Battlements of Rubies

"O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones."

~Isaiah 54:11 - 12

Imagine a building with me for a moment. Maybe a charming little cabin, maybe a grand castle, whatever your picture of a beautiful building is in the most lovely setting you can think of. On the outside, the building is impeccable: it's clean, it looks well-built, and gives every indication of being close to the ideal structure. But closer examination of the inside and outside reveals that the rooms are empty, the walls are crumbling, and the foundation is shaky at best.

Now imagine that a man comes along. This man is multi-talented, and one of his talents is rebuilding things. He observes and studies the building, and his heart breaks that something with such a potential for beauty has been so poorly built. So he decides to rebuild this building on the proper foundation with the proper materials -- the materials that should have been used the first time.

But first, he has to do something.

He has to tear it down.

This is very much like we are. On the outside, we give every appearance of having it all together, of being so strong, of being unbreakable. But on the inside, we're empty, and our weak foundation is beginning to wear on the outside. Before we can be rebuilt with "battlements of rubies" and "walls of precious stones", we have to be torn down. We have to be on our knees before God can lift us up, and we have to be totally broken before He can put us back together.

Anyway, that's the idea behind the title Battlements of Rubies. I hope you enjoy.