But consider this, God declared throughout the Old Testament
that He was going to provide a Savior for mankind. But His Savior did not come
right away. In fact, He did not come for a very, very long time from our
perspective, so long that some even scoffed. But God is not one to let His
promises go by the wayside. He is not One who says one thing and then is unable
to bring it to pass.
Today I was studying passages related to the gospel and the cross
of Christ. In doing this I wound up in Isaiah 52 and 53. Now Isaiah was not one
of those who recorded what happened when Christ came from a historic point of
view as Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were, because Isaiah lived about 700
years before Jesus’ birth. But Isaiah was one of the prophets through whom God
spoke and revealed what He intended to do. Peter tells us, “for no prophecy was
ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from
God.” (2 Peter 1:21, NASB95)
Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (ESV). “(13) Behold, my servant shall act
wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. (14) As many were
astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and
his form beyond that of the children of mankind— (15) so shall he sprinkle many
nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not
been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand
[Romans 15:21; Hebrews 9:13-14,19-22;10:19-22;12:22-24; 1 Peter 1:2].
“(1) Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom
has the arm of the Lord been
revealed? [John 12:37-41; Romans 10:16] (2) For he grew up before him like a
young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that
we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. (3) He was
despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and
as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
“(4) Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. [Matthew 8:14-17;
1 Peter 2:24] (5) 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. [1 Peter 2:24] (6) 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. [1 Peter 2:25]
“(7) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened
not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that
before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. [John 1:29, 36] (8)
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who
considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the
transgression of my people? [Acts 3:14-18; 8:32-35] (9) And they made his grave
with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no
violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. [Matthew 27:57-60; 1 Peter
2:22; Revelation 14:5]
“(10) Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul
makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his
days; the will of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. [Luke 24:26; Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; 1 Corinthians 15:3] (11)
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge
shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and
he shall bear their iniquities. [Romans 5:15] (12) Therefore I will divide him
a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because
he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he
bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” [Luke
22:35-37; 1 Peter 2:24]
This is only one section of prophecy in the Old Testament,
but even in this one section we see repeated references to things what are
later recorded as being fulfilled in the New Testament. The simple truth is
that God has declared from ages past His love for us and His plan to restore us
to a relationship to Himself. And as we have seen Him faithful to His promises
of old, we can trust Him to be faithful for our future.
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he
brought us forth by the word of truth….” (James 1:16–18, ESV)
The writer of Hebrews (8:8-12) quotes the prophet Jeremiah
(31:31-34), and in that quote we read, “… for I will forgive their iniquity,
and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34, NASB95)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16, NASB95)
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (10/8)
I love you with an everlasting Love. The human mind cannot
comprehend My constancy. Your emotions flicker and falter in the face of
varying circumstance, and you tend to project your fickle feelings onto Me.
Thus, you do not benefit fully from My unfailing Love.
You need to look beyond the flux of circumstances and
discover Me gazing lovingly back at you. This awareness of My Presence
strengthens you, as you receive and respond to My Love. I am the same yesterday,
today, and forever! Let My Love flow into you continually. Your need for Me is
as constant as the outflow of My Love to you.
“the Lord
appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” (Jeremiah 31:3, ESV)
“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you
have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.”
(Exodus 15:13, ESV)
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8, ESV)
No comments:
Post a Comment