Dune was Fiction, but God is Our Rock!

I hate to admit it, but I’m a huge science fiction fan. Going where no man has ever gone before has always been my dream. To explore and discover has been my heart’s desire ever since childhood. A great book series that produced a poor movie was DUNE. In one scene in the movie Paul Atreides tells the Fremen warriors of Sietch Tabr to hit this large rock, that looks like an obelisk. They try kicking it, hitting it, sawing it, but the rock is untouched, undamaged. Then Paul shows them the ‘weirding way’, and by directing his voice through a ‘weirding module’, he obliterates the rock. It is totally destroyed. However powerful the ‘weirding way’ was, it was not powerful enough to penetrate the defensive ‘Shield Wall’ surrounding Arrakeen (a large rock wall). For that, they used Atomics.

Even in Dune, rocks represented power. They represented strength and protection. It took super power to destroy the rock, and even greater power to obliterate the rock ‘Shield Wall.’

God is called “The Rock” – (the Hebrew word ‘tSur’) in the Bible.

“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. (Deut 32:4)

To the Jews, the rocks they saw certainly seemed impenetrable. They understood what it meant to call God “The Rock”. They understood that some rocks were larger than other rocks. “For their rock is not as our Rock” (Deut 32:31). “There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (I Sam 2:2).

The Jews saw God as a Rock that was indestructible, impenetrable. He is the Rock of Refuge, the one David ran to for protection from his enemies. “Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.”(Ps 71:3)

I fear that this analogy is lost on this modern day generation. Just as in Dune, there is no Rock that cannot be destroyed by some man-made force. Given enough time and nuclear bombs, we could destroy the largest mountain if we had to. Why, we can even shoot an asteroid out of space (at least in the movies).

By comparing Himself to a rock, God wants us to see His Strength, His endurance, His ability to be a Fortress in times of conflict and confusion. When life gets crazy, we need to run to the rock that is greater than you or me. He truly is our Strength and Refuge.

Man may try to obliterate God, or dismiss Him as weak and ultimately destructible, but that does not matter. He is the Rock, there is no other god (even man) that is bigger and more powerful than He. We need to come to that point in our lives where we cry out as David did: “For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me.” (Ps 33:1)

In the storms of life, God has made provision for each of us to know Him intimately as our Rock. When Moses struck the Rock in the wilderness with the Rod of God, it split the rock and caused water to rush forth: “They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out.”(Isa 48:21) In like manner God broke His only Son, Jesus Christ, and through His death on the cross, Rivers of Water gush forth through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus has now become our Rock, the Rock of Water, the Rock of Refreshing, the Rock of Redemption. He has become our life, our strength, our refuge. All who are weary and heavy laden find rest in Him. All who are thirsty find refreshment in Him. All those lost in sin find forgiveness and redemption in Him.

Those who fail to see Christ as the Rock of Refuge, will only see Him as the Rock of Offense. Peter (little rock) declared: “So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.” (I Peter 2:7-8)

How do you view God? Is He just another rock, something in your path that you stub your toe on? Or is He the Almighty, Eternal, Invincible Rock of your salvation. You can’t ignore Him. He will always be in your path. He will either cause you to stumble, or He will provide you shelter and refuge. The choice is yours. May you rejoice with David: “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” (Psalm 95:1)