Bibledoorajar: The Rock in the Midst

     As the people kept moving year after year, the doubting spies and those that believed their report faded away in death. Finally, the people came into an area called the Wilderness of Zin. This area of Israel is really magnificent, full of geological shapes and sizes much like the canyons known and admired in America. However, these people supposedly on a faith walk, arrived and saw no trees bearing fruit and found no water for themselves or their animals. With what is now a familiar sound, they complained to Moses and Aaron as to why in the world they were led there. Surely they would die without water. They would have been just as well to die with the others already deceased.
     Moses and Aaron left the people and fell on their faces before God. God came to them and told them to gather the people around a ROCK IN THEIR MIDST. When Moses spoke to the rock by faith it would gush forth with water. His speech was very important to God in this matter. Carrying out the command would show forth obedience and trust in the living God. God's name would be sanctified. But it was a sad day, for Moses struck the rock instead of asking it for its' water. In so doing, he failed to sanctify God's Name. They failed to honor Him and His Provision.
     Years later, Jesus was born and was referred to as Emmanuel. It means God with us or God in our midst. It is a terribly sad thing when men strike out at the ROCK IN OUR MIDST and fail to speak in such a way as to sanctify His Name. God loves our words that worship Him and honor Him, words that believe Him. He says a prayer spoken righteously does much good (See the book of James). Even if He does not like our ideas of how the request should be handled and says no, he still loves us because we have sanctified His name. Therefore, we can continue  to safely "hide" in Him and with amazement He will provide for us.
     In 1775 Augustus Toplady sought to honor God. He was caught up in the great debate of the day between the tenets of Calvin and Wesley. The debate roared so loudly at times that one wonders if God was always honored in the debate. At any rate, it led Augustus to pen a hymn of worship the theology of which he was sure. He wrote ROCK OF AGES and the hymn remains to this day in our midst and sung by men everywhere to honor our Lord. Speak to the Rock with all humility; He will hear you.

  Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

let me hide myself in thee;

let the water and the blood,

from thy wounded side which flowed,

be of sin the double cure;

save from wrath and make me pure.