Isaiah 28:16 says, “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.”
While studying in Israel, our class came upon a hillside that had long horizontal terraces across it’s face. The terraces were solid rock. At one time they were probably covered with fertile soil and made excellent gans, or gardens. If the gardens had been cultivated and cared for, they would still be in production. However, they had been ignored and erosion took the top soil away.
Our text, which definitely points to Jesus as the foundation stone, the corner stone, begins with the word “Therefore.” We see in this chapter (Isaiah 28), the horrible decay that Jerusalem is in because it’s religious leaders are drunkards. Verses 7 & 8 are very descriptive, “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgement. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.” Yet they are full of pride (V. 3), and have made a covenant with death and hell (V. 15 & 18). “Therefore” God sees the only hope is to start over with a firm foundation, Jesus.
It is not enough to have a sure foundation stone if nothing is built thereon, or in drunkenness we build amiss. The priests and prophets had the word of the Lord but misused it. “But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared and taken.” The word of the Lord is not a here a little there a little matter. A few lines along with ideas led the prophets and priests to drunkenness and destruction.
When God laid His Son Jesus, the sure foundation, in Zion, many scribes and Pharisees didn’t recognize Him as the Son of God. He was tried, proven true and precious. However there were many that did build their lives upon Him. Paul said in I Corinthians 3:9-11, “For we are labourers together with God; ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God that is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
The whole idea of a foundation is that something is to be built upon it. God created the terraces to uphold beautiful, fruitful gardens. So how can we build on Christ? Our text says to believe and not make haste. Jesus said at the end of the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7), to hear His sayings and do them, and be like a man that built his house on a solid rock, A SURE FOUNDATION!
