The Lord our God - Our Rock of Ages

Isaiah 26:4

The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition Rock

ROCK. In the OT rock (Heb. sela‘; ṣûr) symbolizes the security and defence of a steep and inaccessible refuge (cf. Is. 32:2; 33:16). Similarly, it is used of an immovable foundation (cf. Ps. 40:2): to remove ‘the rock’ is equivalent to shaking the world (cf. Jb. 18:4). In an interplay of these symbols it is not surprising to find God spoken of as a rock who gives security and safety to his people (cf. 2 Sa. 22:32). In Is. 8:14 ṣûr is used of the Messianic stone rejected by the Jewish ‘temple builders’. Together with Ps. 118:22 and Is. 28:16 it becomes important for NT typology: Jesus Christ, the rejected ‘rock of offence’, becomes the *CORNERSTONE of God’s true Temple, the Christian ekklēsia (Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6ff.; cf. Ellis, Paul, pp. 88ff.). In Paul the typology is extended to the identification of Christ with the rock whose nourishing water followed the Israelites in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:1ff.; cf. Ellis, Prophecy

Isaiah 26:4 The concept of God being our Rock speaks of the enduring protection, safety, and security we have in him. We plant our feet on the Rock and find boldness and confidence. Throughout every age and season of our lives, God remains our faithful Rock of all Ages.

Isaiah 26:3 Or “steadfast mind.” The Hebrew is yêtser. According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, the Hebrew word yêtser means “imagination” that forms and frames up. Imagination frames up one’s reality. It is unfortunate that many today have rejected the God-created imagination that each of us possesses. Our imagination must be set apart for God and continually made holy. The imagination, both good and evil, is a frequent concept in the Bible. The Hebrew word yêtser is found nine times in the Old Testament (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Deut. 31:21; 1 Chron. 28:9; 29:18; Ps. 103:14; Isa. 26:3; 29:16; Hab. 2:18).

Isaiah 26:8 The Hebrew word qavah (the root word for “rope”) means “to wait, to entwine.” Waiting on God means binding and connecting our hearts to who God is and to his promise. The Hebrew concept of waiting on the Lord is never a passive thing but active, full of hope and expectation.