“For this is contained in Scripture: “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION
A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE
DISAPPOINTED.” This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those
who disbelieve, “THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY
CORNER stone,” and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”; for they
stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were
also appointed.” (1 Peter 2:6–8, NASB95)
The contrasts in stone analogies is amazing. For one group
of people the stone is a very good thing, while for others it is the source of
great trouble. Scripture points to both groups in relation to how they respond
to this stone. The first quote from Scripture is from Isaiah where we read, “Therefore
thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I
am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the
foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed [or
literally “in a hurry” or “in haste”].” (Isaiah 28:16, NASB95) This passage is
quoted several times in Scripture, with three of the gospel records reflecting
that Jesus used it Himself as we see in Matthew. 21:42; Mark 12:10; and Luke
20:17. Then Acts chapter 4 we have the words of Peter when he was brought
before the scribes, rulers, and elders and questioned after the lame beggar was
made to walk, and under whose authority he had done this.
“if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man,
as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all
the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you
crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here
before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE
BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in
no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among
men by which we must be saved.”” (Acts 4:9–12, NASB95)
Peter did not mince any words. He identified Jesus Christ
the Nazarene who these very rulers had crucified, but whom God raised from the
dead as the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by them. It is Him who BECAME THE CHIEF
CORNER stone [stone not in text but implied by context]. Then He went on to say
that it is Jesus who is the only way of salvation. No other person has that
power. There is no other authority to call upon to be saved. It is in His name
and His name alone that salvation is given to man. Reading past verse 12 we
find that in response to this, his questioners were speechless. They did not
know what to say, so they talked among themselves and charged Peter and John
not to speak these words to anyone else. Of course, Peter and John could not
keep their mouth shut. “But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether
it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be
the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.””
(Acts 4:19–20, NASB95)
I find it interesting that Peter would later say that those
who believe in the stone—Jesus Christ would have no reason to hurry or be in
haste. For many it might have been very easy to zip their lips and rush off
after being told to go and say nothing else. But Peter and John had full
confidence in Christ and they knew they could stand on Him and the foundation
that He laid. They had no need to rush off, but were emboldened to stand firm
and speak the truth. After that, they walked away. They knew the precious value
of the salvation they had received.
But this is not true for all. In Acts 4:4 we read, “But many
of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to
be about five thousand.” (Acts 4:4, NASB95) There is a big difference between
the amazing “many” that believed and the word “all.” The reality is that not
all will believe, though many do. For those who do not, Jesus is not a precious
corner stone, but rather “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE”, as
quoted from Isaiah.
In our world today we see the resistance that the it has for
Christians, Christ, and the ways of God. In some parts of the world Christians
are being intensely persecuted and martyred, while even here in our own country
they are being ridiculed and even lashed out against. Judges are ruling against
those who live their faith in their work and their business. Colleges and
Universities are making it extremely difficult if not impossible for Christians
to succeed within their walls. And, we are even seeing riots in the streets as
people demand full acceptance of their immorality. Just as it was then with the
Scribes and Pharisees and so many others, so it is today with those who deny
Christ and reject God.
In Isaiah 4:11-15 we read, “For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and
instructed me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, “You are not to
say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
and you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as
holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Then He shall
become a sanctuary; but to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a
rock to stumble over, and a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Many will stumble over them, then they will fall and be broken; They will even
be snared and caught.”” (Isaiah 8:11–15, NASB95)
From history, we know what happened to Israel when the
rejected God, and from Scripture we know what happens to all who reject Christ.
One day they will all be taken away and cast into the lake of fire built for
Satan and his cohorts. The end is not good. But Isaiah, and all of us, are
instructed to regard our Lord as holy and to trust in Him fully regardless of
what those around us might do. And when the heat is turned up and things around
us might seem to be crumbling, we are told that Christ is our Rock. In Him we
are made to stand. We have a great hope to share, a sure foundation on which to
stand, and in Him we surely will not be disappointed.
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