April 21, 2016
2 Samuel 22
The LORD is my rock... 2 Samuel 22:2
LET IT GLOW
Rocks in the flower bed, rocks in the pasture, rocks in the fence line, rocks on the hillside. Boy, do we ever have rocks here on our farm. In fact, there is a pile of rocks that Dad picked up here throughout his lifetime, but did not collect them all. Rocks are everywhere still.
Another place I encounter rocks on my dirt, country road. Yes, I have stumbled over them more than once while taking my mile walk. Sometimes we encounter rocks in our life that cause us to stumble spiritually. When we stumble, and even fall down into sin, Jesus is there holding out His hand to pick us up, forgive us, and strengthen us to walk on by faith.
Of the six sections of the epilogue, we have read about the first two-the Lord's judgment against Israel and David's heroes. Now in chapter 22 we read the third. These are not in chronological order, but give accounts in David's life at various times.
III. David's Song of Praise
The loss of a son, suffering in famine, and a misery of battle all wear on him until David begins to crack. This weary David lifts his hands to God and declares his feelings in a song, which covers no less than 51 verses. (Swindoll)
Now, this chapter is almost identically written in Psalm 18, also. Evidently, they were song to the LORD on the day He rescued David from all his enemies and from Saul.
Charles Swindoll, in his book David, A Story of Passion and Destiny, explains four themes or expressions of David here:
- When times are tough, God is our security. (verses 2-20) David describes his God as a secure Father-his rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of salvation, stronghold. The Lord delights in us. He sees and cares about what is happening in our lives the very moment.
- When our days are dark, the Lord is our only light. (verses 21-31) He gives just enough light so that we can see to take the next step.
- When our walk is weak, the Lord is our only strength. (verses 32-40) When ties are tough, the Lord sees us through. God is never stronger in His work than when we are, admittedly, weak. Life Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 12:7-10, God grace is sufficient.
- When our future is foggy or fuzzy, the Lord is our only hope. (verses 50-51) He becomes hope in our uncertainty and security in our confusion. The Lord will show lovingkindness to His anointed and even take care of their descendants forever.
LET IT GROW
Whom have we Lord, but Thee?
When our times are tough, our days are dark, our walk is weak, and our future is foggy or fuzzy, whom have we but You, Lord?
David reveals the characteristics of God in his life-the Rock is mentioned first.
When my world is shaken, is God my Rock? The ground can shake and shift, even open up with an earthquake or flow up with a volcano as well as uncertain like sand. However, a gigantic rock does not move.
David often hid himself in a rock (1 Samuel 24:2), but God was his chief hiding place. (Matthew Hery)
Rock, in the Hebrew language, is used as two words with two meanings. Found in verse 2, rock means to be lofty (fortress), stone, strong hold; in verse 3 it means a cliff, a sharp rock, a refuge, strength.
I have seen some huge lofty rocks and cliffs. Standing on the Smoky Mountains, I could see for miles. In fact, there is a town in the Rocky Mountains named "Rock Bottom" and it surely is, sitting below and between parts of the mountains. We live in the Ozark Mountains, but do not realize it until we start our descend driving down the mountains. Cliffs on the California coast are rather high, right my California friends? Huge boulders are found in Vermont. I realize those mountains' composition is just rocks.
David said that God is his Rock. How big is our God, the Rock? Is He as big or bigger than Mt. McKinley, which is 20,320 ft. tall in Alaska? Or the Rocky Mountain Range which stretches over 3,000 miles? Uh, I think He is bigger than those. He is bigger than the earth, our universe, and our galaxy. Because He is everywhere, can He really be measured?
Now, looking in the New Testament, there were several verses which mention the Rock:
- The one the wise man built his house upon, which kept his house from falling down when the rain and storms came. (Matt. 7:24)
- Jesus built His church upon the rock-the Truth of Jesus, which Peter knew. (Matt. 16:18)
- Jesus is the stone Isaiah mentions in 28:16-a sure foundation, a tried stone, a precious corner stone. Whoever believes on Him, Jesus the Rock, shall not be ashamed.
- In Moses time, the Israelites drank from the Spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock is Christ. (1 Cor. 10:4)
In his book, The Ultimate Guide to the Names of God, Elmer Towns gives us more insight:
The name Rock is only one of several strength names for God in the Old Testament. One strong name for God is Tsur (pronounced tsoor) in Hebrew, is Rock. For those in the Near East traveling near the desert, a rock was noted as a fortress or a place of protection. Large rocks in the Palestine area found protection and refuge from the attack of wild beasts and the scorching sun.
Dear ones, when our life is crumbling, falling apart, rolling us down a mountain, shaking us up, blowing up in our face, our Rock Jesus Christ, is steadfast and immovable-The Rock. He can take our broken pieces and put them back together again, making our life beautiful for His glory. So come to the Rock that is higher than us.
LET IT GO
When I stumble and fall into sin, reach to the Rock Jesus..
Stand on THE SOLID ROCK-JESUS CHRIST.
Stand on the Rock of Ages, safe from all the storms that rage.
Run to my Rock of Refuge for protection, comfort, strength.
Make the foundation of my life the Word of God and His Salvation in Jesus, my Rock that is higher than I.
Stand firm on the Word of God, which remains forever.
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