a sure foundation

Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,
A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;
Whoever believes will not act hastily."

While in Israel it amazed me just how important Jerusalem (Zion) and the temple mount truly is. Traditions says that the Jewish Tabernacle set up by David and the Temple built by Solomon as well as the later Temple built by Herod the Great were all set upon the very bedrock where Abraham was provided a substitute as he obediently sacrificed his son Isaac. This place is known as Mount Moriah and is believed to be the most holy place in all of Israel. Today, the temple mount looks very different. Upon that very place sits the Muslim Dome on the Rock. To the Muslims, this bedrock is also very sacred. Muslim tradition says that it was here on Mount Moriah that Muhammad was called to the heavens and given the Koran. As he jumped up into the heavens, the stone beneath him was so envious that it too tried to jump up to be with Allah. However an angel held it down and now it hovers, suspended between heaven and earth, beneath the Dome on the Rock.
Since the Jews no longer control the Temple mount and cannot worship on this mountain, they gather at the closest point to this stone, the Western wall or Wailing Wall. The reality is that even if they had access to this place, a devoted Jew would not go there for fear they would walk on the Holy of Holies and be destroyed. Today, the entire mount has been covered by concrete and stone except for one small area. Some believe this bedrock to be the actual place where the Temple
In Matthew 21:42, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22 and claims to be "the stone the builders rejected" that would become "the capstone." He is the fundamental stone, the very bedrock on which all things have been established (Col. 1:16). He is also the capstone which completes all of creation and the redemptive plan of God.

So how do I view this foundation? Is my Jesus as sacred and Holy and revered as this rock in Zion? Am I willing to fight for this stone? Is my life built upon His principles? Do I tread upon this stone carelessly or reverently? How do I view this Stone?

"In Christ Alone" has to be one of my favorite songs of worship. It reminds me of how I must approach this stone, where and how I must stand.

In Christ Alone
Songwriters: Getty, Julian Keith; Townend, Stuart Richard;

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand


Jesus, You are my rock, my cornerstone, my sure foundation, my capstone and covering, my all in all. Teach me to stand upon Your Word, Your promises and Your character. Teach me to stand reverently and to bow humbly in your presence. Help me remember this stone in every moment of my life. Amen.