Isaiah 53 (KJV)
“1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. 12Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Psalm 22 (KJV)
“ 1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? 2O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. 7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, 8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. 9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. 10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. 11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. 16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. 17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. 18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. 19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. 20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. 21Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. 22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. 25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live forever. 27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations. 29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.”
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most significant event in the history of Christendom. To the believer it is what gives hope and begins the process by which we become molded into the image of Christ. As a Christian our complete identity should become lost in Christ alone. Living for His glory should be our heart’s desire. Our sin, however present it may be, should sicken us, as it transgresses as Holy and Just God. Our desire should be for God and His glory.
As I read Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 I am reminded of the utter absurdity of the cross, while yet clinging to the necessity of it. Without the cross I would be utterly hopeless and forever bound to my absolute depraved state. I would never seek after the Lord, and most assuredly never desire to love Him or obey His laws and commandments. I would be at enmity with Him forever, and most deserving of His wrath.
I know many people do not agree with Reformed Theology (Calvinism), and the debate causes much contention and strife, yet for me it causes an immense sense of peace and hope. The reason I do not take offense to the Doctrines of Grace is because of the best object lesson one can have. I did not choose God, nor did I have a genuine desire to seek after Him. I know most assuredly that the only reason I chose Him was because He chose me first. Why did He choose me? I certainly do not know, for I know very well that it was not because of any merit that existed in me. The Doctrines of Grace, when understood humbles the proudest of people.
Reading Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22, humbles me each and every time. When my husband was teaching me about Christian Apologetics he taught me about these two passages of scripture, and through his teaching the light went on. It was like a shockwave to the heart, I then became most aware of the weight and magnitude of Christ’s sufferings. The gruesome manner of the Messiah’s execution was prophesied and described about 1000 years before Christ (Psalm 22). Isaiah specifically describes what exactly was accomplished; the spiritual reality of what took place at the Messiah’s death (700 BC, which is where we get the Substitutionary Atonement for sin).
We also get a glimpse of the Messiah’s death through the events that took place with Abraham and the sacrificing of the ram in place of his own son, Isaac. Daniel 9:24-26 also prophesies of the year that the Messiah would die (600 years before hand). The coming of the Messiah to do the Father’s will is the center of what Christianity is about. Remove the significance and Christianity ceases to exist. Hope is lost. The scriptures are clear that we did not choose Christ, nor would we have if just left to our depraved nature. It is a most humbling truth to become aware of.
During this weekend, dive deep into scripture and really meditate on the Cross of Christ. Ruminate on the events leading up to His crucifixion, and realize that we are all undeserving of this kind of Mercy and Grace. We all deserve the eternal wrath of God. For those who God has elected, Christ’s death satisfied God’s wrath.
This remembrance of Christ’s death and resurrection has nothing to do with “easter eggs/hunts” or the “easter bunny”. There is nothing more absurd and insulting to the Gospel than to add silly traditions that have absolutely no place in the remembrance and celebration of what Christ accomplished on the cross. For the Christian, He is always to be the focus, and we don’t need to dumb it down or fluff it up for our children. They are capable (whether we agree or not) of understanding what we teach them. We are to instruct them in the ways of God, and we can do this effectively without all the bells and whistles, just as our Patriarch’s did before us. Let’s cut the fat off and just stick to the basics. Soli Deo Gloria!
Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)
