Online Journals

Rhema:

Isaiah 53: 1 Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.[b]
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.[c]
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

Inspect:

This prophecy by Isaiah points to the Lord Jesus. It describes the life sacrifice that He led so that we would be redeemed for our sins. I am not sure about my theology, but I believe that this prophecy applies to us as well. In the New Testament, there are many scripture that tell us that if we are followers of Christ, then we are to endure the same things that He has. If that is true, and I believe it is, then we need to understand what we can expect from this life of following Christ.

- There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
o Jesus was not beautiful or majestic in the eyes of the world. He was born in a manger, He had a common profession. We too need to expect the same. Many of us are not beautiful or majestic in the eyes of the world. We shouldn’t expect to be recognized more than Jesus was.
- He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
o Jesus went through rejection that causes sorrows and deep grief, we need to expect the same. We must realize that many will turn their backs on us and reject us.

This passage goes on and on about how Jesus suffered, and I believe that it indicates that how too we will suffer. Why?

- Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
o It is all for others. We suffer because we care. We suffer because we work to save. We suffer because we struggle that others would not suffer.

Is it worth it? Absolutely! Is the worth of a soul worth the suffering that we need to endure? I think so. At the end, God will recognize what we’ve done.

- He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.

Our Heavenly Father will see all the sacrifices we have made. He will see the good we have accomplished. He will honor us. There is no greater honor than the honor of our Heavenly Father, there is none more generous, none more satisfying.

Commit:

I must endure the difficulties I go through. I need to realize that it is worth it, if just for one soul. I may not see the results, but the Lord does, and that is what counts.

Exalt:

Heavenly Father, I thank you that I can suffer as the Lord Jesus did. Please equip me to handle this life successfully. You know the limits of my strength, my courage and my spirit. I pray that you send your Holy Spirit to give me what I need to get through this in a way that pleases you.

In the name of the one who has gone through all of this and so much more, the one who will help me succeed at following Him, Jesus!

Amen.