Good afternoon, everyone!
Today I read Isaiah 49-53, and I just want to share part of chapters 52 and 53 with you.
Isaiah 52:7-8 - How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, they shout joyfully together; for they will see with their own eyes when the LORD restores Zion.
Isaiah 53:2 - For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
Jesus came as an ordinary man with no special features to speak of, so that people would not be attracted to Him for something so superficial.
Isaiah 53:3-4 - He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 - But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6 - All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.
Isaiah 53:7 - He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.
Can you imagine if Jesus had opened His mouth? He loved us so much that not only did He take the punishment for our sins, but He kept silent about it. If He had opened His mouth, the angels would have borne him away, but we would not have eternal salvation with Him. And so He did not even open His mouth. Can you imagine it?
Isaiah 53:8-9 - By oppression and judgement He was taken away; and as for His generation who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.
He had known no sin but ours, and willingly paid the price for it.
Isaiah 53:10 - But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
Can you imagine how hard it must have been for God to see Jesus suffering like that, sorrowful that it was necessary and yet pleased at His obedience? Even Jesus submitted to the will of God the Father. If He can do it, taking on such a task, we can do what God asks of us.
Isaiah 53:11-12 - As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.
Because of His obedience, Christ ransomed us, justified us, and we are His portion.
I love how all of this is found in the Old Testament.
I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Isaiah 54-58.
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