Peter uses the metaphor of a stone to represent Jesus, which is a metaphor that God used way before Peter came around, and so Peter quotes for us the first instances of this "stone metaphor". In Isaiah 8:14, God says Jesus will be like a stone that causes men to stumble and fall. But later on, in Isaiah 28:16, God says Jesus will also be a precious stone that is completely trustworthy. And before God spoke to Isaiah, he spoke to the psalmist: "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone."
I used to struggle with this idea that Jesus was destined to cause men to stumble. I'm sure some of you may have similar thoughts when thinking about friends and loved ones that do not believe, and therefore, cannot seen that Jesus is precious and trustworthy. It first sounds malicious and sneaky... why can't Jesus' preciousness be evident to all?
Your thoughts? (We're not holding anything back in this study, as you can see... when we hit the tough spots of scripture like this, we must pray for guidance and for God to reveal His wisdom to us... and He will.)
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A Precious Stone
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It is sad that Jesus' preciousness can't be evident to all. Taking some of these verses, I started thinking about others that reject God every day. They make their own plans in life and truly believe that they are making all of their choices and that God does not play a part in their life at all. What I believe is that even the ones that do not believe are still appointed by God to do his will and the decisions they think that they are making, He is actually putting those choices/decisions/etc. right in front of them. When they stumble, it is due to not believing and seeing that what is good comes from Christ. Whether people see Jesus' preciousness or not, He can't be defeated. He always will triumph over all!
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