“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” (Psalm 118:22, Amp.)
Rejection! We’ve all felt it at some stage, and it can leave terrible emotional scars. But we can find comfort in the fact that our Saviour went through even more.
“WHO HAS believed (trusted in, relied upon, and clung to) our message [of that which was revealed to us]? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been disclosed?
“For [the Servant of God] grew up before Him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no form or comeliness [royal, kingly pomp], that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him.
“He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.” (Isaiah 53:1-3, Amp)
We can think that it is terrible how the Jews, at that time, rejected their Messiah, and because of this God rejected them. And we think, “Well, of course they deserved it.”
But today, WE can be just as guilty! We can reject our ROCK! But you may say, “We are Christians, we bear Christ’s name. How can we possibly reject Him?”
Well, in the name of Christianity, we build magnificent structures, we establish fantastic programs, we present wonderful music and have the best worship teams, we have seminars about how to build our church…. but…..
…. we forget one thing!! Or should I say, we forget THE One and only One!
We say we’re doing this for God, but have we got our direction from Him? Do we build and then ask God to bless our structure? But how can He when we have forgotten the most important thing, the Chief Cornerstone? Anything that is not built on the Rock, Christ Jesus, is bound to crumble and fall.
And in the process of all this building, those who are really founded on the Rock, are also rejected. Their ideas and thoughts are not listened to. Their message is rejected, just as Christ’s message was. Those in leadership (like the priests in the Old Testament) do not want to hear. They reject the godly knowledge and deprive their people.
Just as it says in Proverbs:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.” (Hosea 4:6, Amp)
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7, NKJ)
And where do we find that godly knowledge? In the BIBLE!!! When we reject the written Word of God, when we run with our own plans instead, we also reject Him who IS “the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14, NKJ)
And, YES!! He, the One rejected, has become our Chief Cornerstone! Oh, may we build on Him!
Tags: building, capstone, chief cornerstone, cornerstone, despised, rejected, rejecting, rejection, triumph, victory, witness
February 27, 2007 at 1:51 am |
I would be with you all the way except for the part where you say, “because of this God rejected them [The Jewish people]”
I don’t think God has ever rejected the Jewish people. To say as much would imply God has broken his many promises to the Jewish people. Even in prophecy God has promised that the Jewish nation would recognize Him who they have pierced, and accept Christ shortly before the end.
J. Kaiser
February 27, 2007 at 7:24 am |
Sorry, I do agree with you on that one too. They will be reinstated, but maybe I should have said, that for a season they were rejected, because the Bible records it as so. God did say, “Because you have rejected me, I will reject you.”
That rejection is not based on nationality or race, but rather on our accepting or not accepting the Messiah, Jesus.
If we Gentiles, non-Jews, reject Christ, if we do not believe on the Lord Jesus, we will not be saved.
BELIEF in Jesus is the key.
If you want to read more about this go to Romans 9 to 11.