A STUMBLING BLOCK (ISAIAH 8:11-18)

The Lord shall be a sanctuary to His faithfuls but stambling stone to those who reject Him. REFLECTION A stumbling stone is the theme for our reflection. A stumbling block is a metaphor for an obstacle to progress. In today’s reflection Isaiah warned the Israelites about the impending invasion of the Assyrians and God’s will…

Jean-Paul Agidi

Dec 10, 2021

2–3 minutes

The Lord shall be a sanctuary to His faithfuls but stambling stone to those who reject Him.

REFLECTION

A stumbling stone is the theme for our reflection. A stumbling block is a metaphor for an obstacle to progress. In today’s reflection Isaiah warned the Israelites about the impending invasion of the Assyrians and God’s will for them. God’s people are encouraged and instructed to fear God and have faith in Him instead of fearing the Assyrian empire who are mere mortals.

The promise of God through Isaiah is that “…the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many shall stumble on it. They shall fall and be broken; they shall be snared and taken.” (Isaiah 8:13-15). In others words, those who shall fear the Lord and honor the Lord in a time of looming danger and uncertainty shall be be saved, however, those who put their trust in the other gods and lean on the mercy of the enemy but not God, shall encounter God as a stumbling block and will fall.

My dear friend who do put your faith in, in times of trouble as a Christian and a child of God. The Lord has a covenant with you through Jesus Christ, therefore, He desires that you will demonstrate your faith in Him by trusting Him only as your source of deliverance. Many are those who put their trust in mere mortals and at the end they encounter a stumbling block of disappointment and fall with despair. Like Isreal, we are bieng admonished by Isaiah to trust God in a time of uncertainty, economic hardship and Covid-19 global pandemic with it associated challenges. We are not alone, the Lord is with us! May this Advent season remind us that Jesus is our Sanctuary and refuge to those who fear the Lord and put their faith in Him. Shalom.

PRAYER

Father Lord, cure our anxieties and unbelieve so that we may not encounter you as a stumbling block but as a sanctuary of hope and Salvation in a time of hardship and global insecurity. Amen.

Jean-Paul Agidi.