Wounded For Me
1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten 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 upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
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 her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Tommy's Thoughts:
Today passages from the Old Testament revealed an astounding prophecy of the Messiah, Jesus Christ coming to save humanity by dying for our sin. He was despised and rejected by those around him at that time and still is by many today. Some reject Him by ridiculing and against everything about Him. Others hide their faces and feel ashamed to be associated with Him. There are also those who despise even His great gift of forgiveness and continue living a life of sins.
Why do we still reject Jesus and become a wandering sheep after knowing all that He has done for us? Isn’t our sin of rejecting Him will be much greater than the ancient Israelites who could not see what we have seen? Life is also futile if we were to reject the gift given freely to us by Jesus’ great work on the cross. We will never be justified and stripped away from all our past sins and iniquities by trying to be good on our own.
Dear Lord, thank You for Your great gift of forgiveness through Christ, delivering us from all our sins and clothing us with Your goodness; making us acceptable to You. Teach me not to forget or take for granted my salvation as it has cost Christ His life on the cross. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Bee's Thoughts:
Yesterday, a friend asked me how could God destroy the people in the old testament. He said that since God is so loving how could that even happened?
Many people, like my friend, could not understand the fact that my God is a loving, yet righteous and just God, Who cannot tolerate sins. It's because of this that He has to become a man to die on the cross on our behalf. Sins has to be punished, yet love takes over the punishment. Isn't that a fulfillment of His nature of both being loving and yet just?
Dear Lord,
Thank You for your great love, for dying on my behalf. Because of this I owe my life to You. Let me live a life that will honour Your name and bring glory to You. I love You Lord, let me not stray from this love.
In Your loving name I pray. Amen.
.......the devotion of Bee & Tommy
