THE ROCK

I am fascinated with the life of King David. I think the thing that intrigues me most about him is how human he was. Yes, he was known as the greatest warrior king in the history of Israel but at times he also made a mess of his life. David went from being the killer of Goliath to being the seducer of Bathsheba and the murderer of her husband. If David were alive today and applied for ministerial credentials, the majority of evangelical denominations would throw him out on his ear.

Through all his ups and downs spiritually, David found ways to express his love for God. Indeed, he messed up more than once but he also ’fessed up and God forgave him. We can learn much from just observing this aspect of David’s walk before the Lord. Too many of us try very hard to hide our faults from the Lord. We try too hard to solve these issues on our own without His help and continue to make a mess of our lives.

One of the most beautiful expressions of David’s love for the Lord is found in 2 Samuel 22:1-4 and in the parallel passage Psalm 18:1-3. David penned these words in gratitude as he thanked the Lord for protecting and delivering him from his enemies, including King Saul, who was attempting to have David killed. Here is Psalm 18:1-3 (ESV):

“I love you, O Lord, my strength. 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. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

When I see repetition, as on the word “rock” in verse two, my curiosity kicks in and I have to try to understand what the writer was saying. In this case the best way for me to grasp the meaning was to go to the original language (Hebrew) and see the meaning for these words.

Twice David speaks of the Lord as being his “rock.” Each of these words is different in the Hebrew and each is rich with meaning for us. Each word expresses an aspect of God’s protection and character that is just as meaningful for us today as it was for David.

The first use of the word rock (cela) suggests the idea of security, shelter, concealment.

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.”

David was forced to run from the assassins of Saul for seven years. After a number of attempts to hide, David and the men with him finally ended up secure in a cave called the Cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22:1). In fact, David was so well hidden there that when Saul and his army passed by the cave opening, they had no idea that David and his men were inside.

This is a picture of the safety of grace that becomes ours when we put our life fully into the love and care of God through Jesus Christ.

Child of God, don’t let the devil deceive you about your security in Him. As long as your life is hidden with Christ, the devil cannot pry you out of that security.  You are in God’s hands—and God and the devil are not co-equals. The enemy will lie to you! He will play on your emotions and insecurities and tell you he can but he can’t. He is a liar and a deceiver and he is not able to take you from the cleft of the Rock! You are in the fortress of God and even though you may be under attack, the enemy cannot prevail!

In the second part of Psalm 18:2, David exclaims, “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.”

This second use of the word rock is taken from the Hebrew word suri and suggests the idea of being strong and immovable, a large mass of rock. The use of the word here is borrowed from Deuteronomy 32:4:

“The Rock (suri), his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

And Isaiah 26:4:

“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock (suri).”

This second use of the word rock in Psalm 18:2 speaks of more than a hiding place; it speaks of a bedrock foundation, a mass of rock on which a building can be safely built.

Jesus gives us a word picture of being anchored to bedrock in Luke 6:48 when He says, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.”

He is my Rock—and I love Him—and I trust Him—and my life is built on Him!