There was great anticipation created with the prophecy in Isaiah 28:16, where God says: “Look, I am laying a foundation stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, as a sure foundation.” In ancient times, skilled stonemasons were in high demand. There was no cement to seal the stones. Each stone had to fit perfectly with the other. No wonder Isaiah speaks of a “tested stone”!1
And yet, a few centuries later—in Psalm 118:22—these words were written: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (2020 translation). It just doesn’t make sense! God chooses as the most important stone something that the leading architects of the time would reject.
Clearly, God has a plan! And it’s definitely not a plan that fits our idea of “the best.” While both these texts now lead us to the New Testament, it’s good to pause and reflect on—what Karl Barth called—the “Wholly Other”: God’s plans are different from ours; God chooses whom we wouldn’t choose; God’s timing is different from ours.
One of God’s peculiar characteristics is choosing the weak to do His work. Who would have thought Moses could be a good leader—he stuttered when he spoke! Why didn’t God just choose a more willing prophet to go to Nineveh instead of the protesting Jonah? In the New Testament, we see the same pattern—who would choose fishermen as the first disciples? Not me!
What is the Wholly Other doing in your life? Do you wonder about it sometimes?
PRAYER: In my ordinariness, You also have a place for me. Show me where You want to use me, Lord.
MUSIC
Watch the music video God and God Alone by 1800 Mannen Zingen
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