Good Morning Friends,
“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.’ 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. 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. Your 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.’” (Isaiah 28:15-18)
Isaiah’s words were spoken to the tribe of
Ephraim. They thought they had it all figured out. They had found a way to
avoid calamity. They were confident of their “covenant with death.” Nothing
would harm them.
But like the man in the story Jesus told in
the Sermon on the Mount, they had built their house on sand. Their confidence
would be proven foolish. Death and the grave would have their way with them.
There would be nothing they could do to stop them.
In contrast to the shaky foundation upon
which they had built their confidence, God offers a sure foundation, a solid
rock. It had been tested and found more than adequate as a foundation for life.
It was a supremely valuable foundation and would not be shaken. And God offered
this new foundation to them. They could exchange the sand for a rock.
Of course, most of Ephraim clung to the sand.
They rejected the rock, the cornerstone, the sure foundation. By the time they
realized they had made a poor choice, it was too late.
So, too, for our world. Many think they have
death figured out. They’ve made their peace with it. But they’ve built on sand.
When they finally realize they were wrong, it may be too late for them.
You have chosen the Rock. Cling to Him! The
storms will still come, but your foundation will not be shaken. The Rock will
always be secure.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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