Lessons in a Lost and Found Moon Rock

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton’s old files recently yielded an incredible find. At the bottom of a box of Clinton’s old Arkansas gubernatorial files, Bobby Robert, Director of the Central Arkansas Library System, discovered a million-dollar treasure.

Years ago, a small moon rock, one of fifty small chunks given to each of the U.S. states, had originally been affixed to a special plaque. When Clinton lost a re-election bid in 1980, his things were packed away, and the speculation is that, in the course of time, the moon rock fell off the plaque and into the bottom of the storage box.

Other moon rocks have also been misplaced such as those given to New Jersey and Alaska. Colorado’s governor kept the rock on leaving office but agreed to give it back.

Some estimate that these moon rocks are worth in the millions of dollars. How can these small pieces be so valuable? It’s because they represent a historic space expedition, and their mineral content can be evaluated in a continuing effort to discover the moon’s origin and composition.

It is amazing when mere moon rocks are lost in obscurity. It is completely tragic when the greatest Rock of all time and eternity is shuffled into obscurity.

“Rock” is a name of God in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 32:18 is one example of many such references: “Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, and have forgotten the God who fathered you.” The references differentiate between spiritual rock formations as in Deut. 32:31: “For their rock is not like our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.”
When Moses struck the rock in Numbers 20:11 (“And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also”), it was a preview of Christ. “…our fathers…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)

Christ told his disciples that He was the Rock, the foundation of the church. “And I also say to you that you are Peter (“pebble” or “piece of rock” in the Greek), and on this rock (“boulder” or “massive rock”) I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Houses unshaken in a storm were built on a rock, not sand, as Christ said. “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.” (Luke 6:48)

Hymns and spiritual songs have been written extolling Christ, the solid Rock, such as “Rock of Ages, Cleft For Me”. Another is Vernon J. Charlesworth’s hymn “A Shelter in the Time of Storm” written about 1880:

The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

A shade by day, defense by night,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
No fears alarm, no foes afright,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
We’ll never leave our safe retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

O Rock divine, O Refuge dear,
A Shelter in the time of storm;
Be Thou our Helper ever near,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Refrain:
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A weary land, a weary land;
Oh, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

Losing a small moon rock is being careless with mere millions. Losing the Rock of Ages would be priceless error.

Dave Virkler