Author: nofearlinda

I am a retired public school teacher that has developed a love of writing. God has lead me to write after many years of study and a life full of experiences. God has shown Himself faithful as I desire to share His love and unlimited character with others. Besides writing, I love to quilt, cook, garden and travel. I enjoy spending time with my grandson, friends and family.

Seeking God is the Answer

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In Chapter 55 of Isaiah the exiled Jews are encouraged to seek God for nourishment both physically and spiritually. Isaiah 55:1-5 lays out the invitation to come.

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
3 Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
4 See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
5 Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”

God calls to all who are thirsty as Jesus did to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” God is the source of spirtual waters that will quench eternally. God also encouraged them to come and buy wine and milk without money. God is desiring to give good things as Jesus said in John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” God also encourages them in verse 3 to come and listen to receive life. Romans 10;17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Christ established the New Covenant between God and man. All nations will one day know, that God is the Holy One and God brings restoration. Through Christ we can know God, 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

After these encouraging words of what believers had to look forward to, God gives verses to focus and ground us for the times ahead. Isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

The time is NOW to seek the Lord. He promises to be near and hear us. Turn to Him and walk in His righteousness. God promises mercy and forgiveness! Christ has it all for us if we seek Him.

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God continues and explains that with our finite minds and all the intelligence God has bestowed upon us, we will still not be able to totally comprehend all that God is and does. He is incomprehensible. The way God thinks and acts is not like us as His ways are higher and more perfect than anything we can conceive. Even though that is true, it does not mean we cannot know God and commune with Him. He desires as relationship with us and that is why He sent Jesus. Luke 19:10 “ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Consider the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” God is definitely higher in all ways, yet He sent Christ to reconcile us to Himself. God loves us!

So, go back to verse 6 and 7 and pursue and claim His truth. Seek God and know that He will and can be found!

Linda

Unshakable with God!

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After telling us to not be afraid in Isaiah 54:4-5, the Lord explains the brief punishment the Israelites will suffer. It may have seemed to them that God was abandoning or turning His back on them. Isaiah 54:7-9

“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
    but with great compassion I will take you back.
8 In a burst of anger I turned my face away for a little while.
    But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
    says the Lord, your Redeemer. 9 “Just as I swore in the time of Noah
    that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
so now I swear
    that I will never again be angry and punish you.

It may seem to you too, that you are being abandoned, and are not loved and cared for by God. But God promises that He loves us with an everlasting love. He makes promises to us that He alone can and will keep. God keeps all of His promises! See how God concludes this conversation in verse 10.

“For the mountains may move
    and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
    My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
    says the Lord, who has mercy on you.”

God promises no matter how things appear His faithful love remains placed upon us. His word and His new covenant through Jesus will not be broken. He always has love and mercy for us.

What do we know about God’s love and mercy? His Love– In Ephesians 6:16-18 Paul explains God’s love to the Ephesian Christians, “ I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Psalm 23:6 by King David, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” From Daniel in Daniel 9:4, “I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands.” His Mercy– It is God’s decision who will receive His mercy. Romans 9:15-16 explains God’s position. “ For God said to Moses, “I will show mercy to anyone I choose,  and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.” 16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.” Mercy and love are part of God’s character, attributes of His, Psalm 86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” We can ask God for His mercy. David repeatedly asks God for mercy as in Psalm 25:16 “Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress.” In Daniel 9:8, Daniel pleads for mercy for the nation of Israel who were in captivity in Babylon, “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.” Paul explains in Ephesians 2:4-5 how God’s mercy towards us led to our salvation, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)’

Isaiah 54:10 is a verse we can claim and hold onto in our lives. No matter what is happening around us we can count on God’s love and mercy. He delivers on His promises!

Linda

What Role Does God Play in Your Life?

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I am excited to continue in Isaiah as there is so much yet to be learned and discovered! I pray you will continue with me on this journey. After the 4th and final Song contained in Isaiah containing a vivid description of our Savior, Jesus, Isiah continues in his words of encouragement from God to the people of Isael. God knows that they will need these words as they languish in exile in Babylon. In Isaiah 54 we find words to build up Isarel as God knows they will be feeling discouraged, ashamed and downtrodden when they reflect on their sin and disobedience towards God and the time they spent in Egypt and in Babylon.

Isaiah 54:4-5 “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
    and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
5 For your Maker is your husband—
    the Lord Almighty is his name—
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth.

These verses are filled with truths that are timeless and can be applied to our lives today. The Lord Jesus, our Redeemer, can cover my shame and alleviate the pain that it causes. He can cause me to forget things from my mind so that I will no longer dwell on them. Both of these are priceless promises that can and do help me to live for Him for today and not be stuck in the past. God did not want the Israelites to mourn and be consumed with their past failures but to look forward and let Him carry the past pain. He desires the same for you and me today.

In verse 5 God lists for me the roles He desires to exercise in my life if I will turn to Him and trust Him. He promises to be my Maker or Creator, Husband or loving caretaker, companion, Almighty God who is the all-powerful one in my life and world, Holy One who is pure and spotless, Redeemer, Savior or the one who went to the cross to save me so I can be in a relationship with Father God, and Sovereign God who is above all, in all, completely in charge so that nothing escapes His power and might.

I would echo the words of David from Psalm 89:8 “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” God is the one and only God and only He can take care of you perfectly. I love Nahum 1:7 and claim it often, “The Lord is good,  a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,” As you ponder these verses today, may the Lord show you how He is your Creator, Husband, Almighty God, Redeemer and Sovereign Lord.

Linda

Glorious Easter to You All!

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Having just finished the 4th Song in Isaiah 53 about our Suffering Servant Savior, I am awed by His sacrifice in a new way. Today as we celebrate His Resurrection, we cannot forget His suffering. Without His suffering we would still be lost in our sin. Without His suffering we would be separated from God for eternity. Because of His Resurrection we can have confidence in His Sacrifice and know we will also be resurrected. He conquered death and brought reconciliation to mankind. Through faith in Jesus and His work on the cross and His resurrection our relationship with the Father is secure. As Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 15 our faith is not in vain but is real and true.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (Saul/Paul).”

Jesus is alive. He was seen by the 12 and over 500 others. Later as Paul said out, Jesus appeared to him. Acts 9:4-6 “ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Jesus is just as alive today as He was to Paul, Saul, on that road to Damascus! Praise God!

Bask in the light of the Resurrection today for “He has Risen Indeed!”

Linda

P.S. I will be continuing my journey in Isaiah after Easter as there is much yet to discover in this wonderful book of the Bible.

He Did It All for You and Me! Thank You Jesus!

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This last portion in the 4th Song in Isaiah continues to show the suffering servant and how He fulfilled the Father’s will to save us. Isaiah 53:9-12

He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave. Luke 23:32 tells us that the 2 men crucified alongside Jesus were criminals. “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.” After Jesus death, Joseph of Arimathea a rich man who was a follower of Jeus and was on the Council but had not agreed to Jesus’ death went to Pilate. He asked for Jesus’ body so he could bury him in a tomb he had had made. Mark 15:46 “ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.”

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him.
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. God’s plan was one of love for the lost whi He sought to redeem through His Son. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 8:3 “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh,”

11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins. The phrase Victory in Jesus comes to mind as I see these words. 1 Corinthians 15:54-58 “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory?     Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels. He bore our sins and will be exalted for all eternity. Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,   to the glory of God the Father.“

I pray that the study of Isaiah 53 has added a new dimension to your Holy Week observances.

Linda

By His Stripes We Are HEALED!

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As the Song #4 continuous in Isaiah 53:4-8 we hear and see more about Messiah and His suffering. We see the cost of His sacrifice for us.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But 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.
6 We 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.

Verse 4 points out that the pain and suffering Christ endured was ours to bear but He willingly suffered for us. Verse 5 goes on to explain that it was our sins that brought on His punishment. It was our sins that caused Him to be crushed in spirit as he died and caused him to feel forsaken by God. Sin separates us from God and Jesus died so we could be healed. He suffered that separation so we could be healed and brought into relationship with the Father. He was not left separated for He conquered death and rose from the dead. By His wounds were are healed. Here are some New Testament passages that speak to these verses in Isaiah. Romans 4:25 “ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” 1 Peter 2:24-25 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

7 He 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.
8 By 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.

Verse 7 speaks to the fact that Jesus did not defend his innocence when put on trial. Luke 23:9 “ He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer.” John 19:9 “and he (Pilate) went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.” Verse 8 reminds us that Jesus was judged unjustly and then led off to His death. Here is the passage from John recounting the scenes leading up to the crucifixion. John 19:1-16 “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face. 4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” 13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.”

Jesus suffered so for our sins. Through His death and resurrection we can be brought into a redeeming relationship with God. He paid the ultimate price. John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Thank you Jesus.

Linda

Man of Sorrows, Rejected and Despised -that was Jesus

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Isaiah 53 verses 1-3 are filled with prophecies about the Messiah to come. Take a look:

Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? The Lord sent his messengers, the prophets, to lead the people back to Him. They had also foretold this ‘powerful arm of the Lord’ that was to come. This powerful arm was the Lord’s to reveal at the time He prepared. He chose the exact time in history for His son Jesus to come with His message. Paul mentions the fact that even God’s own Son was not believed in his letter to the Romans in Romans 10:16-17 “But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed our message?”17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” The message of salvation was given but the people did not listen to the prophets.” Faith comes from listening to their message and believing them. In John 1:11, John confirms that even Jesus was not believed when he gave the message. “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”

2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him. Christ, the Messiah, grew up in a humble village in Nazareth. He was of the house of David, the root of Jessie. He had none of the trappings of royalty or anything to distinguish him from others in his looks. However, we do know that his knowledge and wisdom set him apart from others even in his youth. Luke 2:41-50 recounts the story of ‘lost Jesus’ in the temple. “ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[f] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. He looked like a regular person even as a young boy, but He was indeed more than that!


3 He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care. This verse so describes Jesus as the suffering servant. In Matthew 20:17-19 Jesus describes what is about to take place. “Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, 18 “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” Many references call Jesus the cornerstone of our faith. Acts 4:11 speaks of how he was rejected, “Jesus is “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ We see the sorrow Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:37-39 “He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Going to the cross caused Jesus great anguish but He was obedient to the will of the Father, regardless of this personal cost. The attitude of the crowd shows their ‘we don’t care’ feelings towards Jesus and his innocence. Matthew 27:21-23 gives the scene as it unfolds;  “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

What have you done or are you doing with the message God sent in Jesus? Have you taken him into your heart? Have you accepted Him and asked His Holy Spirit to fill you? Do you seek to walk with Him day by day? The times have changed but the message has not. We still have to seek and listen to God. What will you do this week to show that you are NOT rejecting or despising Jesus and His work on the cross? That you are NOT rejecting His message of hope and redemption? Now is the right time to turn to Him and listen to His message of love. Focus on John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Romans 5:8 “ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God loves you and sent Christ to died for your sins and mine.

Thank you Jesus!

Linda

Song #4, The Suffering Servant begins here…

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We have finally reached the final Song in Isaiah that points to the coming Messiah as the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 52:13-53-12 are some of the most profound prophecy’s in the Bible. They clearly define and direct us to the coming Messiah, Jesus, and what he will have to endure at the hands of men to accomplish our redemption.

See, my servant will prosper;
    he will be highly exalted. Multiple verses in the New Testament speak of the exultation of Jesus and his reign to come. Philippians 2:9-11 speaks of the future exaltation of Jesus. “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord  to the glory of God the Father.” Ephesians 1:20-23 also speaks of Jesus’ coming exaltation and position due to his sacrifice and resurrection, “that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” An amazing thing about Isaiah Song #4 written thousands of years ago is it begins with telling us of the Messiah who will reign supreme and be exalted by all and it is still in our future!


14 But many were amazed when they saw him.
    His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human,
    and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. This next verse speaks of how the Messiah will be mistreated, as in hurt to the point that he was disfigured in appearance. This already occurred and is recorded Matthew 27:25-31“ So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.” At the crucifixion Jesus was nailed hands and feet to a cross to suffer an excruciating death and later his side was slashed with a spear by one of the guards to make sure he was dead.


15 And he will startle many nations.
    Kings will stand speechless in his presence.
For they will see what they had not been told;
    they will understand what they had not heard about. The Apostle Paul quoted this verse in Romans 15:20-22 where he was explaining to the Roman Christians why he was delayed in coming to them and to whom he had been preaching the good news of Jesus. “My ambition has always been to preach the Good News where the name of Christ has never been heard, rather than where a church has already been started by someone else. 21 I have been following the plan spoken of in the Scriptures, where it says, “Those who have never been told about him will see,    and those who have never heard of him will understand.”22 In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in these places.” Throughout the ages, Kings and rulers have been amazed and have come to know Jesus as Savior.

As we can see these first 3 verse of Isaiah’s Song #4 include prophecy that was future to the Jews hearing them, fulfilled by Jesus in Jesus’ day and then ones that are still future to us. I pray these verses will increase your faith in God and that you can see His supreme Omniscience from the beginning to end of time. God is eternal and always keeps His Promises!

Linda

Good News from God Brings Hope and Joy

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Before we get into the 4th and final song about Messiah, I cannot skip the beautiful words of Isaiah 52:7-12. Isaiah is excited about the coming return of the Jews to Judah, after their time of captivity, and it foreshadows Christ’s 1st and 2nd coming. The immeasurable joy and hope that the returns bring are mirrored here.

“How beautiful on the mountains
    are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,
the good news of peace and salvation,
    the news that the God of Israel reigns! Just as the people await the messengers with battle news in ancient days, similarly they are to wait expectantly for the return from captivity and the coming Messiah.
8 The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
    for before their very eyes
    they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem. The arrival will be greeted with great joy and rejoicing. They will see it for themselves!
9 Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
    for the Lord has comforted his people.
    He has redeemed Jerusalem. When they return from Babylon, they will find things in ruins but their comfort will come from the Lord. They will see the hope and possibilities in it.


10 The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
    before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
    the victory of our God. The miraculous return to Jerusalem by the Jewish captives was only something that could have been provided by God’s hand. He caused Cyrus the ruler of Persia to look favorably on the Jews and provide them what they needed to return and rebuilt. Similarly, Jesus’s coming to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday just as prophesied and his ultimate return at the end of the age are provided by God alone. 11 Get out! Get out and leave your captivity,
    where everything you touch is unclean.
Get out of there and purify yourselves,
    you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord. They were to return for their fresh start with hope in their hearts and carrying the sacred objects that Nebuchadnezzar took when they were taken into captivity. God had preserved them from the time they were taken until Cyrus ordered them returned! 12 You will not leave in a hurry,
    running for your lives.
For the Lord will go ahead of you;
    yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind. When God is directing our pathways, we do not need to run in fear for we have His promise that He is with us 24/7, ahead and He also has our backs!

I pray these images from our promise keeping God remind and encourage you today that He is with us always, He has our backs, He had a plan for the Jews who languished in Babylon and He has a plan for us. He will not forget us because we are His. Reflect on belonging to Him. Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his;  we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.“

Linda

God’s Word Protects

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The majority of our time this week will be spent in Isaiah 53, or the 4th Song within Isaiah. However, before we get to Isaiah 53 we encounter some incredibly rich and beautiful passages in Isaiah 51-52. Isaiah 51:7-8 is where Isaiah encourages the Israelites to have a NO Fear attitude towards the adversities that surround them now and those they will face in the future.

“Hear me, you who know what is right,
    you people who have taken my instruction to heart:
Do not fear the reproach of mere mortals
    or be terrified by their insults.
8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment;
    the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,
    my salvation through all generations.”

I love the fact that God’s Words that He has given us to live by in the Bible are our protection against those who would seek to intimidate or ridicule us. God says they will be devoured and His righteousness will endure forever. Take lessons to heart from this passage and be encouraged.

  • Knowing God and having His words in my heart protects me!
  • Others seek to put me down, scorn, terrorize and hurt me, but God promises to deal with them, devouring them.
  • God promises to put holes in them, either literally or figuratively, so that the will be destroyed.
  • God promises His righteousness and salvation are eternal.

What do you know about God’s Word? Here are a few verses to show you that the Word of God has power. *Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” God’s Word gives guidance and direction.

Psalm 119:120 “My flesh trembles in fear of you;  I stand in awe of your laws.” God’s Word is worthy of our awe.

Psalm 18:30 “As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” God’s Word is our flawless shield provided by God.

Ephesians 6:17-18 “ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” God’s Word is included in the armor given to all believers and it is one of our offensive weapons to strike at the heart of unbelief.

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God’s Word is alive, penetrating and helps us discern truth.

1 Peter 1:23 “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” God’s Word is eternal; it will never be out of date in any circumstance.

God and His Word will last forever and He will be victorious over any and all circumstances we may encounter in life. Fear does not come from God. He wants us to stand for Him with NO FEAR in our hearts and minds.

Linda