Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Tonight’s Study – Session 10: Jehovah Tsuri – The Lord Is My Rock
Introduction: What better word than “rock” to represent God’s permanence, protection, and enduring faithfulness? When we pray to the Lord our Rock, we are praying to the God who can always be counted on. His purposes and plans remain firm throughout history. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the spiritual rock that accompanied the Israelites during their long journey through the desert. He is also the stone the builders rejected but that has become the cornerstone of God’s church. In this study we see who Jehovah Tsuri truly is, and how we can rely on Him as our Rock.
The earliest and most striking usage of God being described as “the Rock” in the Bible is found in Deuteronomy 32:4.
5 Key verses in Deuteronomy 32 Where Jehovah Tsuri is Found:
Verse 4 – He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.
Verse 15 – “But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; You grew fat, you grew thick, You are obese! Then he forsook God who made him, And scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
Verse 18 – Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.
Verse 30 – How could one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Unless their Rock had sold them, And the Lord had surrendered them?
Verse 31 – For their rock is not like our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.
In Deuteronomy 32, Moses calls God “the Rock” five times (all with the Hebrew term tsur) for “rock.”
The metaphor of God as the “Rock” speaks to the individual believer’s experience of God’s presence and support in times of need, offering a sense of stability and protection.
Moses experience Jehovah Tsuri as he led God’s people to the Promised Land.
Understanding The name
Rocks provided shade, shelter, and safety in the wilderness and were used to construct altars, temples, houses, and city walls. Heaps of stones (Ebenezer Stones) were also used to commemorate important events in Israel’s history. God’s commandments, given to Moses, were etched on stone so that all generations would learn His law.
The word “rock” epitomizes God’s enduring faithfulness. The Hebrew noun tsur is often translated “rock” or “stone,” while petra is the Greek word for rock.
Psalms and the Rock
The book of Psalms contains many encouraging verses, one such verse that alludes to God being Jehovah Tsuri – The Lord is My Rock is Psalm 18:2, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
This Psalm, penned by David, packs a lot of powerful truth into one verse. Being a poetic book, Psalms employs figurative language extensively. The “rock” in this verse is metaphorical, and the repetition emphasizes its importance to the psalmist.
King David most likely penned this after he was established as king in Israel. Prior to this, he had faced numerous enemies, including King Saul. David’s life was often in jeopardy, and he was compelled to live outside the bounds of normal community. This helps us better appreciate his looking to the Lord as his rock.
A literal rock is solid, stable, and strong. It requires force to break through, and in ancient times people sought refuge in caves and rocky terrains for safety (Exodus 33:22; 1 Kings 19:9-13; Judges 6:2; Revelation 6:15-16). A rock can be life-sustaining in more ways than one, as Moses brought forth water from a rock to quench the thirst of the Israelites (Exodus 17:1-7).
David’s use of a “rock” as a metaphor first highlights trust. In times of danger, David acknowledges that he can trust God just as someone hiding in a rocky cave would trust it for shelter. David had numerous personal experiences with caves and likely drew inspiration from them (1 Samuel 22:1-2; 24:1-3).
1 Samuel 22:1-2 – David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
1 Samuel 24:1-3 – Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)
Trusting God in times of trial can be challenging, so we need occasional reminders. In situations that surpass human understanding, God remains sovereign.
Another significance of the rock is its strength. Many Bible verses depict God as the source of strength (Isaiah 40:29; Psalm 73:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Ephesians 6:10), and we have the testimony of David, who experienced the benefits of relying on God for strength. Difficult times can leave one weak, confused, and in despair. In the valleys of life, God strengthens us through His Word, prayer, and the comfort of other believers.
We can also understand the rock as a place of safety. The psalmist realizes that – beyond trusting and gaining strength – he is also safest with God. David understands that God is the only One who can protect him from his enemies. Trials can lead to doubt and desperation, but struggling believers should realize that true safety lies in God’s hands.
A Nugget of Truth to Remember
If God doesn’t deliver us from a situation, then He desires to be with us through it. Either way, we are in good hands. Even if we lose our lives, we await a new world without tears, pain, and suffering.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:4)
God’s function as a “rock” extends beyond times of trials. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus compares obedience to His teachings to building a house on a rock.
Matthew 7:24-25 – “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
Jesus Himself is our Jehovah Tsuri in the fact that He is the Rock of our salvation. He became rock and fortress when He delivered us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:13-14 – He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
The apostle Paul confirms that Christ is the Rock, Jehovah Tsuri – and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4)
The church is built upon the “rock” of Peter’s confession that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus said, “on this rock I will build My church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18b)
Conclusion: In the Old Testament and the New Testament, we see God as Jehovah Tsuri – The Lord Is My Rock. We can find comfort and strength in knowing that God is our rock, our source of stability and protection. God is our refuge in times of storm and difficulty. By trusting in God as our rock, we can find peace and assurance, knowing that He is always with us. Our lives as Christians are built on nothing less than Jesus, our Rock. As the old hymns says, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand.”
Next Week, Session 11: Jehovah Rohi – The Lord Is My Shepherd