The dictionary defines a cleft as an opening made by or as by cleaving; crack, crevice. It is also described as a hollow between two parts.
We first see the cleft in scripture in Exodus 33:21 and 22. “Behold, there is a place beside me, and you shall stand upon the rock, and while My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.”
I believe God put Moses in a cleft of the rock to protect His servant from the overwhelming power of His glory, His holiness. He only allowed Moses to see His back at that time.
In Judges 15, Samson took refuge in the cleft of the rock of Etam after the Philistines killed his wife and he had retaliated. In verse 8, “…he went down and dwelt in the cleft of the rock of Etam.” In verse 11, “…then 3000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam to Samson…”
Later scripture says that on the great and terrible day of the Lord, men shall “go into the caverns of the rocks and into the clefts of the ragged rocks from before the terror and dread of the Lord…” (Isaiah 2:21) This passage seems to tell us that even those who do not believe understand clefts are places of refuge.
Isaiah 7:19 indicates Israel’s enemies shall come and shall rest all of them in the desolate and rugged valleys and deep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks. We gather that even the enemies of God seek places of safety in the clefts.
Isaiah 57:5 says evil men “slay the children in sacrifice in the valleys under the clefts of the rocks.” Evil does its deeds in clefts, seeking to remain unseen.
Jeremiah 16:16 says the Lord will come against the children of Israel who have chosen to walk after their own evil hearts and “will send for many hunters and they will hunt them from every mountain and from every hill and out of the clefts of the rocks.” God promises to hunt out those who walk after the evil in their hearts and hide in the mountains, hills and clefts.
In Jeremiah 48:28, Moab is told to run to the rocks and be like the dove that makes her nest in the walls of the yawning ravine. We see that the prophecy concerning the nation of Moab indicates when the cities are destroyed; those who survive will run to the clefts and live there as do the doves that nest in the walks of the ravine.
In Jeremiah 49:16 and Obadiah 1:3, we are told about Edom and how that nation built its principal city in the clefts of the rock. Petra is still viewed as a refuge. Nevertheless, God even brought Edom low because the pride of their own hearts deceived them and they practiced idolatry in high places.
Song of Songs (Solomon) 2: 14 says: “Oh my dove, in the seclusion of the clefts in the solid rock, in the sheltered and secret place of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
Here we see the cleft in the rock as not just a place of safety and refuge but as a place of meeting and intimacy. The shepherd says this is a place for him to see his love and for them to speak to one another, for he longs to see her beautiful face and hear her sweet voice. It is a place that is both sheltered and secret, known only to those two, protected from both elements and prying eyes. It is as a room with the door locked – a place of intimacy without worry of interruption or surprise without warning.
What God has taught me is to establish such a place in my home. Even without a lock on the door, one can choose to make a location a place of meeting with God, especially with time alone, or at least a short while when interruption is unlikely.
It is a place to speak and to listen, and to write down questions and answers, needs and subsequent provisions, words of love, correction, peace, and joy. It is a place of remembering the past no matter the circumstances, a place to forgive and be forgiven, a place to hear plans and promises, a place to receive visions and dreams. It is a place for the God and me to be together.
I needed to learn to let the Holy Spirit hold me, teach me and comfort me. But He is not at my command. I needed to be submitted to His leading.
But how can a person submit to someone they do not know and trust? The purpose of The Cleft is for each believer to have a place where they can personally meet, grow to know and trust, and ultimately, to fully submit themselves and their lives to God, the Three in One. It is the place where the glory can be seen in safety. It is the place where sin can be exposed, repented of, forgiven, and redeemed. It is the place of restoration to each person they were created to be by a loving, gracious God whose plan for each life is not just good but best.
“The Cleft” Copyright 2001
Scripture references from The Amplified Bible, copyright The Lockman Foundation.