“[For many the Servant of God became an object of horror; many were astonished at Him.] His face and His whole appearance were marred more than any man’s, and His form beyond that of the sons of men—but just as many were astonished at Him,” Isaiah 52:14 ->me: This morning I am humbly reminded of the absolute inability to fully understand the totality of punishment Christ endured for me. As Isaiah says here – He was marred beyond recognition by those who saw Him. Jesus bore the sin of every human before and after His appearance on this earth. Such punishment, required to remove that sin, would undoubtedly have a devastating effect. Everything humans could thrown at Him was endured – punched in the face, hair ripped out, thorns pounded into His head, flogged with a whip that had shards of metal, clay, and other sharp bits tied into the ends, made to drag His cross out to Calvary (falling to His knees repeatedly), and the final straw was crucifixion…but that was not the largest of the enduring suffering He would have…He still needed to face God’s wrath on His soul and to finally pass through death itself. This reminder this morning is a humbling yet with such great gratitude for what my Savior did for me. This will be what I dwell on through the rest of my day…letting sink in, the weight and absolute mindboggling punishment He endured in my place so that I might have life everlasting…
[QTVOTD] The Caring Warrior…
“Depart, depart, go out from there [the lands of exile]! Touch no unclean thing! Go out of the midst of her [Babylon]; cleanse yourselves and be clean, you who bear the vessels of the Lord [on your journey from there]. For you will not go out with haste, nor will you go in flight [as was necessary when Israel left Egypt]; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 52:11-12 ->me: When I am redeemed by God I am to leave the spiritual situation I am in (steeped in sin) and start my pilgrimage to sanctification. I am to go out from the midst of my sinful life-style and never again touch anything that could cause me to stumble. There is no reason to quickly flee because when I have been redeemed there is no opposing power that can keep me in bondage. I come under every possible divine care and protection: God goes before me and guards my rear flank – He is the caring Warrior (Isaiah 40:10-11).
[QTVOTD] Be a watchman…
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns! Hark, your watchmen lift up their voices; together they sing for joy; for they shall see eye to eye the return of the Lord to Zion.” Isaiah 52:7-8 ->me: A single runner meant good news from the battle field – 2 Samuel 18:24-25. This news however is the glorious news of the end of God’s wrath – Redemption without cost: Peace with God. News of Salvation – divine victory over every binding foe, and the power of sin’s oppression broken. Isaiah envisages a day (still future for us too) when faith will pass into sight and when the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Right on the heels of the herald comes the Lord Himself. ‘Eye to eye’ in this instance does not mean ‘in agreement’ like we would interpret it; more like ‘with total clarity’. Am I doing my best to be a watchman; bringing the good news to those around me? I have an opportunity to bring these good tidings to people that are hurting and need the Lord. Today I must work harder to grasp the opportunities God sets before me and pray that He would bring more of those opportunities my way.
[QTVOTD] Encourage one another…
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” Hebrews 3:12-14 ->me: Today I was blessed to talk to my brother in Christ and we were able to encourage one another and commit to standing by each other’s side on our roads to sanctification. Here are my takeaway’s from the verses above. ‘lest there be’ -> direct translation is ‘lest there shall be’ so a better English translation may be “lest there be, as I fear there is”. ‘leading you to fall away’ -> desert, or stand aloof form the Living God; to leave Christ is to depart the Living God (Heb 2:3). ‘as long as it is called “today”‘ -> While to-day lasts (the day of grace, before the coming of the day of glory and judgement at Christ’s coming). To-morrow is the day when idle men work and fools repent; meaning idle men are always putting off work until tomorrow and fools save repenting until tomorrow. To-morrow is satan’s to-day; he doesn’t care what good resolutions you form, if only you fix them for to-morrow. ‘Fellows with Christ’ -> partakers in the Holy Ghost. ‘Our original confidence’ -> The confidence of faith we have begun (Heb 6:11 and Heb 12:2). A Christian, so long as he is not made perfect, considers himself a beginner. [Another great message from John Piper on this topic]
[QTVOTD] Redeemed from a way of living…
“You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, but [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:18-19 ->me: In reading Isaiah 52:3 this evening which says “For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” – ‘redeemed’ is a price paying concept, so the children of Israel will be redeemed with something other than money and of course we know what that is. Notice it doesn’t reference sin here – it references being redeemed FROM a way of living which is inherited. That way of living produces sin. When I accept the Salvation I have been given through the blood of Christ I then MUST never turn back to that old life which produces sin. What a great interleaving message into what Pastor Steve preached on this morning! – [Here is a link to his message]
[QTVOTD] Wrath averted…
“This is what your Sovereign Lord says, your God, who defends his people: See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.” Isaiah 51:22 ->me: Four things listed here defining Who the Lord is – 1) Sovereign over all things 2) The God Who saves/defends 3) YOUR God, committed to you 4) The God of absolute justice, Who pleads our case. This is the logic of God: A logic operating within the divine nature where the true reward of our deeds is (with perfect justice) averted and wrath satisfied. The cup of God’s wrath is now passed to those who do not accept God’s free gift of “wrath averted” through belief in His Son.
[QTVOTD] Just believe…
“Arouse yourself, awake! Stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of His wrath, you who have drunk the cup of staggering and intoxication to the dregs.” Isaiah 51:17 ->me: When God pours out His wrath there is no HELP, no COMFORT, and no FUTURE. God in His absolute holiness has no room for unbelief (unbelief is why the cup of wrath was poured out on the children of Israel). This is the root of why I am called to become a disciple and spread the good news. To let the world know that God has given them the ultimate gift in His Son to offer the removal of sins, and all it takes is one thing…BELIEF.
[QTVOTD] Creator…Redeemer
“I, even I, am He Who comforts you. Who are you, that you should be afraid of man, who shall die, and of a son of man, who shall be made [as destructible] as grass, that you should forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched forth the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and fear continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he makes ready to destroy or even though he did so? And where is the fury of the oppressor?” Isaiah 51:12-13 ->me: I love the possessive nouns Isaiah uses – ‘your Maker’. This passage carries through from the last few days of quiet times: That I should not fear, that God is my comforter, God is all that I need, in Him can I trust, and when I know Him I can stand tall. To forget Him – to live without consciously holding in mind and memory Who He is, what He has done, and what He promises – is to live in defeat and disobedience.
[QTVOTD] Only God…All the time.
“[Zion now cries to the Lord, the God of Israel] Awake, awake, put on strength and might, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, as in the generations of long ago. Was it not You Who cut Rahab [Egypt] in pieces, Who pierced the dragon [symbol of Egypt]?” Isaiah 51:9 ->me: God’s people cry out to their God – and their God responds. All God desires is that we depend on Him as our God. The children of Israel had this impression that God had gone to sleep on His promises to them while they were in Babylonian captivity. Through my reading I get the sense that God is somewhat angered and overjoyed at the same time when His children cry out to Him in desperation. Angry because He knows that if they just followed and sought Him for everything everyday, they would have all that they need…He knows that He is what is best for them. If I only committed myself to God as much as He has committed Himself to me I might see what it is like to live with an almighty God sitting right by my side, acting proactively because we are connected through my dedication and daily dependence on Him. When I fall into only the scope of my own life, it will seem that God will pull away into the shadows waiting for me to realize I need Him. The Lord allows me to go through trials to chasten me to Him. He is always there to receive me when I come to Him. If I really want blessing then I will work to glorify Him and seek Him in all that I do.
[QTVOTD] Price of Knowing
“Listen to Me, you who know rightness and justice and right standing with God, the people in whose heart is My law and My instruction: fear not the reproach of men, neither be afraid nor dismayed at their revilings.” Isaiah 51:7 ->me: Those who KNOW, need not fear and rest assured that all will be well. The righteousness I pursue is the indwelling reality of my mind (know) and heart; it is at the center of my identity. However, God warns that what I am in knowing righteousness, will incite hostility, bringing reproach or taunting and insults. The verb used for reproach is ‘gadap’. It is only used once (here) as verbal hostility towards people. All seven other instances concern blasphemy against God. This indicates the strength of the word Isaiah chose. However, even with the all the insults that could be hurtled my way, the Lord reminds me that man is morally frail, which is what human opponents ultimately amount to.