Isaiah 53:5-6–Pierced For Our Transgressions

Isaiah 53:5-6–"But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to His own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

There is more to this passage but this bit captures the heart of it.  The point is that upon Christ Jesus was laid the iniquity and sin of mankind.  This occurred so that God could be proven both just and justifier of all who would draw to Him in faith. Today is Good Friday, the day in which Christians remember when Jesus was crucified, the day in which the prophecy of this verse, written some 700 years before the event, occurred in history.  Because of this I urge you to spend some time considering the great love that God showed for us at the cross.

Isaiah 40:28-31–The Lord Is the Everlasting God

Isaiah 40:28-31–"Have you not known? Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to Him who has might He increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

This passage is about Jesus, the Christ.  It is, at the very least, a declaration: have you not heard?  And while it truly is brimming with theological worth, the heart of the matter is relatively simple and direct: He is everlasting–and He provides strength and support for those who would wait on Him. Admittedly, when I am feeling weak or overwhelmed, I am not always looking to the Lord for my strength and assurance, to which I have found my self still anemic and tired.  That being said, I can say without fail that those when I have looked to God I have found refreshment, release, and strength.  This verse has proven true in my own life but I urge you to test its truth for yourself.  Jesus is the everlasting God and He is faithful to provide for those who would wait on Him.  Let us be those that would wait on Him.

Isaiah 61:3–Garment of Praise Instead of a Spirit of Despair

Isaiah 61:3–"to bestow on the a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

This passage is a prophecy is all that Jesus will be granted to do for those who come to Him by faith. If I may be vulnerable for a moment, lately I have felt despair and mourning, I have felt far more like ashes than beauty.  It was in this state that this phrase, a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair, was brought to my mind.

While it may seem little, this passage, this phrase hit me square as if an arrow of truth had pierced the very center of my heart.  It occurred to me that not only is this passage about all that Christ will give to those who are His; it is also a strategy for dealing with despair.  In other words, if I am downtrodden with overwhelming despair praise is the remedy.

I want to be honest here, my experience confirms two things in regard to this idea.  The first is that when I am overcome with despair it is difficult to utter praise.  Conversely, however, I have found that it is true that praise will most assuredly pull me from a place of despair and put me in a new place of worship and humility before the Lord.

In all of this, I can only say, "praise be to God!"  For it is only right that we should find our surest relief in uttering praise to His glory.  My exhortation, then, for any who may find themselves covered by a dark despair is that they would strive to praise the Lord.  For in worship we will seek His face, trust in Christ, and sing to the glory of His name.  And each of these things will have the positive effect of taking us out of our despair by inclining our hearts to God.

Isaiah 7:14–The Virgin Birth Prophesied.

Isaiah 7:14–"Therefore the Lord will give you a sign.  Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

The profound reality of this prophecy is not so much about what it says as about when it was said. some 700+ years before the virgin birth of Christ.  This is historical information, verifiable by primary source historical documents.  This is why this prophecy is so amazing.  In truth, God was foreshadowing the story of Christ centuries before the events that were prophesied would come about. All I can say is this:

Thank You, Lord, for Your awesome plans for salvation that were fulfilled in Christ according to the prophecy in the Scriptures!

Isaiah 26:4–Trust in the Lord

Isaiah 26:4–"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

This is as much a promise as it is a commandment.  We trust in the Lord because He is an everlasting rock.  In other words, we trust in the Lord because of who He is.  His is the Lord, the Creator of all the vastness of the universe and yet still personal enough to enter into His creation through His Son, Jesus. It is remarkable to recognize that we can rely upon God because He is, after all, God.  This is, it turns out, both amazingly liberating as well as formative to how we would do life.  Therefore, let us not forget the great truth of this verse as it strengthens and secures our every day.

Isaiah 55:6–Seek Him While He may Be Found

Isaiah 55:6–"Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near."

I have often thought about this concept in my own life.  Perhaps you, like me, are like all humans in that we are prone to bouts of emotional whimsy and fickleness.  What I mean to say is: how often have we found ourselves full of conviction one night only to wake up in the morning indifferent towards the very same thing.

In regards to my own experience, I think of all the times I considered the validity of Christ before I accepted the truth of it all.  During those moments, God was near, yet I was unwilling or unable to call upon despite His closeness.  Thus, the path from death to life, fro mourning to joy, and from sin to salvation was withheld from me, kept out of my grasp because of my own blindness or, perhaps, my own aversion to commitment.

But in the end, for all of us, either we will accept the presence of God or we will reject it.  My earnest prayer for myself, my family, my friends, and for anybody else that I do not (yet) know is that we would always seek after the Lord in Christ and that we would call upon Him when we detect His presence near.

Isaiah 48:17–God Teaches and Leads

Isaiah 48:17–"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: 'I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.'"

This verse comes at the beginning of a passage of judgement in which God judges the people of Israel for their apathetic indifference and for their utter disregard for His commandments and blessings.

Taken out of context, this verse can seem like a fine assertion, like: 'now remember, I am your God and I'm the One who is suppose to teach you the way you should go. So listen up.'  But it is void of those lovey-dovey connotations.  God is telling Israel–and us–that He is the Lord and deserving of our obedience and our praise.  Additionally, He is asserting within that statement a warning that those who would disregard this message will not go unpunished for their unbelief.

We would do well, then, to always keep proper perspective in focus as to who we are and who He is.  In this way, we will go a long way to ensuring a solid footing with each step as we will be stepping in faith that He is leading us in the way we should go.

Isaiah 33:22–What Right Does God Have to Judge

Isaiah 33:22: "For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our King; He will save us."

I hear this complaint more often than I can count about sin and justice.  Although it finds itself in many variations, it usually renders itself as something like this: "what right does God have to judge me?"

While it can be easily ascertained that the heart content of this protest is one of pride and deflection, its sincerity should not be quickly snubbed.  To be honest, it is a simple and good question to ask.  One that does demand a verdict of the highest order.

The answer comes to us, at least in large measure, in the above verse.  God, being the Creator of all creation–not the least which being humans–has it in His full rights as Creator to set certain parameters, specific guidelines for His creatures to adhere to.  We call them commandments and laws.

By virtue, then, of His position as the supreme Creator, He also takes the stand as supreme Judge. This means, most acutely, that God has the right to judge us as He sees fit.  The importance of this assertion cannot be overstated so I'll try to say it another way: God is not obligated to judge us by our own standards.

So, as we would like to be judge and jury of our own lives, when we face down the ultimate righteousness of God Almighty, we can only quake at the reality of that judgment and rest our hope not in our own goodness, but in His graciousness as a good and loving judge.

In the end the answer to the question "what right does God have to judge me?" is that God's right comes quite simply: He's God and we're not.  We should never, not ever forget this basic truth.

Isaiah 41:10–Do Not Fear for God is with Us

Isaiah 41:10: "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Think about this: God is asking us not to fear.  But He is also giving us the reason that we have no need to fear: He is with us.  This alone is enough for us not to fear.  God upholds our weakness by His strength; He helps our unrighteousness with His righteousness; and we need not be dismayed because we are held in His power.  We have no need to fear.  We are not alone! Amen and praise be to God!

Isaiah 12:4–Give Thanks to the Lord and Proclaim His Greatness

Isaiah 12:4: "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted."

This is a prophetic command given to Isaiah, a promise that the people of God will be obedient in the future to proclaim the greatness of God.  But the future is now and the commandment is for us.  We are the people who are to make the deeds of God to be known among the nations, to proclaim exaltations of His greatness.  This is our commandment.  Let us take this seriously, to give the loudest thanks to God and to proclaim the greatness of His name for all the people of the world! Amen!

Isaiah 7:9–Firm In Faith

The book of Isaiah, the primary writing prophet of the OT apart from Moses, is comprised of several prophetic utterances made by the over his prophetic career.  One of these prophecies that Isaiah delivered was to Israelite king, Ahaz.  While I do not normally like to abstract individual verses from their literary context, there is a single verse in this prophecy that applies across contexts:

"If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all." (Isaiah 7:9b)

This verse says it all.  It is a good reminder that firmness in life has nothing to do with intellect, conviction, emotional strength, physical prowess, or anything else; firmness and solidarity comes down to faith for it is in God that the firmest foundation is found.  Amen to Him and let us always rest upon the sure footing and rock which is Christ!

Pointing to Isaiah on Easter

Easter is fast upon us.  It is a marvelous day by which the Christian commemorates the death and resurrection of Christ.  On this day, more than any other day of the year, the Christian is exhorted to truly consider the weight of sin placed on the whipped shoulders of Christ as He breathed His last breath splayed upon the cross.

Because of the sheer exuberant heaviness hereof, it seems sufficient a study today to read the two passages of Scripture that seems most appropriate at this time: Isaiah 53 and John 19-20.  As an obedience of love and faith, let us commit ourselves to study and contemplation today.

Isaiah 25:1--Praise the Lord

Isaiah 25:1: "O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure."

I love this verse.  So clear and so direct.  Praise the Lord for all He has done for He is faithful and sure to fulfill His plans of old.  He is steadfast to keep His covenant promises for a thousand generations.  Therefore, because of all this, we praise His name!  To be sure, the Scripture speaks for itself, so I'll repeat:


"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure."

The Difference between Us and Him

Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Humans continually try to assert ourselves as equal to God.  We claim great intellect or remarkable cleverness but these are but shadows of the glory of God.  We think morality makes us superior but we forget that 'our' was given us by God.  In the end, the only appropriate attitude is to remember who we are in light of who He is.  He is God!  How we think of God is the most important thing about us.  Let us then consider the Lord.

Jesus Reads from Isaiah

Immediately after Jesus was baptized the Gospels remark that He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness for forty days of fasting in which He was tempted thrice by Satan.  At the end of those forty days, after being nourished by the ministering angels, Jesus returned home from the wilderness.

Luke records that upon returning home to His hometown of Nazareth, Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and picked up the scroll of Isaiah and began to read:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  (Luke 4:18-19; Jesus quoting Isaiah 61:1-2).

After reading this passage, Jesus then rolls up the scroll and says: "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Jesus was pretty bold.  When He read this passage and then told the people that it was about Himself, we can be certain that it ruffled more than a few feathers.

Jesus could never be accused of pulling punches to cater to diplomacy or political correctness.  He was unabashedly concerned with His mission, which was to live a perfect, sinless life, to teach about God's Word, and to die a horrendous death, all for the purpose of glorifying God and saving mankind from sin.  He never swerved nor did He ever deviate from that path.

But, to be sure, He was not always the most popular among the religious folk because He had a nasty habit of making a scene and challenging the status quo.  He hated religious hypocrisy, He despised religious pride, and He could not stand flippant apathy towards the things of God.  We should never forget this!