“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.” Isaiah 53:10
October 2, 2023
Your favorite football team, one on which you hang your hopes for success during the season. When it looks like defeat in a hard fought game, your best player catches a pass and runs triumphantly for the winning touchdown. Excitement! Satisfaction! Exaltation for the hero. Transfer this earthbound scenario to the sublime reality that the Servant of God, in spite of seeming defeat, is exalted by God the Father. Isaiah’s Servant of God is further identified as Israel’s Messiah. Jesus was not trapped by wicked men. No! The purpose of God was accomplished. What has God done in the death of His Servant about our guilt? Jesus Christ paid the damages. He made full payment for every sin-debt we owed to God. Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. Our hero is eternally exalted. We who have put our trust in Him for forgiveness are His “offspring.” Yes. We can stand and celebrate with delight and satisfaction. No winning touchdown can begin to compare to the matchless rewards that come from God’s Servant, our Savior, in His resurrection. Indeed, His days are prolonged into eternity future.
H
“He who in His hour of sorrow
Bore the curse alone;
I who through the lonely desert
Trod where He had gone;
He and I in that bright glory,
One deep joy shall share-
Mine to be forever with Him;
His that I am there.”
Margaret Clarkson