Their Rock Is Not As Our Rock

Moses had one final task. He was to write a song—a song that would be necessary because of the folly of the people. The Lord commanded Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.

“Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give” [DEUTERONOMY 31:16-21].

This passage of the Word, known as The Song of Moses, points to “The Rock.” Take special note of how “The Rock” becomes the theme of this song. Here are a few examples.

“The Rock, his work is perfect,

for all his ways are justice.

A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,

just and upright is he.”

[DEUTERONOMY 32:4]

“But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked;

you grew fat, stout, and sleek;

then he forsook God who made him

and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation.”

[DEUTERONOMY 32:15]

“They sacrificed to demons that were no gods,

to gods they had never known,

to new gods that had come recently,

whom your fathers had never dreaded.

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you,

and you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

[DEUTERONOMY 32:17-18]

“How could one have chased a thousand,

and two have put ten thousand to flight,

unless their Rock had sold them,

and the LORD had given them up?”

[DEUTERONOMY 32:30]

And, at last Moses wrote the words of the verse that forms our text this day.

“Their rock is not as our Rock;

our enemies are by themselves.”

[DEUTERONOMY 32:31]

This is, if you will, Rock Music. Moses is not speaking of Dwayne Johnson! Johnson may appear to be strong—he may have massive biceps and he may be a movie star, but he cannot do what God does. In this song, Moses is exalting the Living God, the LORD Almighty.

We who accept the Word of God as true and accurate should naturally ask, “Who is ‘The Rock’ of whom Moses is speaking?” Perhaps we are prone to say that Moses is speaking of the LORD. That would be an appropriate supposition; and factually, it wouldn’t be in error. However, I believe we can refine that answer through appeal to the Word of God. Writing the saints in the Church of God in Corinth, Paul pens a rather enigmatic statement. In order to fully understand what the Apostle said, let’s get the background as well as the statement.