Monday September 16, 2024

Today is Monday, September 16 and we are learning what the Bible says about foundation.

Holy and loving God, In the quiet of the morning, I pause to connect with Your Holy Spirit. You are my firm foundation. You are the rock on which I stand. When the future is uncertain, when the world doesn’t make sense, when I am anxious, worried, or afraid, I stop to remember Your good promises. Thank You for being with me in every circumstance and reminding me that You place my feet on solid ground. I can trust You completely. Amen.

Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem. You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic. I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.” Isaiah 28:14-17

This week we will explore what the Bible says about building our lives on a solid foundation. We begin our scripture study with a passage from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah 28 contains an oracle of judgment and warning directed at the Northern Kingdom of Israel and rulers of Jerusalem. Isaiah predicts that an overwhelming scourge will expose the lies and falsehood of the people, but God will provide a bulwark against the storm for those who believe and stand firm. In Zion, God will establish a stone against which all other stones will be tested. This stone will measure their righteousness and will be their sure foundation when the storm sweeps through. The deceit and lies of the enemy will be exposed and so will the justice and righteousness of God’s people.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to a particular people in a particular place at a particular time long ago. However, His words cross the miles and centuries and speak to me as well. I consider times when I have lived a lie or hidden in falsehood. I reflect on the lies that permeate society and seep into social media. Lies have a way of entangling us, that is why the old adage says, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” We can become rapidly and inextricably caught in a “web” of lies unable to find the truth.

God promises to lay a cornerstone and a sure foundation. That foundation is Jesus Christ. He is the tested and precious stone of Zion. I am invited to rely on this chosen cornerstone and rock of ages. The scripture says when I do so I will never be “stricken with panic.” Others translate this phrase as “will be unshakable” or “will not be shaken.” I will not be shaken by what the world brings or by the lies of the enemy. God measures my character with a very precise measure – horizontally (the measuring line) and vertically (the plumb line). I am carefully examined by God. After examination, whatever I am lacking will no longer be hidden but exposed.

This passage of scripture from Isaiah evokes an image of refuge. I imagine myself in a place of hiding, confident that I am safe from a sweeping scourge or coming storm. I am certain that I have placed my trust and confidence in the right place. No matter what the world brings, I stand on the firm foundation of my faith in Jesus Christ. He is my rock. Jesus is my solid ground.

Ask: Do I place my trust in the truth of Christ the cornerstone, or do I put my confidence in the father of lies and things of this world? What will an exacting measurement of my character reveal?

Pause and Pray

Loving and merciful God, enable me to hear Your word to me. Forgive me when I have been deceived and put my trust in the wrong things. Expose the false places in which I find refuge and hide from the truth. Thank You for Jesus Christ, my Savior, my Rock and Redeemer, a sure foundation in which I can place my trust. He is a precious cornerstone on which I can build my life. Lord, come into my heart, measure my spirit, reveal truth, expose lies and divulge falsehood. I place my complete trust in You. Amen.

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