Rock

For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
– Psalm 31:3

I grew up in a generation with many great advertising jingles and slogans, such as “plop, plop, fizz, fizz,” “where’s the beef?” and “my bologna has a first name.” (You can add your favorites to the comments.) One of the icons among the advertisements belonged to an insurance company. It wasn’t quite as jazzy as the ones mentioned above, but certainly just as memorable. Their graphic was a simple sketch of the Rock of Gibraltar, accompanied by the slogan, “Get a piece of the rock.” If their goal was to convey an image of strength and security, the advertisers succeeded.

Eastern culture, the culture that gave birth to the Bible, is rich in imagery. Truth is regularly communicated using word pictures. Even Jesus spoke about himself in this fashion, using terms like “bread of life” and “living water” to declare his unique identity. Naturally, the images they used were things familiar to them. In a region laced with sharp, majestic geologic features, the image of the rock became a common way of expressing strength and refuge. Biblical writers may have envisioned places like Mount Carmel, Tel Megiddo, or almost certainly the mountain fortress of Masada.

What would it mean to call God our “rock?” One meaning conveys a place of solid footing, unmovable ground. It could also mean a preferable vantage point, a place to see all that needs to be seen. Clearly in Psalm 31, “rock” is a place of refuge from danger. The psalmist may have recalled the time when God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock as a way of protecting him while God passed by (Exodus 33:21-22).

One of the blessings in life is knowing where your safe spaces are. Blessed are those who have safe spaces. My home has always been a safe space, both in my childhood and adulthood. Hopefully my children feel the same. I have had good friends who have been like a virtual safe space for me to be myself. And of course, I have had church as a safe space. The family of God has been a source of guidance and encouragement, especially in times when I needed it most. Even the facilities themselves have given me a sense of refuge, which only makes sense if you consider the full meaning of “sanctuary.” All this is from God, who is the ultimate source of refuge in my life.

The world will try to offer you all kinds of security. It is all temporal. If you want to know absolute refuge, get a piece of the true rock, Jesus Christ.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.