Many people, when they first come across the above Scripture, are somewhat surprised to read, "the Rock was Christ," way back at the time of Moses. But there it is, in plain and simple language - The Logos (Logos is the original Greek word of the New Testament that is translated into English as Word), Who was later born as the human Jesus Christ, led the Israelites in the Exodus.

It should not be all that surprising if we keep in mind that The Logos, Who became Jesus Christ, existed, and has been active, from before The Seven Days of Creation. The apostle John describes very well what Jesus Christ was, and was doing, before His birth as a human:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:1-3 RSV)

And -

"The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us." (John 1:14 RSV)

Rock is a very strong and durable substance. You can go outside and pick up a rock that could be many millions of years old. Rock well suits, as far as physical substances can go, the analogy of an strong and eternal spirit being. The term is used extensively through The Bible:

• "There is none Holy like The Lord, there is none besides Thee; there is no Rock like our God." (1 Samuel 2:2 RSV)

• "my God, my Rock, in Whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my Savior; Thou savest me from violence." (2 Samuel 22:3 RSV)

• "To Thee, O Lord, I call; my Rock" (Psalm 28:1 RSV)

• "Thou art my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation." (Psalm 89:26 RSV)

• "O come, let us sing to The Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! " (Psalm 95:1 RSV)

• "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand for ever; just as you saw that a stone [NIV Rock] was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure." (Daniel 2:44-45 RSV) (see Daniel's Statue and Feet Of Iron And Clay. Also, The Return Of Jesus Christ and The Place To Watch)

Fact Finder: Was the Rock the Creator of humans?
Deuteronomy 32:18