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There are many references in Scripture to God as the "Rock" of salvation. Rock and stone are common metaphors used to represent God and Christ. For example, the apostle Paul refers to Christ metaphorically as the "rock that followed the Israelites in the desert," indicating that the rock from which they received water was an idiom for Jesus. Following are some of the most dominant themes of God and Jesus Christ represented in Scripture as a rock: "You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, command the rock over there to pour out its water. You will get enough water from the rock to satisfy all the people and their livestock." This is an oblique reference to salvation through Christ. He called himself the "living water" and said that everyone who drinks from the water he provides will never again thirst. If you're thinking this seems contrived, look at the next verse. "I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, what happened to our ancestors in the wilderness long ago... For they all drank from the miraculous rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ." The apostle Paul wasn't saying that the rock was physically Christ, but that it symbolized the way Christ provides for us at all times and that his salvation sustains us permanently. "These are the words he sang: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold, my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me from violence." "The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone." The stone in this passage is a direct reference to Jesus Christ. He and his disciples quoted that same passage. It means that the Jewish religious leaders rejected him but that he is in fact the cornerstone of salvation. "Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock" "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." Another reference to Christ. The word interpreted as "disturbed" means that those who believe in Jesus will not be judged or destroyed on Judgement Day. "Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone (cornerstone); the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed." Jesus used Psalm 118:22 to explain why he was now offering his gift of eternal life to Gentiles. Initially he brought salvation to the Jewish people, but because they rejected him it was given to non-Jews for a time. Eventually, after the church is removed in the event called the Rapture, God's plan for the Jews will be completed as described in Daniel 9. "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;" We are to act and live in a way pleasing to God. Are you living a life that God would approve of? Are you free from sexual immorality? Are you honest? Loving? Forgiving? Encouraging? Clay in the Hands of the Potter Clay always represents people in Scripture. It is a symbol of how we are shaped and molded by God through the experiences He gives to us. Here are some references to clay: "Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again?" "How stupid can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you. You are only the jars he makes! Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, "He didn't make us"? Does a jar ever say, "The potter who made me is stupid"?" "And yet, LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand." We are clay in God's hand, but are only of value if we are soft and pliable. No wonder God often brings us to a point of true humility before we can be used by Him! In the case of king Nebuchadnezzar, God will later strike him down to a surprisingly low position before the arrogant king is pliable enough to give himself over to God's control. How soft and pliable are you? Is your response to godly discipline harsh and willful, or do you allow difficulties in life to offer a measured evaluation of God's true purpose in putting you through them? Daniel 2:46-47 Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before Daniel, and commanded that they should offer him a sacrifice and incense. The king said to Daniel, "It is true that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing how you could reveal this secret." The king did not worship Daniel but bowed before him in respect to the God Daniel represented. The wording used does not say the king presented an offering to Daniel. Instead, the king presented to Daniel the items needed to make an offering to God. He equipped Daniel for making a sacrifice, something that had been impossible since he was taken from Jerusalem. Daniel 2:48-49 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the king, and he set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel sat in the gate of the king. Although it was common practice for kings like Nebuchadnezzar to appoint the most qualified people to positions of power, it upset the wise men to see this Jewish captive put into a position of authority over them, even though he saved their lives. We see their response more clearly in chapters 3 and 6. |
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