Isaiah 54:11-12 English Standard Version

¹¹ “O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires.^{[lapis lazuli]
12} I will make your pinnacles of agate,^{[jasper or ruby]} your gates of carbuncles,^[crytals] and all your wall of precious stones.

Today as I confessed a condition of being easily distracted, it came to me that my soul felt storm tossed, reacting to every wave that came against my ship. In this I saw myself at the wheel, in control of my course.

In doing a bible search for storm tossed, I was led to Isaiah 54.

Immediately I wondered why sapphire, agate and carbuncle all had footnotes ^{[footnotes included]} but antimony did not.

The Hebrew word for antimony is pûḵ which is, in modern terms, eye candy. The KJV uses the words various colors. What the ESV translators had in mind when they used the word antimony is beyond me.

Suddenly I became aware of why God has made me the man that I am. I will never be satisfied with what man is thinking. I want to know what God has to say.

That is me and I have no right to tell anyone they need to be like me. I am not a model posing for a statue to be put on a pedestal. What came before Isaiah 54:11-12 was the real message.

Isaiah 54:10 English Standard Version (ESV) For the mountains may depart  and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

His covenant of peace is the abiding love in our hearts. He is not to be found in the high places, nor on a pedestal. His steadfast love abides in our hearts and will never be moved.

Who am I to deny how He has made anyone?

Psalm 5:8 English Standard Version (ESV) Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

David submits to the Lord. He pleads for the Lord to show him where to go because of his enemies.

1 Peter 3:18 English Standard Version (ESV) For Christ also suffered^[died] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,

Our Lord died because our sin was keeping us from coming to God. Jesus Christ removed sin as an obstacle to coming to God the Father. Sin was always the enemy, the sin of others and the sins within ourselves.

Romans 5:21 English Standard Version (ESV) so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ put an end to the reign of sin to all who have accept Him as Lord.

Then it was a matter of what the Lord will do and now it is a matter of what He has done.