murmuring when they had no water, God asked Moses to take his rod of judgment.

 

That rod had judged Egypt by bringing plagues upon it. It was a rod of judgment.

Instead of smiting Israel for chiding with God and Moses, God told Moses to smite the rock with his rod of judgment.

Israel was supposed to be smitten.

God transferred the judgment to an innocent rock.

 

The rock smitten, was wounded and on its side, waters gushed out.

 

The rock took the judgment.

 

It suffered vicariously instead of the murmuring and chiding Israel.

 

That Rock, was Christ as Paul later said in 1Corinthians 10:4:

 

And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

When Jesus was pierced by a spear when He hung on the cross, water came out of His side.

 

He was smitten of God.

 

Out of Him came living waters. It was a symbol of Christ bearing our sins.

1 Peter 2:24: Who his own self bares our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5 says: Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 

[5] But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

We thought Christ was smitten, struck by God.

 

We did not know that He was wounded for our transgressions.

 

He was smitten in our stead for our sins.

 

He bore the punishment of our iniquities.

 

He was chastised so that we might have peace.

 

He served a sentence of death for us. He is the smitten Rock, out of which waters flow.

The water that came out of the rock in the wilderness watered the whole wilderness.

 

It was enough to give water to give water to about two million people including their beasts.

Christ came so that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.

 

His grace is sufficient for the whole world.

Therefore, when man realised that he was separated from his God, he became a wanderer.

 

Man wandered about, through the mountains and through the deserts, seeking a city whose builder and maker was God.

Finally, one day, that Day of Calvary, there was one who came down from Glory, by the Name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Calvary was instituted.

 

Christ who knew no sin was made sin for us.

 

He took in Himself the punishment that we were supposed to suffer.

 

The innocent suffered for the guilty.

Through His suffering, mankind was redeemed from the effect and consequence of sin.

 

The wages of sin are death. Jesus took death in our stead.

That was the day that the price was paid, and the sin question was settled forever.

 

And it opened up the way fellowship and peace with God. It brought us to a place of satisfaction.

No man ever visited Calvary, and saw it the way it was, and ever came back the same.

 

Everything that any person ever desired or longed for, is met, when they reach that Calvary.

Because of His suffering, He brought atonement and reconciliation between God and man.

 

The rock that was smitten by Moses assuaged the wrath of God. Jesus placated God for us.

Through His vicarious suffering and death at Calvary, He purchased healing, salvation and joy for every mortal in the world.

 

Jesus paid the price for every blessing of redemption, and took away every legal right that the devil claimed to have over mankind.

Since Calvary, Satan has no power over anything that pertains to you.

There is no sickness in the sight of God. You are already healed.

 

Every sinner, your sins, as far as God is concerned, are forgiven before God if you can accept the effects of the vicarious suffering of Christ.

But if you do not accept it, you are condemned, not because you are sinner, but because you have rejected the vicarious suffering of Christ.

 

Trust Maanda is a Gospel preacher and transformational speaker. He writes in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on +263772432646.