In the secular world men naturally follow individuals with strong character, some rare talent or of some admirable testimony. Some even make such personality their model. As a rule men tend to follow a personality they adore because of some qualities they desire and would like to emulate. This principle was evident in the scripture in the lives of the disciples of the Lord Jesus. We see such adoration in them from what they observed in His prayer life, in His teachings which was different from that of the Pharisees. Event after event they were awed and in the gospel of Mathew, we read of an account of how they marvelled and asked in chapter 8: 27: “What manner of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” This adoration culminated in their avowed followership of Him when they declared in the gospel of John chapter 6 verse 68 : “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” They saw in the Lord Jesus something greater, something beyond them hence their followership.
Unfortunately in spiritual matters, men often do not follow after the principle spelt out in the gospel of Mathew 7: 16 which says: “by their fruit you will know them.” This ancient wisdom has been set aside hence men are easily indoctrinated with false teachings and appearances that leads them into extremes. They put doctrine above truth and before character and humanity. Just as the Lord Jesus made it clear that “Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath”, so also the law was made for man and not man for the law. The ancient people of Israel went into this error and they had to be reminded by the LORD God through His prophet Isaiah. In the book of Isaiah chapter 51 verse 1 we read: “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.”
Israel became a nation through Abraham whom God called. We read this in verse 2 of the chapter: “Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.” There was something impeccable about Abraham which made him to be called called by God. Abraham represented faith, obedience, righteousness and a just man. Unfortunately the children after him did not follow in this way contrary to the desire of God. We read in Genesis 18: 19 :”For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” The LORD God desires a generational continuity of His promises which is predicated on the continuity of righteousness and justice in Abraham’s descendants.
Generations after Abraham unfortunately were no more keeping the way of the LORD because they were no more following after what is right and just and aborted the promise of God to Abraham. But the LORD God remembers His covenant with Abraham for He is a covenant keeping God. We read in the book of Psalms chapter 89 verses 30-34: “If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; ⁸then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.” The LORD God therefore reminded them to look to the rock from which they were hewned so that they might amend their way to avoid the LORD visiting their transgression with His rod.
Just as the LORD God called out to the physical nation of Israel to look unto the rock, to look unto Abraham and to Sarah their mother, from which they were hewned (birthed), He also called out to us who are a holy nation through faith in Christ. He called out to us to look unto Christ Jesus the Author and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12: 2). Our Lord Jesus is the Rock from which we were hewned as it is written: “If any man be in Christ, He is a new creation…” (2 Corinthians 5: 17). Calling out to the physical nation of Israel as well as to the new creation believers in Christ who are a holy nation, a peculiar people, a royal priesthood set apart unto God (1 Peter 2: 9) that we should be a light and salt to the nations, is a call to know, understand and follow these progenitors. It has been the desire of God since the days of Moses to have a people that will be a holy nation and priesthood unto Him. We read this in the book of Exodus 19: 6 “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” We read similar accounts for believers in Christ in 1 Peter 2: 9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
In the old testament for the physical nation of Israel, Abraham was the rock from which they were hewned. But in the new covenant, which is open to every nation and every kindred, the Rock from which we were hewned is Christ Jesus. The essence of this call to look unto the rock we have been hewned from is that we might get insight and understanding to walk as they walked so that God might fulfil His promises.
As amazing as the testimony of Christ was to the disciples when they saw first hand how He rebuked the wind and the sea and they obeyed, it still was not sufficient to make them not to desert Him when He was arrested to be crucified. Peter denied Him thrice and all the disciples were scattered until they saw Him rose from the dead and out of grave as He told them. They remembered His word in the gospel of John chapter 15 verse 13: Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” His love spoke to them, it surpassed every other attributes they had known of Him and they believed Him. They were transformed from disciples to Apostles and became witnesses of Him. Apostle John said in his epistle in 1 John 1: 1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.” Apostle John went further in verse 2 of the chapter to proclaim Him and invites us to have fellowship with Him, that is, know Him as they did. “This One who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the One who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then He was revealed to us.” The Rock, from which every believer is hewned from, which is Jesus Christ the Lord, demonstrated one impeccable quality which no man had demonstrated, He gave His life as a ransom for many.
In an account in the gospel of Luke chapter 9 verse 55 when the two fiery brothers James and John incensed against a community that were unwelcoming of the Lord Jesus on His way to Jerusalem and asked that they command fire upon them like Elijah, the Lord responded to them: ” But He turned and rebuked them and said to them you know not what manner of Spirit you are made of.” Beyond following blindly to cause havoc, we must have understanding of what manner of Spirit the person we are following is made of because everyone will reproduce the spirit of him who they follow. The followership of Christ Jesus by the Apostles was predicated on the love they saw our Lord Jesus demonstrated.
Love is the greatest of all attributes. And there abides these three: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of them is love. More than faith to move mountains, and more than revelation is love. The disciples not only observed the Lord Jesus teach and preach love such as: “love your enemy, and if he hunger give him food, if he thirst give him water to drink”, “repay not evil with evil”, He also demonstrated His love by His death on the cross. They also saw in Him the attribute of eternal life. Apostle John proclaimed: this is the Word of Life. For the Life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father (1John 1: 1- 2). Our Lord Jesus not only raised the dead and healed the sick and cast out demons, He also rose from the dead. The Lord Jesus Himself declares in John 11: 25: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” He offered hope which hitherto never was. The disciples were transformed from mere disciples that scattered in the face of the Lord’s arrest to Apostles who were bold witnesses unto Him and gave their lives for Him. The disciples having an understanding of the Rock from which they were hewned and understanding purpose laid down their lives as well for the gospel that we now have. The scripture pointedly declares if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ is none of His ( Romans 8: 9). The Lord Jesus Himself declared to James and John when they asked if they could command fire to consume those that opposed Christ; ” you do not know the Spirit that you are made of.”
Why would the LORD God point the physical nation of Israel to look unto Abraham their father, the rock from they which they were hewned or birthed. And why would He called on the followers of Christ to look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of their faith. Our Lord Jesus gave us an insight in John 15 : 7:”If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” Also in the gospel of John chapter 14: 12: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
Furthermore in the book of Genesis, the LORD God gave us insight on why He chose Abraham in Genesis 18: 19: “For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.” The LORD God is faithful and He is a covenant keeper. He wants continuity of the blessings that He had promised unto the descendants of Abraham and to the new creation birthed of Christ. He wants continuity of righteousness and justice in the descendants so that His blessing to all nations might be in perpetuity and that many might be brought into the knowledge of God and of His Christ who is the Author of the new covenant by His blood shed and be saved. Herein is our need to have knowledge and understanding of our building block. There is a purpose for it so that we are not just content with or pride ourselves in the fact that we are of the physical nation of Israel or we are new creation in Christ. The LORD God wants us to keep and walk in the way of God according as Abraham and our Lord Jesus walked and that we continue to do what is right and just so that the promise of God to have all men saved and have many sons drawn into His glory might be fulfilled. The call to look unto our building block is a call for us to understand our purpose, which is to be like the rock (Abraham) in case of the physical nation of Israel or the Rock (Lord Jesus) in the case of new creation believers from which we were hewned. This is important and it should affect our choices and our manner of lifestyle henceforth. “The grace of God (in Christ Jesus) that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us to abstain from all ungodliness and every worldly lust and to live soberly and walk holy and upright before God.” (Titus 2: 11-12). God desire the salvation of all men, when we do not walk in the way of God after Christ Jesus the Rock that we profess and are hewned from, we deny the Rock rather than being a witness of the Rock. The word of our Lord Jesus in Mathew chapter 5: 14 should echo daily in our hearts: “you are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill that cannot be hid.”
