THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK

ISAIAH 32:2

A. "AND A MAN SHALL BE AS AN HIDING PLACE FROM THE WIND, AND A COVERT FROM THE TEMPEST; AS RIVERS OF WATER IN A DRY PLACE, AS THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK"
  1. To comprehend more fully the prophetic implications of our text:
    1. We must orientate ourselves with the hazard the people subject themselves to when they journey in the great desert regions in the Middle East
    2. The storms that will make it nearly impossible to make any headway in the sand
    3. During the day the heat is almost unbearable
  2. It is under such conditions:
    1. That the shadow of a great rock will serve as a covert from a tempest; a hiding place from the burning heat
    2. Also, near those great rocks the traveler often finds springs of water to quench his thirst B. THE SHADOW OF A GREAT ROCK
  3. There can be no doubt that the prophetic forecast of the great rock finds its primary application in the Messiah - the man Jesus Christ:
    1. He is, indeed, the Rock of Ages - I Cor. 10:4
    2. He was the hiding place for Moses, when the glory of Jehovah passed before him Ex. 33:21-22
    3. He was the symbolic rock that was smitten by Moses - Num. 20:8-11
  4. But this writer feels impressed to believe that "the man" of our text may have a second application:
    1. To a God-man - one connected with God; Examples: Elisha - 2 Kings 4:1-32; 5:8-27 - Jochebed and the saving of Moses - Ex. 2:1-9
    2. The annals of sacred history are full of the God dedicated men, who served as a hiding place against the rigors of life; among them we have men like Martin Luther, the Wesley Brothers, and many others who stand out in history as living rocks serving as places of refuge. Booker Washington was one of those men for his race. C. IT MUST REMAIN AN INDISPUTABLE FACT
  5. That the shielding and refreshing influence by men:
    1. Has its source in Jesus Christ the rock of ages - John 15:5
    2. The moon reflects the light of the sun so the Christian believer can only reflect the saving influence of the Sun of Righteousness with healing under His wings - Mal. 4:2
  6. Men life Albert Schweitzer became a great blessing to the Africans because of his abiding faith in God
  7. Ellen G. White and her writings are truly a place of refuge and a fountain of refreshing water for God's remnant people in the last days
  8. But, here again, they are a blessing because of Christ being their source
  9. What must give us courage in our relationship to Jesus Christ:
    1. That with God and for God there are no limits to man's usefulness even in this life
    2. That so long as the channel between us and God is open, we will indeed become a hiding place to those who come under our influence
    3. We shall be able to bring the refreshing waters of life to thirsty souls - John 7:38
    4. Let us keep in mind the words of God in Psalms 84:5-6 - "Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; in whose heart are the ways of them who passing thought the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools"
  10. Dear Christian friends:
    1. How many weary hearts have been refreshed by the springs of living water flowing from your personal connection with the Fountain of Living Water - John 7:37-38
    2. Can you and I join the Spirit and the Bride in giving this glorious invitation - "And let him that is athirst come...let him take of the water of life freely" - Rev. 22:17
    3. Only as we shall allow the Water of life to freely flow in our own daily lives


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