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Our Precious Cornerstone!

Scripture reading for July 24: Isaiah 28-30

Beer and alcoholic beverages have been a source of trouble from ancient times.  Noah planted a vineyard after the flood and then proceeded to get drunk and exposed his nakedness.  (Genesis 9:20-24)  In today’s reading, the officials of Ephraim and Israel had a drinking problem. (Isaiah 28:1, 7) They were proud and thought they knew more than God.  They were under a delusion and lie of the devil, which was likened to drunkenness.  (Isaiah 28:15)  They thought that their “religion” had made them immune to any foreign invasion or correction from God. They were “good people” who were a part of “God’s chosen” and they had Abraham as their father!  What more could God want?

Part of the delusion was false religion.  The priest and prophets were “blinded” and “drunken” by their refusal to truly love and obey God from their hearts.  They were honoring God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him! Their worship of Him was merely rules taught by men, not in Spirit and truth!  When we engage in false religion, we become drunk and delusional, but not with wine or beer!  They thought that they were doing fine but were really lost and heading for judgment!  (Isaiah 29:9-10)  In this state, they were worse off than an unbeliever because they were deceived! Jesus quoted Isaiah 29:13 (Matthew 15:8-9) when confronting the scribes and Pharisees of His day.

God has a strong foundation for His people who are trusting in Him.  He has a solid Cornerstone that He has placed in Zion.   It is a tested Stone that is precious and those who trust in this Stone will never be deceived or dismayed! (Isaiah 28:16)   This Stone is a living Stone.  (1st Peter 2:4)  This Stone is none other than Jesus Christ who has become the living Cornerstone of the New Temple.  We who trust and believe are resting on this Cornerstone and become ‘living stones’ in His temple!  Those who reject this Stone and stumble over Him do so because they disobey the message of God because of their pride and hard hearts! (1st Peter 2:7, Isaiah 8:14)  In repentance and rest on this Stone will be salvation for all who will trust in Him! (Isaiah 30:15)

The only sure foundation for our life today is to repent and rest on Jesus Christ and His finished work!  False religion keeps us trying to work our way into God’s favor.  This is a lie and delusion that results in drunken deception!  It is only by faith through grace we are saved from false religion and the lie of trusting in our own work.  What a place of quietness and confidence we have in Christ!  (1st Peter 2:9-11)