Isaiah 53 | At Water’s Edge

Choosing Obedience

Canine experts know the characteristics of each dog breed, such as personality, temperament, and trainability. I was curious about this after dealing with my very stubborn dog and was surprised to learn that her breed is not among those considered to be difficult. I have come to believe that my yellow lab is a Siberian Husky or Dachshund in disguise, which are the top breeds for being stubborn. Georgia has a mind of her own and she doesn’t mind letting you know that.

In her case, it is a simple lack of desire to be obedient. I know that her high intelligence means she understands when I tell her not to take my shoe out in the backyard in the rain, but her lack of desire to obey me overrides her thinking and I end up with a soggy sneaker.

Aren’t we all like that? Few among us are ignorant of the behavior our Lord expects of us, yet we struggle to comply when something better comes along and tempts us away from God’s will. When the choice between self-denial and self-indulgence is offered, most of us move toward gratification very quickly. We aren’t helpless to comply, but we choose disobedience.

Isaiah 53:7 (Common English Bible)

He was oppressed and tormented,
but didn’t open his mouth.
Like a lamb being brought to slaughter,
like a ewe silent before her shearers,
he didn’t open his mouth.

In our brief, one-verse lesson today, we see a reference about the Suffering Servant being brought to the slaughter like a lamb and not raising her voice in protest. Reading this through our New Testament glasses, we’re reminded of Mark 15:2-5. Jesus stood before Pilate and chose not to respond. Verse 5 states that “Jesus gave no more answers, so that Pilate marveled” (Mark 15:5, Common English Bible).

Jesus chose.

He was never helpless as he walked toward his beating, sham trial, excruciating crucifixion, and death, but he elected to be obedient to his Father, who had put him on earth for this very purpose. Why? So that you and I might be saved. Never without options, he willingly suffered in place of his sheep so that the sheep might be saved. Jesus chose to be a sacrificial lamb who was in control of everything that happened.

If this isn’t a call to obedience, I don’t know what is. God desires that we submit to the plan, the purpose, and the calling that each one of us has received in the Body of Christ. Sometimes that means saying yes to something so far out of our comfort zone, we can’t imagine God is actually asking us to do that thing. But it is often in those far reaches of callings that we find out who we are while being reminded of Whose we are. The old cliché is true: God often isn’t looking for our ability, but rather our availability. When we are obedient, we become equipped. Are you struggling to obey?

Say yes.

Boat Queen

Read the Description

Posted on 12 Days Ago by Betsy

Online shopping has taught us to be very careful about reading descriptions. Size, color, texture, weight, and even other people’s reviews are all helpful as we are trying to discern what a product is actually like. If you have ever ordered something without paying attention to the description, this may have been part of the learning curve for you. It was for me! In the beginning of the pandemic, I panic-ordered hand sanitizer from an unfamiliar source and failed to look at the description closely. Where the picture (and the price!!) was indicative of a large bottle that would sit by your kitchen sink for family use, the actual product was a very expensive pocket-sized container. Well, thank goodness I ordered two!

The scriptures are full of descriptions of Jesus. John 3:16 gives the most concise description: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (I did that from memory … the King James Version was all the rage when this kid was in Sunday School. Truth be told, it was the only version we had in Sunday School.)

Reading the description makes us much more aware of the qualities and special aspects of the subject. I don’t think anyone would argue that some of the best descriptions of the Messiah come from the book of Isaiah. This Old Testament prophet had a working knowledge of the suffering servant that was yet to come. His description came with no reviews, as he was describing something that hadn’t happened yet. Unlike the eyewitness accounts of the Gospel writers, Isaiah only had prophetic visions to rely on … and yet he provided some of the most accurate and beautiful language about our Savior.

Isaiah 53:4-6 (Common English Bible)

It was certainly our sickness that he carried,
    and our sufferings that he bore,
    but we thought him afflicted,
    struck down by God and tormented.
⁵He was pierced because of our rebellions
    and crushed because of our crimes.
    He bore the punishment that made us whole;
    by his wounds we are healed.
⁶Like sheep we had all wandered away,
    each going its own way, but the Lord let fall on him all our crimes.

Isaiah wrote that the coming Messiah would be pierced because of our rebellions. This savior would be crushed because of our sins. He would bear the punishment that made us whole. And praise God, by his wounds we would be healed. And that is exactly what happened on the cross, when our suffering savior took the sin of the world upon himself, allowing us to be free. Even though we had all wandered away, our faithful savior paid for all our crimes.

This is something to ponder today. Who is Jesus to you? If you were to write a description of him, what would you say? How would you describe our Wonderful Counselor? I challenge you to actually write these words down in your Bible somewhere.

And when you’ve finished with your written list, write it again on your heart.

Weathered Star by Michelle Robertson

Way-Maker

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Betsy

I begin this devotional by confessing that I struggle with claustrophobia. It has gotten noticeably worse as I have aged. Mine manifests itself in a fear of being trapped, rather than a fear of small spaces. This became very evident on a trip to Paris several years ago when I descended to the basement level of a charming restaurant in search of a ladies’ room. The restroom ended up being dark and tiny, as those places tend to be, but that was fine … right up until the point when I tried to leave and discovered that the door handle wouldn’t move. It was amazing how the room grew smaller and smaller, like the time that Luke, Leia, and Hans got trapped in the trash compactor in Star Wars. I swear I saw the dark tiled walls closing in around me.

I had walked down three passages to find this place, so I knew its remote location was not in my favor. As the reality of my entrapment became more and more evident, panic took over and I found myself banging on the door and yelling in broken French (maybe it was Spanish?) for someone to come save me. Eventually a waiter came by and began to yell instructions (in French, of course … not helpful) to stop yanking on the door handle so that he could fix it. He used a screw driver to get the door open, making me think that this had happened before. I emerged exhausted, sweaty, and very grateful to see the annoyed, eye-rolling waiter.

Have you ever found yourself in a horrible situation where you could not find a way out? A relationship, a job, a marriage, a terminal illness, an addiction, a family situation … we can get stuck in situations where we don’t think there is any way to escape. Like people on a crowded elevator stuck between floors, we feel paralyzed by circumstances beyond our control and lose sight of which way is up or down. Hopelessness and panic easily set in when you can’t find your way out of a bad scenario. I have been there and I imagine you have, too.

Several of my friends are stuck between floors right now. One is newly divorced and one is newly widowed. One is dealing with a son’s addition. They all feel trapped in their sadness and are having a hard time imagining that life will feel better.

It will.

God is the great way-maker, and he desires to “un-stick” us when we feel hopeless.

Isaiah 53 (Common English Bible)

The Lord says—who makes a way in the sea
    and a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷    who brings out chariot and horse,
    army and battalion;
    they will lie down together and will not rise;
    they will be extinguished, extinguished like a wick.

Isaiah recounts the time when God brought Israel out of slavery and hardship in Egypt through the Red Sea to the Promised Land. Pharaoh’s army was in strong pursuit, but God caused its chariots, horses, and battalions to get stuck in the mud. God extinguished Israel’s pursuers as easily as one extinguishes a candle wick. He will do that for you as well.

¹⁸Don’t remember the prior things;
    don’t ponder ancient history.
¹⁹Look! I’m doing a new thing;
    now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
    paths in the wilderness.

This is the best and the hardest part of the teaching today. God’s instruction is to not remember the prior things, and to stop dwelling on ancient history so that you can focus on the new thing he is doing. When we are stuck, the “prior things” are all we can see. When those things bring up feelings of fear, anguish, and despair, God desires for us to wait and watch him make a way in the desert of our hopelessness.

²⁰The beasts of the field,
        the jackals and ostriches, will honor me,
    because I have put water in the desert
    and streams in the wilderness
    to give water to my people,
    my chosen ones,
²¹    this people whom I formed for myself,
        who will recount my praise.

God is our great way-maker. No matter what the circumstance, he works to free us from our situation so that we can find the streams of hope in the desert of life. He will work to open up the snare that is caught around your ankle so that you can walk in freedom toward a new and different future.

Are you stuck right now? Ask God to come and unlock your chains. Our great Way-Maker is able and ready.

Descriptions

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Betsy

In the beginning of the pandemic, I panic-ordered hand sanitizer from an unfamiliar source and failed to look at the description closely. Where the picture (and the price!!) was indicative of a large bottle that would sit by your kitchen sink for family use, the actual product was a very expensive pocket-sized container. Thank goodness I ordered two!

The scriptures are full of descriptions of Jesus. John 3:16 gives the most concise description: ”For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (I did that from memory … the King James Version was all the rage when this kid was in Sunday School.)

When I was researching scripture for ADVENTuring to the Manger: 25 Devotionals for Christmas, I stumbled upon a great explanation for the ”why” of Christmas in the book of Titus, of all places:

Titus 3 (Contemporary English Version)

God our Savior showed us
    how good and kind he is.
⁵He saved us because
    of his mercy,
and not because
of any good things
    that we have done.

God washed us by the power
    of the Holy Spirit.
He gave us new birth
    and a fresh beginning.
⁶God sent Jesus Christ
our Savior
    to give us his Spirit.

⁷Jesus treated us much better
than we deserve.
He made us acceptable to God
and gave us the hope
of eternal life.

Reading the description makes us much more aware of the qualities and special aspects of the subject. Titus beautifully describes the grace that was involved in Jesus’ coming.

I don’t think anyone would argue that some of the best descriptions of Jesus come from the book of Isaiah. This Old Testament prophet had a working knowledge of the suffering servant that was yet to come. His description came with no reviews, as he was describing something that hadn’t even happened yet. Unlike the eyewitness accounts of the Gospel writers, Isaiah only had prophetic visions to rely on … and yet he provided some of the most accurate and beautiful language about our Savior:

Isaiah 53 (Common English Bible)

⁷He was oppressed and tormented,
    but didn’t open his mouth.
Like a lamb being brought to slaughter,
    like a ewe silent before her shearers,
    he didn’t open his mouth.

¹¹After his deep anguish he will see light, and he will be satisfied.
Through his knowledge, the righteous one, my servant,
will make many righteous,
and will bear their guilt.

He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed because of our sins.

He bore the punishment THAT MADE US WHOLE.

By his wounds we are healed.

Ponder that today. Who is Jesus to you? If you were to write a description of him, what would you say? How would you describe our Wonderful Counselor?

Do this today … and write it on your heart.

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