The House Built on the Sand Matthew 7:26

Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock”, and in chapter seven and verse twenty-six of his book, Matthew shared how Jesus told His disciples about,“every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not” where we read:

And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not,

shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

The verse reads, “And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, ...” Matthew began with the words, “and every one” or “and every person whether male or female” “that hears” which means “who is endowed with the faculty of hearing, perceives, attends to, considers and understands” “these sayings” or “the utterances, declarations and proclamations” “of mine” or “belonging to Jesus”, “and does them not” which means “and does not perform, keep, construct, make ready, prepare, bear and shoot forth Jesus' saying”. Jesus referred to people who “hear” His teachings but do not “perform and keep” them.

The verse continues, “... shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:” Matthew added the words, “shall be likened” or “will be compared to and resemble” “unto a foolish man” which means “an impious, godless, heedless, absurd, foolish and blockheaded person”, “which built” or “who erected, established and constructed” “his house” which means “the foolish person's dwelling and inhabited place” “upon the sand” or “on the sandy ground like that which is heaped on the beach”. Jesus compared the person who “hears” His teachings but does not “keep and obey” them to a “foolish blockhead” who erected his “dwelling place” on shifting “sand”.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how important the foundation is upon which a person builds their lives. Those who “hear and obey” Jesus' words shall have a “solid foundation” for living, however, those who “hear” Jesus and do not “obey” Him will be like a “blockheaded” person who “erects” his “dwelling place” upon “beach sand”. Needless to say, Jesus is the firm foundation upon which people should build their lives, and God desires for all people to do so, but should they “hear” Jesus words and reject them, they have “foolishly” built their lives on a “foundation” that shall be destroyed.

Next time Jesus tells His disciples how the house on the sand, “fell: and great was the fall of it”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.