Jesus is the Rock

For I proclaim the name of the LORD: Ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; -- Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (NKJV)

Hanna prayed:

“No one is holy like the LORD, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God. -- 1 Samuel 2:2 (NKJV)

The Psalmist wrote:

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. -- Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. -- Psalm 19:4

And Paul wrote:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. -- Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV)

and

For I do not want you to be ignorants of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. -- 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 (NIV)

This seems to suggest that Christ was physically travelling with the Israelites as a "rock" during the Exodus. This idea seems to origin from the 16th century by the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, who was very literal interpreter of the Bible. However, there are scriptures in the Old Testament that confirms conclusion.

Some scholars argue that Paul was referring to Moses that stroke the rock:

And the LORD (YHVH) said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.”

And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD (YHVH), saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

-- Exodus 17:5-7 (NKJV)

Only the LORD, YHVH, was present, and He never claimed to be the rock itself.

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD (YHVH), your God... Who brought water for you out of the flinty rock... -- Deuteronomy 8:11,15 (NKJV)

Another instance where a rock provided water to the Israelites:

Then the LORD (YHVH) spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.”

So Moses took the rod from before the LORD (YHVH) as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them,

“Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”

Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

Then the LORD (YHVH) spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD (YHVH), and He was hallowed among them.

-- Numbers 20:7-13 (NKJV)

Again, nothing suggest that the rock was Jesus or the LORD Himself or that this rock physically accompanied or followed them through the desert.

The confusion comes with the way the chapters are dividing 1 Corinthians. Paul's original letter was not divided in chapters and should be read as such.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for man imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Moreover, brethren,

I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

-- 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:6 (NKJV)

Paul was comparing his "spiritual" race the Israelite's "spiritual" journey. This means that these scriptures should not be taken literally in the material world. For example:

The race The exodus
The race starts with "baptism" (1 Corinthians 12:13) The journey started with "baptism" in the cloud and in the sea
"discipline my body and bring it into subjection" "ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink"
The prize is a "crown" The reward is the promised land (Exodus 6:7-8)
Paul is nourished with "certainty" The Israelites were nourished by "the rock" that gave them a drink
Paul should guard against "disqualification" Most "Israelites' bodies were scattered in the wilderness"

Paul conclude that our "rock" is Christ and that we should "drink" from Christ. However, we know that Jesus is not physically around in his own personal human body anymore so that it would be impossible for them to physically drink his literal human blood. Instead, Paul says himself that he meant "spiritual" food and drinks. In the context of the previous chapter, Paul likely meant that we should "ate" and "drink" from what proceeds forth from "the Rock" which refers to "the Christ" which in this case is "the Gospel of the Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:12) which teaches about "the partaking in the 'body' of the Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:23).

Another source of confusion is that most English translators omits the Greek words "ho", "ton" / "tou" which should have been translated as "the" which would have read "the Christ" in verses:

This creates the impression that "Christ" is just another name for "Jesus" or the "Rock" or possibly "God", and the original formal title, "the Christ" is lost in translation. "The Christ" is a unique and distinct role from God which was promised by God by various prophecies.

Paul also explicitly states that he mention that Exodus was an example. The original Greek word translated as "example" is "typoi" which means "a type", "a mark", "figuratively", "pattern/model". Therefore, we cannot interpret this scripture as scientific proof that a literal rock somehow followed the Israelites through the desert and that it somehow proofs that Jesus reincarnated as a physical rock during the lifetime of Moses.

Other "rocks"

However, human leaders can also be considered "rocks" for example:

Unless their rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them? For their rock is not like our Rock -- Deuteronomy 32:30-31 (NKJV)

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. -- Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)