Appointed

Isaiah 44:7-8 (ESV Strong's)

7 Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.

Let him declare and set it before me,

since I appointed an ancient people.

Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.

8 Fear not, nor be afraid;

have I not told you from of old and declared it?

And you are my witnesses!

Is there a God besides me?

There is no Rock; I know not any.”

The word of the Lord was delivered by the Jews, by Israel. They are the appointed people to give witness to God. The ultimate manifestation of the word was the Son of Man who is God among us in the flesh of man, who came through the flesh of the Jewish nation. 

He is the Rock who became a stone of stumbling and ultimately the cornerstone of the risen church. This rock is the firm foundation that cannot be shaken. It is the stepping stone into the kingdom of heaven.