DESPISED AND REJECTED OF MEN

"He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised, and we esteemed Him not." (Isaiah 53:2a, 3).

 

We usually like to dwell on the beauty of the Lord when we talk or meditate about Christ, but I would like to shed some light on the uncomely aspect of the Lord.  During His earthly ministry, Jesus angered and offended a great number of people - people who said they were looking for His appearance.  They were waiting for a mighty king who would lead them to victory against their enemies, and restore Israel to the glory that it once enjoyed.  This carpenter's son from Galilee was definitely not what they expected, and His message was to love their enemies, not vanquish them; to turn the other cheek, not get the upper hand; and give their cloak if their coat was taken.  This did not sit well with many of the Jews.  Even His own disciples were offended at times, and did not understand when He told them that He would ultimately be crucified rather than be crowned.

 

Many have trouble with His message today also.  It is not attractive to think of not standing up for ourselves, but, instead, letting the Lord fight our battles.  It's not considered macho for a man to back down from a fight.  It is only through surrender, though, that we can know true spiritual victory.  The early Christians willingly gave themselves to the lions, and the fires, and the crosses, knowing that they would obtain a better resurrection.  We are very selfish with our lives.  We too often resist when the Lord asks us to do something that is outside our comfort zone.

 

John tells us, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:" (John 1:11, 12).  Jesus comes to us in many ways.  He speaks through His Word, He speaks through other believers, or He may even use an ass from time to time as He did with Balaam; however He speaks, though, we must respond.  We can choose to reject Him, or we can choose to receive Him.  If we receive Him, we take one more step on the path of becoming a mature son of God.  If we reject Him, we suffer loss in our spiritual life.   

 

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?" (Isaiah 53:1).  It is a life of faith that God has called us to.  If we won't believe God's promises, He cannot reveal His might and power.  This "power to become" is a very tangible thing.  It's the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things that we cannot see. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SIMON OF CYRENE

“AND AS THEY led Him [Jesus] away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” (Luke 23:26).   Three of the Gospels in the New Testament mention a man by the name of Simon in connection with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  He is only mentioned once in each of the accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as told by St. Matthew, St. Mark and St. Luke.  There is much that we can learn, however, from the scant details of his story.   Scripture tells us that Simon was from the city of Cyrene which is in present-day Libya.  Cyrene was at least 850 miles from Jerusalem – a very long trip for folks in Jesus’ time.  During this period, there was a strong Jewish community in Cyrene of about 100,000 or more.  Simon may have been a member of this community and made the long trip to Jerusalem for the Jews’ yearly Feast of Passover.  If so, this would have required considerable dedication
Read more

TRUMPETS, PITCHERS AND SWORDS

Gideon stood on the outskirts of the Midianite army’s camp with his 300 men.  They were waiting for the right moment to utter the words that would change the course of history for his oppressed people.  His enemies numbered 135,000 warriors; his own army was but 300, divided into three companies scattered around the camp and waiting for their captain’s signal.  All of a sudden, Gideon lifted his trumpet to his lips and gave a shrill blast that split the silence of the night air.  He then broke open the clay pitcher that was in his other hand, and the flame that was inside illuminated the darkness.  Last of all, Gideon raised his voice, and with all his strength shouted, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” (Judges 7:20).  Three hundred brave Israelites followed their leader’s example and did as he had done.  The Midianites, awaking out of their sleep, hearing the commotion and seeing the lights, were filled with fright and confusion.  They turned their swords on their own men!  Bel
Read more

BE STILL AND KNOW

It is impossible to determine the occasion for which the 46 th Psalm was written.   Some commentators believe that it was written after God delivered King Jehoshaphat from a great army of Moabites and Ammonites.   Others believe that it was written during King Hezekiah’s reign when the Assyrians under King Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem.   This we do know: that this Psalm was written to encourage Israel to trust in the LORD Jehovah during difficult and frightening times, and Israel certainly had an abundance of those!     It is said that Psalms 46 gave Martin Luther much comfort and encouragement during the times that he faced fierce opposition to his preaching and ministry.  It was one of the portions of scripture that inspired the words to his hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God .      The psalm opens with these words of comfort and encouragement: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1).  This could be said to be the theme for the entire
Read more