Word of Encouragement (11/22/2023)
And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. (2 Sam. 22:1-3)
After calling God “my God,” David goes on to call God “my rock, in whom I take refuge....” David already mentioned God as “my rock” in the previous verse. Here, he speaks of God as “my rock” again. Why the repetition? But it is not just for emphasis. In Hebrew, two different words are used. And this time, he adds a description: “my rock, in whom I take refuge.” Here, David highlights the characteristic of rock as a place of refuge.
The Hebrew word used here is the same word used in Ex. 33:21-22: “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” As you know, God spoke these words to Moses when he asked to see His glory. God told him that no one can see His face and live. But He would let His glory pass by him with His hand covering him while he remained in the cleft of the rock. Of course, this incident is where we get the hymn, “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me.”
Maybe David was thinking about this famous story about the rock, which provided a refuge for Moses. And he was able to apply that story to himself, thinking about the time when Saul was chasing him and his men with his three thousand soldiers and he had to flee to the Wildgoats’ Rocks (1 Sam. 24:1-2). He was so close to getting caught, fearing death. But God turned the situation around and delivered Saul to his hand when he came into the cave where David was hiding to relieve himself. Despite the urging of his men, David refused to raise his hand against God’s anointed. When Saul found out about it, he felt penitent (at least for a time) and turned away from pursuing David (again, at least for a time). There in the cave of a rock, David not only found a refuge but also a reversal of his situation from helplessly running away from Saul to mercifully sparing his pursuer’s life. What a refuge God is!
As you hear the stories of God providing a refuge for Moses and David as their Rock, I hope you can glory in God as your Rock as well. We know that Jesus Christ is “The Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me.” He was struck by the hand of God’s judgment against us so that we might be spared from the punishment of our sin and healed by His wounds (Isa. 53:5). And I’m sure that many of you have experienced being driven into the cave of the Rock in desperation because you had no place to go, no person to rely on. But there in the Rock of Ages, you have found not only a refuge but also a reversal of your troubles into blessings. Let us praise God as our Rock, and cast away all our fears!