Psalm 95 on a Monday morning in May, continued

We have been blessed with a cool spring. The air is fresh outside, and the birdsong fits the theme of this psalm. I imagine they are praising the Creator, at some level, at least by their very existence. For animals that applies; humans have to be more intentional about praise. We are here for more than just existence.

Psalm 95:1. Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

I shouted joyfully yesterday, in church because we sang about God’s power in the resurrection, and when I heard some good family news. Whether I was conscious that the shouting was “to the Rock of our salvation,” I am not sure in retrospect. That phrase takes some parsing. We read them and overlook each word.

“To.” Why would we shout joyfully “to” the Rock? Well, it’s not “at” the Rock. “To” mean more connection; “to” is for communication. Moses was punished for hitting the rock for water rather than speaking to it.  A lesson there, not just about anger and disobedience but how we speak without awareness and empathy, how we demand, and how we diminish by how we communicate? To shout to the Rock we are communicating our joy. It is not “with”—the Rock doesn’t shout also. That’s our job.

“The Rock.” It’s silly, but I can’t help but think of Dwayne Johnson, “The Rock” in wrestling and acting. I have always found him amusing and fun to watch; outrageous and shameless, perhaps, but funny. 

Of course, Dwayne Johnson is not a Rock; he is a pebble or sand. Rocks do not impress us. We have dynamite and nuclear weapons to blow boulders into pieces. So we have to think about more than that; pre Alfred Nobel, pre Manhattan Project. Very much pre, since the foundation of the earth. 

This Rock is akin to a mountain of strongest geological material. It is indestructible. It is a Rock for salvation, hiding, defense, protection, permanence. And it is personal, with all the qualities of love and wisdom. A boulder has no intention or self-awareness and does not know it protects, even when it does.  But the Rock does. 

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving. Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.”

To be continued