28/06/13

The Lord is my Rock

1 Samuel 1:2 - There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.


We have Christians who refer to people in the Bible as rock. The Catholics refer to Peter as rock and we have others who call Jesus as rock. What might surprise all is that both are wrong.

Peter the name in Greek Petros means small stone something like a pebble in Hebrew the equivalent word is Tyrus and this word is never used for the Lord.

Coming to Jesus as man was always referred to the corner stone, the stone which the builder sets in perfect order and uses this stone to align all the other stones when laying a pathway. In the Bible the term rock in Hebrew tsoor and Greek petra is only used for the Lord. The word points not to a stone or a boulder but refers to something even larger more like a cliff.

To understand this we need to understand Paul's statement in his letter to Corinthians where he states Christ as rock, what is important is starting part of this sentence. Paul symbolizes Christ as the rock that followed the Israelites in the desert. We know Jesus the man was not there during the time of Moses, but before He became man He along with the Holy Spirit playing a very active role throughout the Bible.

We read of 2 rocks in the story of the Israelite's walk in the desert. They were the rocks which gave them water in the desert. The first rock Moses struck for water as he was told and was provided water, but the second rock he was told not to strike but just request of it yet when Moses struck, he was punished severely. He was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. All this was symbolic for us to understand a very important thing and Jesus warns and explains about this in Matthew 12:32.

The Son was the first rock which Moses struck as he was told and water (symbolizing life) was given unto them in the desert. The second rock symbolized the Holy Spirit and to this rock also Moses was told to just speak to it and it would give them water, but then Moses got carried away in this anger and authority and struck the rock not once but thrice. For this Moses was not allowed to enter the promise land, the Promised Land symbolized Heaven. To enter this land they had to cross the river Jordan. The word Jordan means heritance, symbolizing becoming sons. To enter Heaven we need to become Sons of God and that is what Jesus Christ made possible by His sacrifice through which He gave us His Spirit. Now whoever believes in Him has a way to become Sons of God. This becoming requires one to abide by the Holy Spirit and His Word for He writes the Law in our hearts.

When Jesus spoke to Peter about the rock on which the Church is build, He spoke of the Spirit of Truth (the Truth) who revealed to Him Jesus is Christ. It was the Spirit of Truth on whom the Church is build and that is why the Lord first gave the Church the Spirit of Truth on Pentecost. It was the Spirit of Truth who gave boldness to Peter to speak about Christ for it was this time he really came to know Christ and His words.

When we say the word Christ which means 'anointed one', it does not only refer to the man Jesus but also refers to the Spirit of the Lord on Him.

In today's message the Lord is reminding us that He alone is our Rock of Salvation and no man is. We should not look up to any man as our rock for our salvation, leaving for the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit and now that the former has done to work to give the later to us we now have to hold on the later for our salvation.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You alone are our Rock. You were the rocks that followed the Israelites in the desert. You alone gave them life when there was no hope. Like Moses we too struck You (the first rock) for our life, but like Moses let us not make the mistake of striking the second Rock. Moses was saved for that because it was only symbolic, but anyone doing to the real Rock would not be. Holy Spirit, guard our mouths, our thoughts and our actions that we never grieve You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
1 Corinthians 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.

Exodus 17:6 - 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.

Numbers 20:7-11
7 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock; so thou shalt give the congregation and their cattle drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before Jehovah, as he commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; shall we bring you forth water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and smote the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their cattle.

Numbers 27:12-14
12 And Jehovah said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, and behold the land which I have given unto the children of Israel.
13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered;
14 because ye rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the waters before their eyes. (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)

Numbers 20:24 - Aaron shall be gathered unto his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.

1 Peter 2:7-8
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Matthew 12:32 And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.

Mark 3:29 but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin:

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)