December 25 @ Deuteronomy 31-32

“Deuteronomy 31-32 

Discover His heart:  He is our Rock, an immovable foundation

While I’m not an avid beach-goer, I have managed a few treks to the beach over the years, loaded down with beach chairs, towels, ice chest, and sunscreen. All that effort is spent to catch a few rays that will eventually dry my skin and give me freckles.  Somehow, it just doesn’t work for me; however, I digress. It’s definitely relaxing to listen to the waves and watch them blanket the shore with their glistening cover.  We build our sand castles and then watch the surf slowly eat away our creations, grain by grain, right down to the foundations. There’s something to be said about building on the rock – an immovable foundation! 

@Deuteronomy 32
The leadership of Moses was drawing to a close, and like most of us when our tenure in a position is ending, he shared his heart.  More importantly, Moses gave his final declaration from the Lord to the Israelites and did so in the form of a song before the entire assembly.  His song included Israel’s history, God’s warnings and words of hope. Shepherd, prophet, leader, warrior, writer, and songster! Moses was a man whose words deserve our attention.

“I will proclaim the name of the Lord; how glorious is our God! He is the Rock; His deeds are perfect. Everything He does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright He is!” (3-4) When everything around us is shifting and changing, He is the Rock! When governments and institutions crumble and fall, He is the Rock!  When others abandon or fail us, He is the Rock!  There’s something to be said about building on the Rock!

“But Israel soon became fat and unruly…Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.” (15)  I would imagine the crowd grew a little quiet when Moses sang this stanza. God delivered Israel from 400 years of Egyptian bondage – He was the Rock of their salvation! But they took Him for granted and abandoned Him to worship other gods. Just as we read about the Young Woman in Song of Solomon, sometimes we take for granted that He saved us from eternal bondage. He is the Rock of our salvation!

“You neglected the Rock who had fathered you; you forgot the God who had given you birth.” (18) The Song of Moses became very personal in this verse, from they to you. As any father would do, God delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage because He was the Rock who had given them birth.  He nourished and clothed the Israelites for 40 years in the desert because He was the Rock who had fathered them. He protected them from the hordes that came to annihilate them because He was the Rock, their father!  How could we ever forget the One who gave us new life, the One who delivers, provides and protects. He is the Rock, our Father!

“But the rock of our enemies is not like our Rock…The Lord says, ‘Look now; I myself am He! There is no other god but me!’” (31)  No other rock is like our Rock.  No other god is like our God.  I love the Dottie Rambo song that few have sung better than Whitney Houston on The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack:

“I go to the Rock of my salvation
I go to the stone that the builder’s rejected
Run to the mountain and the mountain stands by me
When all around me is sinking sand
On Christ the solid Rock I stand
When I need a shelter, when I need a friend
I go to the Rock.”

I pray Whitney went to the Rock in her final hours.  No other rock is like our Rock!

“When Moses had finished reciting all these words to the people of Israel, he added: ‘Take to heart all the words of warning I have given you today. Pass them on as a command to your children so they will obey every word of these instructions. These instructions are not empty words—they are your life!’”  (45-47)  He is the Rock of our salvation who has given us birth – there’s no other rock like our Rock.  These are not empty words – they are our life!

And today, especially this day, I am thankful for the Rock of our Salvation as we celebrate His coming to us! Merry Christmas, one and all! 

Moving Forward:  Another great song comes to mind, my theme today, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” No other rock is like our Rock! 

Tomorrow @ Esther 6-10