A Good Foundation and Corner Stone

O. T. #1605  "A Good Foundation and Corner Stone"
Jan. 13, 2019
Isaiah 28-Part 2
Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believeth shall not make haste.  (verse 16)

LET IT GLOW

Touring Israel last spring, we visited the old wall around Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall which is the only part of the original Temple, which is the western wall of the old Temple. We were amazed at the size of those stones, built upon another. So I checked out the dimensions of those huge stones. The smallest weight 2-5 tons, while the largest weighs about 570 tons, and is 45 feet long and 13 feet wide.
On the south side of the old wall around Jerusalem, we saw the cornerstone. It was where the eastern wall and southern wall met. Our guide told us that place is thought to have been where the devil tempted Jesus to fall down so the angels would catch Him.
Folks, those stones had no concrete between them and they were made of limestone. What an amazing sight.

Who is the foundation and stone our key verse of which our key verse is speaking? It is the person Jesus Christ Himself. Who laid this foundation stone? God did.
Here are some words and their Hebrew meaning. In Jerusalem, Zion, and for Christians, Jesus is:

• a foundation, which means beginning;
• a stone, which means to build;
• a tried stone, tested, trial, prove;
• a precious corner stone, precious means valuable, excellent, costly; corner-stone is pinnacle, chief, stay, tower;
• a sure foundation, sure is to set, settle;

What is God telling us? Jesus is our foundation (beginning) of our Christian faith. We can build our life on Him, following His ways. Jesus was tested by Satan (Matthew 4), and overcame the temptation to turn away from God and His will. Jesus is so precious (valuable) to us, since He gave His life to purchase our salvation. He is our sure foundation for our faith because He settled it for us long ago before we were born, paying our ransom so we would not have to pay for our sins. Although salvation is a free gift to us, it was very costly to Him-Jesus' life. Such love He showed.

How precious Jesus is to us, His followers!
Jesus is the cornerstone; came for sinners to atone; though rejected by His own, Jesus is the cornerstone.

Peter said in his first letter (2:6) that whoever believes on Him will not be confounded, put to shame.
Paul said in Romans 9:33 we would not be ashamed.

If you want to see some pictures, google the weight and dimension of the stones of Jerusalem.

LET IT GROW

In verse 17a, God tells Ephraim, I will test you with the measuring live of justice and the plumb line of righteousness.

These verses contain the two most essential elements in Isaiah's preaching, for throughout his ministry he exhorted the people both to trust God and to practice justice and righteousness. As a good builder always tests his work with the line and the plummet, so God measures the lives of His people with the line of justice and with the plummet of righteousness.  (The Broadman Bible Commentary)

The church, being founded on Christ, shall be formed and reformed by the scripture, the standing rule of judgment and righteousness. (Matthew Henry)

Are we practicing justice and righteousness? Are we formed and reformed by the scriptures? Is Christ the foundation of our life and our faith?

LET IT GO