Hymn: Rock of Ages
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide my-self 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.
Some people do not like this hymn by Augustus Toplady. Most of us don’t understand the symbolism. What is this “Rock of Ages”? Why is it “cleft for me”? Is there anything in the Bible about it?
You will remember that when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt they stopped at Mt. Sinai for about two years. While they were there, a lot of things happened. Some things were good, some things were not so good, and some things were very bad! Can any of us not look back on our own lives and not remember at least some of the good, the bad, and the ugly?
You will remember that after God gave the Ten Commandments to the people, Moses and other leaders of Israel went up on the mountain and had a feast in the Lord’s presence. After the meal, God told Moses to come up on the mountain so Moses and Joshua, his assistant, climbed until they went out of site in the cloud. They stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. During that time Moses received more instructions from God plus a stone copy of commands and instructions. (Ex. 24:12-13)
At the end of the forty days, the Israelites went to Aaron, it must have been in a threatening manner, and said, “Come on, make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” Aaron then asked the people to give him their gold, and he “melted it down and molded it into the shape of a calf.”
The next day, the people had a feast, sacrificed to the idol, and “indulged in pagan revelry”. Have you ever done something you wanted to do and you just couldn’t wait? Well, I have; I have done many things in my life I have regretted. But, I have never worshipped an idol! At least I don’t think so? But I have wanted some things I couldn’t wait to get. Maybe those were my idols?
While the party was going on, God “told Moses, Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves’.” God has a great sense of humor! Moses had no power to bring the people out of Egypt; it was God Who brought them out, but He was testing Moses to build his faith.
Before Moses could respond, “the Lord said, ‘I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave Me alone so My fierce anger can blaze against them, and I will destroy them. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation’.” (Ex. 32:9-10). What was Moses to do?
“But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God. ‘O Lord’ he said. ‘Why are You so angry with Your own people whom You brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand’.” (Ex 32:11). God knew Moses would get exasperated with those people many times in the next 40 years, and Moses proved he was ready. In fact, God told him to write verse 14: “So the Lord changed His mind about the terrible disaster He had threated to bring on His people!” (v. 14)
Wow, Moses got God to change His mind; what more could Moses ask for? After Moses confronted the people, the next day he went back up the mountain to intercede again for the people. Moses acknowledged the people had greatly sinned against God, and again Moses spoke to God. “But now, if You will only forgive their sin – but if not, erase my name from the record You have written.” (v. 32).
This time God, because of His holiness, refused to grant Moses’ request. “No, I will erase the name of everyone who has sinned against Me. Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about. Look! My angel will lead the way before you.” (v. 33-34).
In chapter 33, we find Moses still waiting at Mt. Sinai. What was he waiting for? Moses knew things still weren’t right. He needed more assurance. Beginning in verse 12, he became bolder in his request of God. “If it is true that You look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand You more fully and continue to enjoy Your favor. . .The Lord replied, ‘I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest – everything will be fine for you’.” Moses and God continued on this same topic, and God again reassured him that He would do what Moses asked. (v. 13-17).
Finally Moses asked for the ultimate blessing. “Moses responded, ‘Then show me Your glorious presence’. The Lord replied, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call out My name, Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show compassion on anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at My face, for no one may see Me and live.’ The Lord continued, ‘Look, stand near Me on this rock. As My glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My hand and let you see Me from behind. But My face will not be seen’.” (v.19-23).
Do you remember the revival that took place at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky in February 2023? It went on for 2 ½ weeks, and it was called a revival. What happened? It began with a few students who wanted to experience more in their Christian lives. From a few, it spread through the campus, affected the town, and gained national headlines. Why?
Because the glorious presence of God descended and people experienced the glorious power of God in their lives. We have all experienced that presence when we were saved. Can you remember that time when God the Holy Spirit moved you to trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation? Yes, but as life moved along, we began to doubt we could ever experience it again.
Our spiritual lives became hum-drum, Sunday sermons became uninspiring, and we found little comfort or hope in reading our Bibles. We may have been active in church maybe even taught Sunday School or sang in the choir. But something was missing. All our efforts seemed to give us no real satisfaction, but we kept going hoping for a brighter day and a fuller experience. We even gave up on our “Revival Meetings” because our expectations were unfulfilled. What is the answer?
First, we must ask ourselves, “do I really want to experience God in my life or am I happy with things like they are”? If I am happy as is, nothing will help until I am not. Second, if I am not happy with my spiritual life like it is, I must wrestle with God as Jacob did until He blesses me. In Romans 8, Paul talks about our position in Christ. “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His son would be first-born among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.” (v29-30). So if the glory of God is in us, why do we not experience it?
Third, maybe it is because we haven’t asked for it like we should. If we really want to experience God’s glory that is in us, we need to ask God to reveal it in us. But how do we ask for it? We simply allow the Holy Spirit to help us. Beginning in verse 26, Paul says, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father Who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.”
What could happen if we sought a real revival among all Christians worldwide? Jesus told us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, may Your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6: 9-10. Did He mean these words to be taken literally? Maybe He had in mind the words of Isaiah 2: 1-4. This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all – the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.’ For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; His word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.”
O Lord, let me experience Your glory and power in my life, my church, my nation, and the world!