In Deuteronomy 32, God has preserved a song that Moses taught the children of Israel. Songs stick with us. They help us remember. Throughout Moses’ song, God is described as “the Rock.” For instance:
“The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
They have dealt corruptly with him;
they are no longer his children because they are blemished;
they are a crooked and twisted generation.
Do you thus repay the LORD,
you foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father, who created you,
who made you and established you?” (Deut 32:4-6)
Did you notice what this song teaches us about “the Rock”? His work is perfect. His ways are just. He is faithful, upright, and without iniquity. Talk about the perfect place on which to build! This Rock is the foundation. If you’re serious about life, joy, peace, and hope, you will never find better bedrock for identity, purpose, and fulfillment.
But here’s the thing about “the Rock” … you can’t ignore him forever. You can’t go over, under, or around him. In fact, there’s no such thing as existence apart from him. Because his work is perfect, life apart from him is “corrupt.” Because his ways are just, all other detours are “blemished.” When I reject this God of faithfulness, everything I construct is crooked. When I trespass the boundaries of this Being who is without iniquity, everything gets twisted. He continues to be just, I have chosen the way of the fool; he remains perfectly upright, I am acting without sense.
Bottom-line: the Rock IS. Old Testament Israel would stumble over him or build upon him, but they couldn’t ignore him forever. The Rock still is. You can’t go over, under, or around him. Even today, there’s no such thing as existence apart from him.
“Is not he your father, who created you,
who made you and established you?”
If you’re serious about life, joy, peace, and hope, you will never find better bedrock for identity, purpose, and fulfillment than the Rock. Why build anywhere else?