December 4
“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. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth,” Isaiah 53:6-7.
About 750 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah was called to proclaim the promises of God to send a Savior to the people of Judah and Israel. Isaiah has been called the Old Testament evangelist because of his many specific references to the promised Messiah and Savior of all people. Chapter 53 of the Book of Isaiah is a most glorious presentation of the Gospel, pointing to the price that the promised Savior would pay in order to redeem us from sin and all its consequences.
By inspiration, the prophet spoke and wrote in the language and on the level of the people. They all were familiar with sheep and shepherds. Sheep were inclined frequently to go astray and wander away from the flock. Every faithful shepherd would search until he found the straying sheep.
The Lord Jesus spoke of sinners going astray. “The Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones (a child) should perish,” Matthew 18:11-14.
The prophet Isaiah writes, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one, to his own way.” Yes, each of us with our many sins has gone astray. Our sinful natures seek and insist on going our own way. Our own sinful way leads to eternal damnation. However, God stepped into the picture and took all our sinfulness and our sins and laid them upon His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
You cannot help but note that Isaiah, writing 750 years before Jesus was born, looked down the corridor of time and he spoke and wrote as if it had all been fulfilled even before his time.
Isaiah takes us to the scene of the Roman rulers, Pontius Pilate and King Herod, before whom Jesus was oppressed and afflicted; He was falsely accused, beaten and bruised, and condemned to die. From the New Testament accounts, we learn that before the Roman rulers, Jesus was the silent, suffering Savior. He was the Lamb of God led to the slaughter. He walked the way of sorrows. He was led like a criminal to the cross at Calvary. Like a sheep before its shearer, He suffered silently to pay the price for our redemption. God the Father laid on His Son our many sins – our open sins and our hidden sins, our sins against our loved ones and our fellowmen, our sins in thought, desire, word, and deed! Yes, all our sins are sins against God and His Commandments; and for all of them, Jesus died to wash them away! From the lips of our heavenly Father and from the lips of His Son and from the testimony of the Holy Spirit comes to each and every one of us heaven’s headline, “Son, daughter, your sins are all forgiven!” Your forgiving God invites and promises, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,” Acts 16:31.
We pray: Dear heavenly Father, I confess that I have often gone astray with my many sins! Through my own efforts I have never been able to find my way back to the flock. But You have searched and found me, and You assure me of Your forgiveness. Thank You for bringing me to faith in Jesus, my Savior. Move me and help me to share this Good News with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.