Despised and Rejected

Despised and Rejected

Reading: Isaiah 53-56; 2 Peter 2 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. (Isaiah 53:3 NLT) Special Note: I wish I could have included the entire text of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (Click link to read). If you can, please take a few minutes to prayerfully and thoughtfully read it. It will be worth your time today. As I read through Isaiah’s description of God’s suffering servant this morning, I slowed down and read and re-read his words that prophetically described Jesus Christ and his incomparable sacrifice for sinners – for you and me! Isaiah knew what he had heard and seen was true, but even so he had no way to understand he was writing about God’s salvation through the suffering and death of God’s Son. I marvel at the love of God and the willingness of Jesus Christ to suffer and sacrifice for me. I read this short chapter through three times this morning with all four of these “marvels” going over in my mind: 1) God loves us so much, so deeply! 2) Jesus sacrificed and suffered so much for us! 3) God showed Isaiah exactly what it would look like so he could tell the people hundreds of years before it happened. 4) This message was recorded as part of “Scripture” and still speaks to us about God’s incredible grace and mercy – 2700 years later! In Isaiah 55:8-9, God explains a little more of how it works:
8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT) I’ve got to remember that God doesn’t think the way I think and doesn’t work the way we work. His way is higher and better. Who would have thought that God would save us the way he does? Who would have thought that God would use people like you and me to do his work? Who would have thought? Prayer: Father, Thanks for the reminder that you don’t do things our way and that your way is better. I trust you and your way. Amen.