Psalm 95 – Rock of Salvation
Psalm 95 – rock of salvation, opens with a call to worship the Rock. Almost like a rock opera! The community is called to come together and sing for joy. But what is a rock of salvation? What constitutes salvation?
Psalm 95
In the opening salvos of Psalm 95 – rock of salvation, the psalmist calls the community to sing for joy to God.
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” (1-2)
He goes on to say why God deserves worship. God is great, creator of all the earth.
“For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” (3-5)
This is followed by another call to worship God because we are God’s people. We are called to bow down and kneel in humility before God.
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (6-7)
Hardened Hearts
The psalm shifts abruptly and ends with reminding the people of a time when the people went astray, hardening their hearts against God.
“Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me; they tried me, though they had seen what I did.” (7b-9)
Even though they had seen all that God had done for them, feeding them with manna and quail and providing water, they continued in their disbelief. When the people hardened their hearts, God responded in anger.
“For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’
So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” (10-11)
Those who harden their hearts against God, rather than clinging to the rock of salvation, will not enjoy fellowship with God. God is angry because he wants all people, every one of us to come join in the celebration, but the people refused. They were stubborn, seeking their own way and refusing God’s love despite.
“There can be no rest to an unbelieving heart. If manna and miracles could not satisfy Israel, neither would they have been content with the land which flowed with milk and honey.” (Spurgeon) Enduring Word Bible Commentary Psalm 95
God as Rock
Rocks are strong and hard; you don’t want to bang up against one. Ships that hit rocks sink.
Rocks are also beautiful, beautiful and hard at the same time. The two can co-exist. Life is hard, but it is also beautiful. God is firm, steadfast, unchanging in nature, like a rock, but also incredibly beautiful.
As I mention in my blog post, Psalm 28 – I Call on the Rock – Patricia M Robertson, my dad worked for Prudential Insurance company for over thirty years, the bulk of his working life. The logo for Prudential Insurance back then was the rock of Gibraltar. I remember one time when there was talk of a recession, I was worried and asked my mom about it. Would we be okay? She assured me that we would be fine. Dad’s job was secure.
I continue to have positive feelings about Prudential Insurance and especially the image of the Rock of Gibraltar. They represent security. I wish my mom were around to tell me everything will be fine amid all of the present-day chaos in our economy, but she is gone and before that we had long since switched roles so that I was the one assuring her. Still the image of God as a rock, a source of strength and stability, is a powerful one.
But what is the rock of salvation?
Rock of Salvation
Salvation according to Webster is saved from peril, harm, financial ruin, and saved from sin and the consequences of sin. As Christians we are encouraged to cling to God, the rock of salvation, trusting in God’s steadfast love.
Only problem with that is that while I am saved by clinging to rock of salvation, there are others trying to pull me off of that rock or who I care about that aren’t clinging to the same rock, not clinging to God regardless of what name they give God.
Far worse than those who simply don’t believe, are those who profess to believe but have a limited, immature image of God, or a twisted image. Those who can’t accept God’s immense, expansive love for all. Who try to limit God and put God into a box that they can control. This is not God. It is just their version of God and harmful because with their false beliefs they keep others away from God. This is not the Rock of salvation in Psalm 95. This is hard headedness, hard heartedness, like that shown by the Hebrew nation in the desert of Meribah.
Psalm 95 – Rock of Salvation
We are called not to be rocks, but to cling to the Rock. We are not to be hard of heart but are to be firm in our belief in our God who saves. In Psalm 95 – rock of salvation, there is a party going on. One that God invites all people to attend. All they need to do is leave their stubbornness at the door and embrace the love of God.
Are you ready for the party? If not, why not?
(For another take on this psalm, Psalm 95: Choose – Heaven or Hell? – Patricia M Robertson)
This post is part of a series of blog posts on the Psalms. Sign up to follow this blog and receive a free copy of Still Dancing, the second book in my Dancing through Life Series. click here to sign up
(Please note – in order to help ensure you receive email with link to new book, please add my email, patricia@patriciamrobertson.com to your contact list. Some servers are quick to send newsletters to spam or other boxes.)
Leave a Reply