Day Five: Five Golden Rings
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 3:11 ESV)
Foundation
Economically, different materials have been seen as the foundation of society. Ancient Africans often used valuable shells. Settlers in Kentucky sometimes used whiskey. For many years, the American economy was built on gold. Lately, we hear about bitcoin, information, and technology as our economic foundations.
When this song was written, economies were just starting to be based on a standard of gold. And so the song, in a powerful dramatic moment, announces the gift of gold… gold to fill one’s five fingers!
The golden rings represent the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch. The foundation of a Biblical Worldview in the same way that gold was the foundation of medieval Europe.
But the Pentateuch is only foundational when we realize that it directs us to Christ. In the New Testament, the Pentateuch was referred to as The Law, and Christ says that He came to fulfill The Law… to give it meaning… to make it true…
We might think that the foundation of society is monetary policy, or military strength, or political power. But it is not. The foundation of society is the Law of God. He is sovereign, even when we do not acknowledge it. His Law is strong, even when we can not see it. His creation of this universe is the foundation of all existence.
And while we can not stand on that foundation on our own, in Christ, we can.