Fire From The Rock

[dave c]

A HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #135f, Written 03APR10

From The Rock—Part Six: Fire From The Rock

by rev. dave c

"He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock… (De 32:13; NKJV). Regarding this verse, some commentators believe that Moses was saying that honey was miraculously available from the rock, and others teach that there were bee hives concealed in the rocks. Some teach that the oil in the rocks was olive oil, in which case it was a miraculous provision—others that the oil was petroleum that was pooling in the rocks. If the latter is true, then Bible versions such as the NAS make little sense: “He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he ate the produce of the field; And He made him stink honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock…”. Obviously, such translations assume the oil mentioned to be edible. If the passage is referring to olive oil, apparently the rocks themselves were the miraculous source since the provision would have bypassed the whole harvesting and processing of olives from trees to produce the oil. If the rocks themselves produced the oil (much like water from the rock in Ex 17 & Nu 20), then it would be safe to say that the honey mentioned was divinely produced by the rocks—not that the rocks contained bee hives.

Is making a distinction between how God provides for our needs crucial? Ultimately, no...but it is important nonetheless. Honey from beehives in the rocks is a good thing. Honey being produced by a rock defies logic and forces people to rethink reality. If God uses doctors and medicine to answer my prayer for healing (and He often does that very thing), then I am certainly grateful for that healing. But if Jesus chooses to heal me miraculously through His touch (which He also can, and does), then there can be no mistake as to whom goes all the glory and honor. Likewise, if God uses a person’s natural talents and abilities to accomplish His will—hallelujah! But if God uses a person in ways that surpass anything that can be attributed to “nature”—well, that’s a whole different ballgame.

Consider God’s servant, Gideon: When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" "But Lord, " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me (Jg 6:12-17; NIV).

Gideon was not a judge, or a prophet, or a king. In fact, he tells us that he was the least among the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh. Understandably, this son of a poor idol worshipping farmer found it difficult to believe that God would call him to lead Israel in the overthrow of the Midianites. As a result, Gideon asked the angel of the Lord to give him a sign that it was truly God speaking to him—much like he would later “put out a fleece” for confirmation (Jg 6:36-40), and need to overhear a conversation between two of the enemy (Jg 7:10-15) before he would lead a small army against the overwhelming numbers of the Midianites. There is no evidence in the passages that the Lord became impatient or angry with Gideon through this process. Quite the contrary. Each time, God provided miraculous confirmation of His presence and His favor.

Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return." Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared (Jg 6:18-21; NIV).

Reminiscent of the involvement of a staff in the miracles of water from the rock, the angel of the Lord merely touches the meat and bread with the tip of His staff—and, even though they are soaking wet (much like during the restoration of the altar of God in 1Ki 18:30-39), fire miraculously flares from the rocks and consumes the entire offering. As a result, Gideon is reassured that it is truly God speaking to him and he is given a metaphoric demonstration of the upcoming utter destruction of the Midianites. If God can bring fire from a rock, He can surely bring strength and courage and wisdom from even the faintest and most unlikely of hearts. If the Lord can use Gideon to His mighty purposes, He can surely use you and me to miraculous ends—if, when God calls to us, we are willing to be willing to listen and obey. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1Co 1:27-29; NIV). Amen.