7 And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and gather thou the
assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock
before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring
forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and
their beasts drink. 9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he
commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together
before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you
water out of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod
he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the
congregation drank, and their beasts also. (Num
20:6-11)
4 And
did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4)
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself 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.
Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.
The beauty, power, and promise
of this favorite old hymn are unsurpassed in hymnology. It was born in
adversity, and rises to the challenge of its making. Both words and music
(Petra) were composed by Augustus Toplady, an Anglican clergyman, in 1775.
There is more than one claim that Toplady wrote this hymn after being caught
out in a severe thunderstorm, and took refuge in the cleft of a great rock. The
incident apparently took place in the cleft rock at Burrington Combe gorge in
North Somerset, England, and it has a plaque on it with this claim to fame. For
us, Christ is that Great Rock which was cleft for us, and the only source of
refuge for the soul of man. “Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may
continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my
rock and my fortress.” (Psalms 71:3)
“Rock of ages, cleft
for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood from thy
wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure, cleanse me from its guilt
and power.” That Rock that Moses struck represented that
source of salvation for Moses, and all who would cherish The Lord and Savior of
mankind. What a Great Rock of Love is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is that Rock
that could not be moved even by the passion of the cross. All who claim Him as
Lord must strive to be of the same composition and character – chips and stones
from that Rock of Ages who deigned to come and die for sinners such as you and
me. That Rock was cleft in the Wilderness of Sin for it was called the Fountain
of Rephidim which, in the Hebrew tongue means Resting Place. That is right and
proper since Jesus has become, not only our Passover, but our Sabbath Rest as
well. The Rock that was cleft in the Wilderness was at Meribah which was so
called to describe the strife and contention of His people in the Desert of
Sin, for it was there that the Israelites murmured against the Lord who was
their salvation and mainstay. That Rock was again cleft on the Cross at Calvary
and out of that cleft side came, not only water, but blood – the blood whereby
we are saved.
“Not the labor of my
hands can fulfill thy law's demands; could my zeal no respite know, could my
tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou
must save, and thou alone.” ” Eastward in the Garden at Eden, fallen
man discovered that he could not cover his nakedness by his feeble labors at
fig-leaf aprons. God had to sacrifice and innocent animal (the very first death
on earth) to cover their nakedness. Man must know now as well that his best
efforts cannot atone for his sins. Only the sacrifice of the wholly innocent
Lamb of God can atone for our sins.
“Nothing in my hand I
bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless
look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.”
We shall leave this world in the same way we came – naked and penniless. But
our grasp can hold to the cross even beyond the Banks of Jordan Waters. Even
though we may have been Prodigals in time past, if we have received the Father’s
Best Robe of Righteousness to cover our filth, a Ring of Authority for our
Fingers, and the Shoes of Liberty for our Feet, we shall not be ashamed at the
Last Day. If we have washed in that Fountain of Rephidim, we shall be made
clean, indeed, whiter than snow.
“While I draw this
fleeting breath, when mine eyelids close in death, when I soar through tracts
unknown see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me
hide myself in thee.”There are no recorded repentances for
righteous living of which I am familiar. I have never read of a dying man being
remorseful for not gambling, being a greater drunkard, committing more
adultery, etc. When the moment of death arrives, and the Ancient of Days stands
near the pall, the last thought of man is a solemn and serious thought. If he
has not known Christ as his Savior, there may be terror and anguish at that
time. What a contrast to those who are “safe in the arms of Jesus!”
There is a place of dying, known only to God, for every reader of this
devotion. It is good that the moment has not been frankly revealed to us. It is
at that moment as the rough waters build, and the angry billows roar, that the
Christian will behold, at the very banks of the river, that Great Rock cleft
for him, and yawning to receive him into safe passage. We shall be hidden from
all pains of death and fear in that Ancient Rock. We shall be covered.
I read a very touching
story this morning that has some comparable features to the manner in which God
views those of us whose sins are covered by the blood of His only Begotten Son.
I read a story of a process those who raise sheep in Scotland use to care for
orphan lambs. Once their mother is dead, no other ewes will have anything to do
with the poor little orphan. If it tries to get suck from another ewe, she will
recognize by the smell that the little lamb is not hers and will kick it away.
However, if there has been the death of another little lamb, the shepherd will
skin the dead lamb and place its coat over the orphan lamb. He will then take
that orphan lamb to the mother of the dead lamb and she will then nurse it
believing it to be her own. This process is called ‘grafting.’ How very much like the child of God who
is adopted into the family of God through the shed blood of His only Begotten
Son. It is not our own righteousness that God recognizes, but that of His
dearly Beloved Son. Have you been adopted?
