Psalm 113:3
(Today's Scripture readings are: Isaiah 53:1-54:17; Psalm 113:1-4; Proverbs 26:17-19; Ephesians 3:1-21)
"A man of sorrows acquainted with grief"; a man despised and rejected by men. "And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities . . .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." Isaiah 53, does not contain an artist's rendering of Christ's facial features and physical frame. Rather, God reveals the Messiah's impact on the world and mankind's less than accepting response to that impact. It describes His perfect life--"He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth" (v. 9). The prophet Isaiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives an account of His death and what was accomplished by it. It raises our awareness of His familiarity with sorrows and His acquaintance with grief. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John bear witness in the New Testament to the fulfillment of this prophecy. "He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors" (v.12). What was accomplished in His death is also revealed in these same verses: "By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities . . .And He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors".
Israel is compared to a childless woman in Isaiah 54, (an embarrassment and disgrace in the culture of that time). God explains that His forsaking of Israel was similar to "the waters of Noah's flood" (v. 9)--temporary. God's kindness and mercy never depart even though our sins result in affliction. God describes the beautiful foundation He will lay for His beloved people, weary of sin. "O you afflicted one, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold I will lay your stones with colorful gems, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established" (v. 11-14). He promises in verse 17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord".
"From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:1-4). What a wonderful (memory) verse with which to begin the day! The writer of Proverbs in his God-given wisdom advises about meddling in a quarrel that is not our own and compares it to "(taking) a dog by the ears" (26:17). The man who deceives his neighbor and says he was joking is compared to "a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death" (v.18-19).
Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14, that he "bows (his) knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named". (There's so much "meat" in this passage, lets take it a phrase at a time.) "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man". (According to The Life Application Study Bible, Paul may have intended for this letter (Ephesians) to be circulated to all the churches in the area--not just at Ephesus--the phrase "at Ephesus", in chapter 1, verse 1, does not appear in the earliest manuscripts.) "That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith". "That you, being rooted and grounded in love" (v. 17). "May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" (v. 18). "That you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (v. 19). "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (something to remember as we pray), according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (v. 20-21). (Ephesians is broken down into two sections in The Life Application Study Bible. Section One addresses "Unity in Christ" and finishes with verse 21, which is considered a doxology or hymn of praise to God.)
We are left with much to digest in these passage in both Isaiah and Ephesians. They are filled with food for thought as well as food for prayer as we consider our place in the body of Christ and the Christ described in Isaiah 53, our Redeemer and Lord!
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