The Rock

What or who is ‘the rock’ of Scripture?

Daniel

Interest in the theme of ‘the Rock’ in Scripture was triggered by my morning ‘Quiet Time’ in which the Bible reading was from Daniel chapter two.

The all powerful king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had had a dream that troubled him but he refused or could not describe the dream to his wise men.  When the astrologers and wise men told the king that what he had asked of them, to both discover what he had dreamed and then explain it was impossible, the king became angry and ordered their execution.  Daniel asked his friends to pray, and the Lord gave to Daniel the very dream which he was then able to describe and interpret to the king.

In this dream, the king saw a gigantic statue.  The head was made of gold, the chest and arms of silver, the abdomen and thighs of bronze, the legs of iron and the feet of a mixture of iron and baked clay.  These represented the dynasties that would succeed Babylon, the golden head.  These were the Medo-Persians under Cyrus, the Greeks under Alexander, and then the Romans.  Then Daniel reminded the king that a rock then appeared that destroyed this massive statue. Then Daniel said,

“While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not of human hands.  It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.” Daniel 2:34

The pieces of the statue made by the rock were then blown away by the wind whilst the rock grew.

“But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” Daniel 2:35

Daniel goes on to explain what this growing rock represented,

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will not be destroyed, nor will it be left to another kingdom. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure for ever.” Daniel 2:44

Jacob

When the elderly Jacob was blessing his family, shortly before he died, he said of Joseph who had become a ruler of Egypt, that his success was to be attributed to Jehovah who he described as being both ‘the Shepherd,’ and ‘The Rock of Israel’.

“But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,” Genesis 49:24

Moses

When the children of Israel fled from Egypt under Moses, they came to a place called Rephidim where there was no water.  God told Moses that the solution would come from a strange place, a rock!

“I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Exodus 17:6

Surely the lesson God wants his people to learn is that he himself, the rock, is the source of all we need.  This is clarified when the story is retold in the book of Numbers,

“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” Numbers 20:8

This rock responds when being spoken to!  The lesson is clear, the rock represents Jahweh, the Lord God.

Soon after this Moses is told by God to ascend Mount Sinai on his own.

“Then the Lord said, ‘There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.’” Exodus 33:21-22

There is a simple lesson here.  In order to know God man must stand on the rock, to be in the rock.

Shortly before Moses died and the children of Israel entered the promised land, Moses made it very clear that when he wrote about the rock he does intend people to understand that their God is solid and dependable, and a strong foundation for all of life.

“He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” Deuteronomy 32:4

Later in this song, Moses bemoans the way that Jeshurun, which literally means ‘the upright one’ and is another name for Israel, was not upright at all but had rejected the dependable God who had rescued them, their Rock.

“Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, they became heavy and sleek. They abandoned the God who made them and rejected the Rock their Saviour.” Deuteronomy 32:15

Moses continues, repeating this analogy,

“You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth.” Deuteronomy 32:18

He continues to warn them that they will become a people without sense who will follow false gods.    Even Israel’s enemies had recognised the power of Jehovah, the Rock, but the false gods Israel were to succumb to were impotent.

“For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.” Deuteronomy 32:31

“He will say: ‘Now where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in?’ Deuteronomy 32:37

Hannah

When Hannah prays after the extraordinary birth of her son, Samuel, she said,

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2

David

When king David was old and knew his end was near he sang a song that focussed on how it was the Lord God who was behind everything he had achieved.  He repeatedly calls him ‘my Rock’.

“He said: ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;’” 2 Samuel 22:2

“My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour— from violent people you save me.” 2 Samuel 22:3

“For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?” 2 Samuel 22:32

“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Saviour!” 2 Samuel 22:47

“The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,” 2 Samuel 23:3

The purpose of this song was surely to remind God’s people that they must build their lives on this Rock; they reject him at their peril.  It is therefore not surprising that in the Psalms there are no less that twenty references describing Jehovah as the ‘Rock’ of God’s people.

Isaiah

Isaiah also uses the analogy of the rock.  He first warns Israel that they must fear God and become a holy people or else they will face him in judgment.

“He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare.” Isaiah 8:14

How can God’s people turn their back on their redeemer?  Every good thing in life is built upon him.

‘You have forgotten God your Saviour; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.” Isaiah 17:10

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:4

Significantly Isaiah foresees the day when God’s Messiah comes and his kingdom is established.  At that time his people will help suffering people to shelter under the protection of the rock.

“Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.” Isaiah 32:2

“You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.” Isaiah 44:8

Jesus

Jesus continues this way of thinking,  At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells the story of the Wise and Foolish Builders.  Tbe person he approves of is the person who builds their life on what he himself says.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Jesus repeatedly claims to be the rock that people must build their lives on as he is the Lord God!  The wise person is he who accepts the rule of Jesus.

“The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:25

When Peter openly acknowledges that Jesus is God’s Chosen king, his Messiah, Jesus says to him,

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18

There has been much debate about what this means.  Some claim that Peter is that rock but from a study of the rest of the Bible it is clear that it is Jesus himself who is the rock.  God’s church consists of those who have turn to Jesus as their Messiah, their rock, just as Peter had confessed.

Paul

Paul, with his knowledge of Scripture, recognised that Jesus is the Rock of God.  He causes some to fall but to his people he is the foundation of life

“As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 9:33

He uses the story of how God produced water for his desperate people when he told Moses to strike the rock at Horeb.  He draws the analogy that drinking that water equates to turning to Christ as our Rock.

“. . . drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.” 1 Corinthians 10:4

Peter

Peter describes Jesus as being God’s ‘living stone’ that all people must submit to,

“As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house . . .” 1 Peter 2:4

He then quotes Isaiah 8:14, emphasising that Jesus divides humanity into two groups,

“ ‘A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’  They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.’ 1 Peter 2:8

What causes people to stumble over a rock?  Inevitably it is because they have not looked where they are walking.  If they are travelling down the broad road to destruction mindlessly, then to stumble may help them think about the direction they are going in, particularly if the rock they are stumbling over epitomises all that is good and opposes what is wrong.

People today

The gospel remains essentially the same as it has been since the beginning of time.  Before Christ entered his world people were saved by accepting the forgiveness offered them by God when they committed themselves to being his people and determined to live in obedience to him.. Their sin was symbolically forgiven when an animal sacrifice was offered to take the responsibility for their sin.  When Jesus entered his world he openly told the world that he was the one and only Son of God, the Messiah. He proved this by his miracles, his teaching and ultimately his resurrection as well as his family background. The Jewish Scriptures indicated that these were the features that would identify God’s Messiah. What he taught about honesty, integrity and love resonates with us as being true.  Finally the Son of God gave himself to be the ultimate sacrifice for people’s sin. He has told his people to let the world know about him.

He is still God’s rock.  Some will stumble over him, this may help them to think through why God has put them here but unfortunately many will reject the salvation he offers.  Unless people come to their senses they will stumble into hell.  Others will turn to God and his Son and rebuild their lives on what he has done and what he has taught.  We now have the ‘word of God’ in the Bible.  A Christian has turned to Christ for salvation and now lives to please his Saviour by obeying him.

BVP