Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (fifteen verses) 13See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness—15so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. 1Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Rarely do I print a lengthy passage but today seemed to be a good opportunity for looking at a text in its entirety. This passage is familiar to most of us and explains in detail both the suffering and the glory of our Messiah, Jesus Christ. Often, select verses of this text are used for sermons, lessons, memory verses, songs, and devotionals; less often is the passage read altogether. Today, please take a moment to read the entire passage reflecting on just how much your Savior has done for you.
Often when I read something familiar, I try to find something that perhaps I’ve skimmed over in the past, or even something that has previously gone unnoticed. Today, my focus was drawn to the latter half of verse 10 and first portion of verse 11.
Isaiah 53:10-11 …he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied…
Christ suffered much so that we might be mercifully blessed with the gift of salvation. Through Christ, WE are the offspring of the LORD God Almighty. The days of our Savior and of those who remain faithful offspring will be prolonged to last an eternity. The will of the LORD, planned long before the days of creation, will prosper and succeed. After our Savior suffered and died, he did rise again and return to his Father—the light of life. And the term “be satisfied” in early biblical times often reflects a sense of being restored. Christ, our Lord and Savior, has certainly been restored at the right hand of his Father.
The Second Advent of our Messiah and Savior, Jesus Christ, will indeed be glorious when generations of offspring will rise to meet our Lord. We, too, will see the Light of life and be restored.
Revelation 21:1-4, 22:5 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” … There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
How great your sacrifice—the life of your only begotten Son—that we might be your offspring. How infinite is your mercy, love, and grace. We are humbled beyond words. What a glorious blessing to look forward to the coming of Christ when all the old, marred, sinfulness of this world with its suffering, pain, and death will be completely destroyed—never more to exist—and in its place will shine the Light of our Heavenly Father for all eternity. May we, your offspring, be found faithful.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional We Are His Offspring appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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