One philosopher has said that ‘people are accomplices to that which leaves them indifferent’. We often see the outworking of this in the lives of those around us, if not our own. Things may seem to be going along as normal whilst the house is on fire … like the bushfire preparedness commercial on TV.

In this passage we find that the nation of Israel had become indifferent to what God had said. In their indifference they had also become intoxicated with strong drink and were indignant towards the warnings sounded by the prophet. There were some, however, who took the message to heart and we are told that they were to receive ‘a glorious crown and beautiful wreath’.

We are also told what won’t stand and what will stand in the time of trouble. What won’t stand is turning away from God to make falsehood a refuge … a misplaced confidence in things like evolution and man’s ‘goodness’. What will stand is relying on Jesus by trusting in what he has accomplished at the cross and in his resurrection. He is the ‘precious cornerstone for a sure foundation’.