DESTROYED FOUNDATIONS -- Monday: New Series,
"If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" KJV "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" NIV (Psalm 11:3).
Because God works within the framework of His "eternal purpose," He lays and builds upon "foundations." Foundations are beginning points that provide a rough outline of what is going to be built. They also are capable of holding up what will be built, and sustaining it for long periods.
When Solomon built the temple, he first laid the foundation for it. While men today think of a foundation in terms of crude and less valuable materials, like stone and concrete, this was not the type of foundation used in the house of God. It is written, "And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house" (1 Kgs 5:17). The NIV reads, "they removed from the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple." A beautiful house would not be placed upon a crude foundation! The stones were not only costly, but were also large, some being fifteen feet in length, and others twelve feet long. "And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits" (1 Kgs 7:10).
Alas, after Israel had sinned against the Lord with such consistency, they were sent into the Babylonian captivity – seventy years of trial and sorrow. That captivity began with the destruction of the "foundations" of the house of the Lord. Before returning to their country, God raised up Ezra to relay the foundations of His house. Builders were appointed for the task, and they "laid the foundations of the temple of the Lord." When they finished the task, "all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid" (Ezra 3:10-11).
Our text asks the provocative question, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" What can they do when the things upon which the work of God is built are "destroyed?" How can the work of God be done? What will "the righteous" do if the truth that holds them up, and upon which their hope is founded, is taken from them? What will they do if the reason for serving God is removed, and they are asked to build lives upon the flimsy foundation of religious tradition, raw emotion, or the wisdom of men?
We live in such times – times when the "foundations" have been destroyed. They have not been utterly destroyed, but are in shambles. They are not beyond repair, but are no longer seen as precious and large, like the foundation stones of the temple. Foundation stones like "justified by faith," "living by faith," and having "access" to God and the grace wherein we stand, have been rejected in favor of family values and institutional commitment. The superior experiences of the new birth, reconciliation to God, and being filled with all joy and peace in believing have been exchanged for blessings of the moment, and short-lived experiences. The foundations have been "destroyed." As a consequence, the "full assurance of faith," hope, and understanding (Col 2:2; Heb 6:11; 10:22) are tragically uncommon. Iniquity is flourishing in our land, moving like an uncontrollable destructive fire across the landscape of the populous. Spiritual appetites are small, and sin has become common in the church. The foundations have been destroyed!
The question before us is not "What will the people do?" but "What CAN the righteous do?" Indeed, there is something to do! The question is not meant to induce failing hearts and fainting souls! The task before us is much like that of Ezra's day. The foundations must be laid again! The proclamation of the large and precious foundation stones of the faith must once again come from the mouths of "the righteous." They have been well crafted by holy men of God who spoke as they were moved along by the Spirit of God (2 Pet 1:21). They will all fit together to form a solid foundation upon which godliness and godly efforts may be built. They were hewn out in the quarry of Divine purpose, and put in place only after they had been perfected in both expression and perception. As in Ezra's day, they must be assembled and put in place by able builders who recognize their value and necessity.
May God raise up men and women who know the value and greatness of justification by faith, salvation by grace, and having righteousness imputed to men. May they again put in place the glory of reconciliation to God, being the sons of God, and being heirs of the world to come. May there be deliverance from minuscule thinking, paltry and beggarly views of God and His kingdom, and an emphasis on things that are passing away. Let the foundations of faith, hope, and love, be put in place. Then, let the people rejoice!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the foundation you have put in place in Christ, and for the solid structure of divine blessing built upon it.