Given today’s Scripture verse, I began thinking about different types of rock that people have found to be significant in their lives. I listed Mount Rushmore in South Dakota; Ship Rock in New Mexico — showing the core of an ancient volcano; Beacon Rock in Washington State — first identified by the Lewis and Clark expedition; The Natural Bridge in Virginia once surveyed by George Washington; the Stone Mountain carvings in Atlanta, Georgia; and The Plymouth Rock found in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which marks the stepping off point for a group of people entering into a New World. Another thought I had concerned the rocks that shepherd boy David used to slay Goliath the giant.
When some people think of a rock, they think of music. In fact, there is a genre of music called Rock & Roll and if we focus on music, we might think about several hymns that talk about the Rock of Ages. Today’s Scripture points to the Rock, “For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.”
One definition of rock is “a strong person who can be relied on.” This is the definition used by Moses as he wrote the song found in Deuteronomy 32. Their rock, the enemies’ strength, is nothing like our Rock, Almighty God. If you want to talk strength and reliability, there is no one like my God. Moses describes all the characteristics of our Rock; I can almost hear him singing praises unto his God.
We, too, can join Moses in his song. Read his words and embrace his emotions as Moses celebrates his relationship with God. Amen.
David Blythe
Extended Scripture: Deuteronomy 32–34 (NIV)
