Have we forgotten the Cornerstone?

Isaiah 28:14-22

In these verses, we see a people much like you and me, and a government that our government is modeling.  As a reader of the written word of God, we would be wise to often go back and let Hebrews 4:12, speak to our hearts.  “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  My dad often said, “We learn nothing from history, and that becomes clear in our repeating it.”  So as you read about Isaiah speaking to his people and his leaders, give thought to the United States and what is happening at this time.

Isaiah is telling about mockers who had no fear of God and belittled anyone who believed in Him.  If you have not seen this, you are much like the frog that is put in a pan of water and never feels the heat being turned up until it is boiled to death.  That is what is taking place in the USA as this is being written, and like the frog, our destruction is certain.  We who have come out of darkness into the light have failed; it is not the darkness that overcomes the light, but the light that is hidden from those walking in darkness.  Often, we have been warned in Scripture to let the light of Christ shine through us and we have chosen the foolish things of the world.  Have we forgotten the Cornerstone?  “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”  We also have God speaking through the apostle Paul to give us more understanding; “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”

Are we as foolish as the leaders of our time, and the time of Isaiah to believe in others, like fortune-tellers, agreements with other nations, and even the spiritual forces of evil?  Are we so blind and the answer must be yes, for we, like them, have forgotten who has blessed us, and we have turned our backs on God. 

Judah believed their agreements with other nations would keep them safe from the Assyrians; Isaiah tells them it’s like sleeping on a bed that is too short.  Life for both the followers of Christ and the unbelievers are about choices.  We who walk not in the flesh, but in the Spirit can live with good choices but the flesh always wants its way, and for a follower of Christ it will always be a battle.  The non-believer has no problem making choices, their choices will always be what feels good, looks good, and seems to make them happy.  But we would be wise to listen and learn what God has shown Isaiah in verse 22, “Now therefore do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong; for I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord God of hosts, against the whole land.”  The mocking leaders of Judah will be judged, but they have a choice in the severity of that judgment, if they listen to the prophet, or if they continue belittling the ways of God.  

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com