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Sinking in Life? Go to the Rock

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Psalm 18:1-6 I will love You, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my Rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so shall I be saved from my enemies.4 The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Jonah is sinking to the bottom of the ocean, stuck in a fish, utilizing the imagery of a Psalm that compares God to a Rock. Psalm 42 utilizes the same imagery: I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Psalm 42:9) It would appear from Jonah’s perspective that a Rock was the last thing he needed. But this Rock was no ordinary Rock. The Apostle Paul alludes to this Rock in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  The Rock followed them? The Rock gave water to those who were thirsty? Numbers 20:7-11 gives us some more insight: Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

This was the second time Moses had been invited by God to miraculously provide water from a rock. In the first account Moses struck the rock according to the Lord’s command. But in the second account he was commanded to speak to the rock. Jesus, the Rock, was broken in half to provide “water” for our forgiveness, and cleansing from sin. Yet, the second time, God provided the water of the Holy Spirit from Jesus’ side to reconcile us to Himself, as His Bride. The letter of the Law strikes the Rock, but the Spirit of the Word gives Life.

In this season of Elul – repentance, and seeking God, have you substituted the Rock of Jesus, with the rock of the commandments – the Law? Is the Spirit of the Rock yielding the Life-giving Water of the Spirit into the waters of life that seem to be drowning you, swallowing you whole? Do you find yourself crying out for the Rock to be your salvation from that which is drowning you? Are you praying with Jonah, Lord spit me out of this deathly existence?

The King is Coming!

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Esther 1:10-12 On the seventh day, when the king’s heart was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who ministered to King Ahasuerus as attendants,11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king, with her royal crown, to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to behold.12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command conveyed by the eunuchs. Therefore the king was enraged, and his anger burned within him.

Can you imagine this? Obviously, it was another culture and another time. The events in Esther occur during the Persian period of world history, between the first return of the Jews after the 70-year Babylonian captivity (around 538 BCE) and the second return led by Ezra (around 458 BCE). To put it another way, Daniel, preceded Esther – he had already passed away.

How can you apply this Scripture – here and now? Revelation 19:6 states: And on His garment (robe) and on His thigh He has a name (title) inscribed, king of kings and lord of lords. Jesus, is King of kings and Lord of lords. The question is, Since Jesus is a King – shouldn’t He have a queen? Absolutely! Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and shout for joy [exulting and triumphant]! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. In this passage we know Jesus is the Lamb. But who is the Lamb’s Bride, His Wife? Ephesians 5:23-33 For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body. 24 As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her,26 So that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word,27 That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless].28 Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.29 For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,30 Because we are members (parts) of His body.31 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.32 This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church.33 However, let each man of you [without exception] love his wife as [being in a sense] his very own self; and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly].

The Church is Jesus’ Bride, and since Jesus is the King – the Church is Jesus’ Queen. How does all of this apply to Queen Vashti in Esther 1 and Queen Esther? Esther 1:12 states: But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command…Revelation 19:7 reveals the difference: for the marriage of the Lamb [at last] has come, and His bride has prepared herself. The True Church of Jesus, the King’s Queen – has prepared herself to appear before her King. Esther 2:12 Now when the turn of each maiden came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the regulations for the women had been carried out for twelve months—since this was the regular period for their beauty treatments, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet spices and perfumes and the things for the purifying of the women—….

Esther is a symbol, or Biblical type of the Church. Esther went through 12 months of beauty treatments before she even was presented to King Ahasuerus. If Esther had to go through such rigor before appearing to the King how much more so Jesus’ future Queen? As Revelation 19:7 states, Jesus’ Bride prepares herself. This word “prepare” in the original language implies the practice of kings sending a forerunner before them to make roads. The roads were built for the conquering king, his army, and his vanquished foes to march down. The forerunner would go before the king leveling mountains and hills and filling in valleys to make the highway straight, flat and smooth for the conquering king. Then he would prepare the populations surrounding the highway to appear before the king, his army, and vanquished foes. After all the preparations had been made the forerunner would go before the king announcing the, the King is Coming! the King is Coming! At the root meaning of this word “prepare” is the idea of fitness. To be prepared is to be spiritually fit. The question now is, Which queen represents you? Have you applied for His beauty treatments? Are you an Ephesians 5:23-33 bride? Are you subject to your Husband – in everything? Are you allowing His Word to sanctify and cleanse you? Do you reverence and respect your Husband Jesus? The King is coming!

The Swimming Hole

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Hebrews 1:1-3 In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, 2 [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].3 He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God’s] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power. When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,…

Three things really stand out to me when I read this passage: Revelations, God Spoke, and the Mighty Word of Power. The summer before I went to college (1981) I was terrified of going. I had only been walking with Jesus in a conscious, personal relationship for only a year and a half. I did not want to lose what I had with the Lord. My plan of action was to not work a part-time job that summer seeking to draw near to Him. Back then I didn’t know that’s what it was called – I just did it. Mostly I spent my time reading, memorizing, and studying the Word – praying about what I discovered in its’ pages. I had no idea the transformation it was making, the revelations that were coming to me, and how God was using it to speak to me. I had no idea until some friends from church invited me to go swimming in a creek located behind a golf course not far from my home. The only way we knew to get to that swimming hole was through the woods located on the other side. There was a footpath worn through the woods which ended abruptly with a twelve to fifteen foot cliff dropping off to the creek below. The scene offered you a breath-taking view of the golf course, the cliff, and the meandering creek. Whenever we visited this site we were compelled to run down the path, leap out in the air, hurtling towards the creek below. The run was necessary in order to clear the four foot bank located at the bottom of the cliff. It was a great place to swim. But on this particular day, while we were swimming and having a good time, a group of boys who lived on the other side of the creek near the golf course, chose to invade our space. I was OK with that until one of them used some profanity. It was just one word. But that one word shot through me as if someone had slapped me in the face. I was startled and stunned by it. Now you have to understand why this was significant. I had used profanity from the time I was nine years old. I wasn’t a stranger to colorful language. What struck me in this moment was why and how one word had startled me. As I pondered the significance of that moment several things came into focus, and Jesus’ Words came to me in revelation that deepened my understanding of the power of His Words. All Scripture is God-breathed. The Holy Spirit was reminding me of things Jesus had said, and in that moment a Scripture came to life: You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (Jn. 15:3) That moment was significant because I realized the significance of my spending time in His Word and prayer. His Word had been cleansing me, and now a distinction had been made between sacred speech and profane speech. His word was upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling me. His Word had been cleansing, and setting me apart to Him, and for Him. The even more amazing thing? I wasn’t even conscious of its’ effect. Ephesians 5:26 refers to the “washing of the water of the Word.”

James 1:18 states: He chose to give us birth through the word of truth,...and 1 Peter 1:23 states: For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. You have been born-again, or spiritually birthed, by His Word. And you are a new creation in Jesus because of that Word. Your new being is made for that Word – nourished and strengthened by it. Like us teenagers, that summer of 1981, new creations are called to leap out into the deep things of God. You are called to plunge into and swim around in the deep waters of His Word. It calls to you. By faith, pursue it, and don’t forget to have fun in seeking the Wonders of Who He is. Become conscious of the impact of those words, and praise Him for the gift you hold in your hands. In all the world there’s not a Book like it.