A Sure Foundation
“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.” —Isaiah 28:16
A Sure Foundation
It should be obvious to the reader that the Holy Spirit is referring to Christ when speaking through the prophet Isaiah. In His description of our Lord, the Holy Spirit uses a metaphor of a stone to describe the Lord in His first advent.
Throughout the Bible we read of Christ as likened to a stone or a rock. In Matthew 7:24-25, we read of the building of a house on sand or rock, with the rock speaking of a firm foundation, which is the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 16:18, the Lord said of Himself, “_Upon this rock I will build My church_.”
In Romans 9:33 and I Corinthians 1:23, Paul mentions Christ and the Cross as a “stumblingstone and rock of offense.” In I Corinthians 10:4, Paul also said that all could drink of that “spiritual rock” and “that rock was Christ.” So, we see throughout Scripture that Christ is referred to as a stone or rock, all of which speaks of strength on which one can build his life.
A Stone
Now let us look at verse 16 of Isaiah, Chapter 28. The text begins with, “For a foundation a stone.” The key word that we must first look at is the word foundation. Every house or building that is built must have a proper foundation because whatever is built on a faulty foundation will not stand but will crack and crumble and be left in ruins. Matthew 7:24-25 plainly tells us that in this earthly sojourn called life, there will be storms with which we all must contend. If the foundation of the house is built on sand, the house will fall, but if it is built on a firm foundation—the rock that is Christ—the storms of life will not end in destruction. Though the structure may suffer some damage, the house will still be standing because its foundation is “a stone,” and not just any stone, but the stone or rock that is Christ and Him crucified.
A Tried Stone
The text then says, “A tried stone,” meaning that which has been minutely inspected by the Father and found perfect in every capacity. There was only one who came from heaven, was born of a virgin, walked perfectly before men in every sense of the word perfect, never once failed, went to Calvary to die on the Cross to atone for man’s sin, was buried in a tomb, and on the third day rose from the dead and is right now seated by the right hand of the Father.
A Precious Cornerstone
This tells us that this stone cannot be labeled as just any stone, but due to the fact that this stone is the Son of God and Saviour of humanity, it must be described as a precious stone. The word precious, as used here, means “valuable, rare, costly, noble, moral, and ethical.” The stones that were on the breastplate of the Great High Priest were all precious and spoke of Christ. Christ, and Christ alone, is the one true, precious cornerstone.
A Sure Foundation
As Christ is the one and only sure foundation, then any other foundation in which men put their faith is a foundation built on lies and falsehoods. Every religion in the world claims to be true; however, they will eventually fall by the wayside and cease to exist. Only that which is sure can stand, and that sure foundation is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
He Who Believes Shall not Make Haste
This concluding statement means that all who put their faith and trust in lies and falsehoods will have to make haste when their false refuge begins to crumble and fall down. However, those whose faith and trust is in the sure foundation, who is Christ, shall not make haste because we know that we are in Christ; hence, the foundation of our lives is safe and secure.
Let me close this article with the words of one of the great hymns of the church that perfectly sums up what this great truth means.
My hope is built on nothing less,
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
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