A faulty foundation; a sure foundation

One theme that seems to constantly come up in the prophets is the idea of trust.  Who are we trusting?  What do we set as the foundation of our lives?

For Israel, they seemed to put their faith not in God, but in their own wisdom and efforts in order to protect themselves. 

As I mentioned in my last blog, they rejected God’s truth and God’s prophets, and treated Isaiah’s words as childish babble.

And so Isaiah rebukes them for this, comparing their treaties with Egypt to protect them from Assyria to a covenant with death.  He said,

You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave 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.”  (Isaiah 28:15)

The sarcasm is fairly dripping out of Isaiah’s mouth. 

He was saying, “You’ve made these treaties your protection.  But these treaties are merely a covenant of death.  It will be your undoing as well as the undoing of the ones you are relying on.  And when you say to yourselves that these treaties will protect you, you are merely lying to yourself.”

Then he warns,

Hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.  our covenant with death will be annulled; your agreement with the grave will not stand. 

When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you will be beaten down by it.  As often as it comes it will carry you away; morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through. (Isaiah 28:17-19)

But in the midst of these warnings, Isaiah says,

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 trusts will never be dismayed.  (Isaiah 28:16)

The New Testament writers quote this in reference to Christ, that he is the one who is the sure foundation for our lives.  And if we put our faith in Christ, we will stand firm. We’ll never be dismayed for putting our trust in him.

But if we build our lives on the lies we tell ourselves and upon our own wisdom and efforts, all the while scoffing at God’s word, we will be swept away when judgment comes. 

And so Isaiah says,

Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land.  (Isaiah 28:22)

How about you?  What have you set as the foundation of your life?  Your own wisdom?  Your own efforts?  Or Jesus Christ? 

All other foundations are faulty, and ultimately will be your ruin.  But in Christ, we have a sure foundation, and if you put your faith in him, you will not be disappointed.