And lay thy foundations with sapphires
--Isaiah 54:11
Not only that which is seen of the church of God, but that which
is unseen, is fair and precious. Foundations are out of sight, and so
long as they are firm it is not expected that they should be
valuable; but in Jehovah's work everything is of a piece, nothing
slurred, nothing mean. The deep foundations of the work of grace are
as sapphires for preciousness, no human mind is able to measure their
glory. We build upon the covenant of grace, which is firmer than
adamant, and as enduring as jewels upon which age spends itself in
vain. Sapphire foundations are eternal, and the covenant abides
throughout the lifetime of the Almighty. Another foundation is the
person of the Lord Jesus, which is clear and spotless, everlasting
and beautiful as the sapphire; blending in one the deep blue of
earth's ever rolling ocean and the azure of its all embracing sky.
Once might our Lord have been likened to the ruby as He stood covered
with His own blood, but now we see Him radiant with the soft blue of
love, love abounding, deep, eternal. Our eternal hopes are built upon
the justice and the faithfulness of God, which are clear and
cloudless as the sapphire. We are not saved by a compromise, by mercy
defeating justice, or law suspending its operations; no, we defy the
eagle's eye to detect a flaw in the groundwork of our confidence--our
foundation is of sapphire, and will endure the fire.
The Lord Himself has laid the foundation of His people's hopes. It
is matter for grave enquiry whether our hopes are built upon such a
basis. Good works and ceremonies are not a foundation of sapphires,
but of wood, hay, and stubble; neither are they laid by God, but by
our own conceit. Foundations will all be tried ere long: woe unto him
whose lofty tower shall come down with a crash, because based on a
quicksand. He who is built on sapphires may await storm or fire with
equanimity, for he shall abide the test.
