Joy Over The Basics

“And they sang together by course in praising and giving thanks unto the LORD; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.” (Ezr 3:11 AV)

There is something about laying a foundation that is more than mere satisfaction.  There are blueprints for the rest of the structure.  That which is laid on top of the foundation may change due to costs, taste, or other considerations.  But the foundation remains the same.  The foundation is the absolute statement that something will be built on top of what is laid.  There is nothing sadder to see then a building that stopped at a foundation.  To give an understanding here, the nation of Israel, as a whole, we in captivity for well over two hundred years.  The northern ten tribes went first into Assyria.  Then Judah followed into Babylon.  It was seventy-years later that Cyrus, king of the Medes and Persians, decreed all cultural groups to return to their native land to resurrect houses of worship.  Israel is specifically named in the book of Ezra.  When they arrived, they found the temple in utter ruins.  Seventy years earlier, the Chaldeans had invaded Jerusalem.  They had completely destroyed the temple, pillaged it, and deconstructed it down to the individual stones.  Now, the children of Israel return to rebuild the temple.  Under the direction of Ezra, the foundation of the temple is laid.  In doing so, a statement of reconciliation to God is made and a sense of permanence is established.  Knowing the building would soon follow was the hope of restoration.

But let us consider a foundation.  Why is it so important and when one is established, why is there great relief or joy?  I wasn’t, nor ever have been, part of a building project.  So, the closest I can come to is an art project.  We were tasked to sculpt a work from wire.  We could use hanger wire, then picture wire over the top.  I constructed a horse and rider jumping a hedge.  I used a small piece of two-by-four and pasted green scrub brush material as the hedge.  I used heavy duty coat hangers as the skeleton of the work.  I had a difficult problem with the center of gravity.  This work constantly toppled over.  I was not allowed to increase the base.  It has to be free from supporting structure that would take away from the authenticity of the piece.  So, I labored for almost two weeks before I came up with the correct angels.  Once that problem was solved, I could work on using picture-hanging wire to fill out the sculpture.  Once the skeleton was constructed and the center of gravity issue solved, it was a matter of enjoying the rest of the project, using my imagination and skill, to produce this piece of art.  I had more joy in solving the issues relating to the foundation of the project then I did the remainder of it.  Even though more time was spent filling out the foundation, the satisfaction I had at solving an engineering problem and the knowledge that the foundation meant a foregone conclusion of a work of art was far more fulfilling than spray painting the final work.  The satisfaction and joy at the construction of the foundation were more than the finished work itself.  Knowing that once the foundation was laid, the rest was sure to follow is the joy of laying the foundation in the first place.

David asks a very good question.  “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3 AV)  Foundations are essential.  Foundations in Christian life are non-negotiable.  I fear we have slacked off concerning the laying of foundations.  Most discipleship programs work on the spiritually practical like praying and worship.  Very few go any deeper than that.  We are studying theology proper in our Wednesday evening prayer meeting.  This may seem like a deep subject, but it doesn’t need to be.  As long as the student does not attempt to go beyond what the word of God reveals.  The reason this is important is our view of who, what, and how God is, shapes all our choices.  Not understanding God, or that which can be understood leads to great error.  Even in our practical lives.  Laying a foundation is more than mere mortar and brick.  It is the construction of those materials and how they relate to one another.  Many a believer is in misery because there was never a concerted effort in laying a foundation upon which he can build.  When there is no suitable foundation, all sorts of error is sure to follow.  There should be joy in learning the Christian basics.  There should be satisfaction from learning of God’s attributes.  The people should shout for joy as they listen to the basics of the Christian faith for they are the source of all hope to follow.