The version of the children’s tale The Three Little Pigs that I heard growing up featured the big bad wolf eating the pigs who built their homes with straw and stick. I learned that not everyone grew up with such a grim version of the tale. In some versions, the pigs ran to the home of the pig who wisely built his house with bricks and all the pigs lived happily ever after I guess. Regardless of the version you heard, the point was the same—build your life wisely.
As 2024 begins and we see the rumblings of the craziness and chaos of our times, a verse from the prophet Isaiah is encouraging:
The LORD will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
(Isaiah 33:6)
The background and context are typically grounded in 2 Kings 18 & 19. Hezekiah is the king of the Southern kingdom, and unlike any of the kings in the North, he is a godly man and leader. The Assyrians, led by Sennacherib, attack the Southern Kingdom. Hezekiah agrees to pay him to leave. Sennacherib takes the gold and silver but comes back, sieges Jerusalem, mocks God’s people, and says he will take over the Southern Kingdom like he has conquered other kingdoms and lands. Hezekiah sends for the prophet Isaiah, and he receives the glorious promise: the Lord is your sure foundation. Isaiah also prophesied about Sennacherib—that he would not be successful. The Lord stops him, and he returns to Nineveh where his sons assassinate him. God kept His promise. He always does.
Even though there is likely no one named Sennacherib surrounding your city or a big bad wolf surrounding your home, there are still trials and challenges. There are storms. There is an enemy who prowls like a lion seeking to devour. We are wise to build our lives and our years on a strong foundation—not one of sticks or straw.
The LORD will be the sure foundation for your times
We will be tempted to build our year on uncertain and shaky foundations. We are prone to place the weight of our hope for a fulfilling year in a relationship we long for, a goal we have set, a career we have imagined, an accomplishment we hope to finally reach, or a possession we believe we can acquire. While all of those can be good gifts, they are weak foundations.
If we build our lives on something other than Him, we are always building on something less. Because only He is:
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge
Every other foundation for a year cannot be a rich store. Everything else is finite and limited. Everything other than Him will eventually fail and cease. He is eternal and rich in mercy and grace. We are wise to want Him as our sure foundation, as our rich store of salvation.
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure
The way to enjoy Him as our foundation is to fear Him, to be in awe of Him, to trust Him, and to enjoy Him. As we draw closer to Him, we will understand Him more and our fear and awe for Him will increase. As we draw near, we will fear. And fearing Him is the beginning of wisdom—of wisely building our lives on the only foundation that stands when the wolves, storms, and Sennacheribs surround us.
The LORD will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
(Isaiah 33:6)
