“Our Rock” is one of many metaphoric symbols used throughout the Hebrew Bible to describe the Divine as a source of comfort and security. What’s more primal and solid than a rock?
References to sacred stone altars go back to Genesis, and carefully created memorial markers made of rock formations dot the landscape of Canaan in the Books of Joshua and Judges. In today’s chapter another rock gets named for a memorable historical moment but it’s only one of several stones that actually star in these turbulent narratives of battles - 12 mysterious gemstones that shine a light at some of the oldest ways our ancestors attempted to communicate with what’s beyond and get guidance for major life decisions - right from the earth’s core.
God is mentioned thirteen times in this chapter, called on again and again as bloody battles rage between Israel and the Philistines but also between the Israelitees themselves. David needs guidance to figure out whether he should go to the border town of Keila and help its people fight the Philistines who prevent them from completing their harvest. He summons God’s advice - we’re not told how exactly, but off he goes, and saves the town. But David’s kindness to the folks at Keila does not assure him safety. When he hears that Saul is advancing with his army to capture the fugitive, David once again needs YHWH for strategic direction. Luckily he’s got Eviatar, the only priest to survive from the previous chapter massacre, and luckily the priest has an Efod -- the divinatory breastplate that contains the oracle:
David summons the priest and asks specific questions of the oracle - will Saul attempt to kill him? Yes. Will the local people hand David over to the king? Yes again.
David then plans his escape.
The object that David consults may or may not be THE oracle, the one that was created by Moses’s team back in the Book of Exodus, per the Divine design: “Inside the breastpiece of decision you shall place the Urim and Thummim, so that they are over Aaron’s heart when he comes before YHWH. Thus Aaron shall carry the instrument of decision for the Israelites over his heart before YHWH at all times.” (Exodus 28:30)
The breastpiece oracle was made up of 12 gemstones, one for each of the 12 tribes, each with its own unique properties and color. According to some opinions each stone also has engraved writings of the tribe names that also doubled as a sort of keypad - for transmission and spelling out of questions and answers. While this may seem super weird for us as a major Hebraic form of spiritual connection we’re best to recall that logic has little to do with where we’re coming from.
In a recent interview Yuval Harari was quoted as saying that “ “From biblical times to our day there is an unclear and sketchy borderline between the prophet or the rabbi, the hasid or the sorcerer, miracle or magic and prayer or incantation.. we should not draw a hard line between magic and Jewish ritual or law, because magic is not essentially different from the ‘normal’ Jewish religious view that ascribes actual power to sacrifice, prayer, ritual and observance of law.”
Lithomancy, or the ancient art of divination through the use of stones and rocks, is shared throughout world cultures, going back to the stone age, or even before.
This Guide to Gemstone Sorcery claims that "divinatory practices were critical to the emergent principles of regional sovereignty."
And that’s exactly what David is doing here - slowly gaining hold of his regional sovereignty. Whatever was used to gain insight from these gemstones - and what ever happened to this Efod Oracle - we may never know. But it’s worth noting that our curiosity and attempts to gain insight from beyond through natural elements, minerals and plants, planets and only continues to evolve. It wasn’t just Nancy Regan who had an astrologer on call at the White House.
There’s one more famous rock that plays a part in this unfolding drama. Saul finally realizes that he can’t keep chasing David instead of defending Israel against the Philistine menace - domestic trouble takes a second stand, at last.
He stops the hide and seek games with David and his band of misfits at a place that will be henceforth known as where conflict is named and the fight, for the moment, is paused:
וַיָּ֣שׇׁב שָׁא֗וּל מִרְדֹף֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י דָוִ֔ד וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ לִקְרַ֣את פְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים עַל־כֵּ֗ן קָֽרְאוּ֙ לַמָּק֣וֹם הַה֔וּא סֶ֖לַע הַֽמַּחְלְקֽוֹת׃
“Saul gave up his pursuit of David and went towards the Philistines. That is why that place came to be called the Rock of Discord.”
No oracle was needed here, just some rock-bottom common sense -- when the enemy is at your doors, leave the internal strife behind and go focus on the danger at the border.
This Rock of Strife, precise location unknown, has become a known idiom in Hebrew for what’s at the root of conflict, a boulder that won’t budge between warring factions. Some stones give us, mysteriously, access to subtle secrets, and some define the boundaries and borders of our personal and public zones.
It is tragic of course that concrete walls have replaced more modest stone fences separating the people of the holy land from each other with brutal force. Even the Dome of the Rock, protecting this ancient stone of mystery, is not immune to this toxic fear that fosters war.
War and fear indeed breed the worse in us, and despite his momentary clarity of sober strategy and focus on the real issue of the day, Saul’s chase after David is far from over. From the Rock of Discord they will descend deep into the caves, even deeper into the bedrock where life and death belong.
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Lithomancy!!! thank you.
My name "Peter" comes from the Greek petros, meaning stone. Petromancy
A Fisherman named Simon became disciple of Jesus, and Jesus changed his name to "Cephas" which is translated into the Greek as "Petros" In short, through a process of lithomancy Simon becomes a stone.
I am sure we can recognize the various ways lithos/petros comes into our language, from lithography to petrified. Of course, there is, in common lingo, stoned. And astonishment.
Rock on, Amichai.