Pre-read Isaiah 49:1-5
Today's reading- Isaiah 49:
6-7
"What Love" !
" It is too small a thing for you to be my
servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of
I
will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."
This is what the Lord says-
the Redeemer and Holy One of
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
" Kings will see you and rise up,
princes will see and bow down
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
It seems to me that Isaiah is speaking of Christ here when he speaks of
"the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel", but he is also alluding to the
"servant" as being not only Christ, but also the people of Israel,
themselves, who are to be "a light for the Gentiles" and to bring
salvation to the "ends of the earth". The Israelites, the
"chosen people" of God, are not the only people that God has in mind
here. Sure, they are the first people to worship a monotheistic God; they
are the people that God chooses for his son's lineage, but we have a claim to
that promise of being "chosen" people, also. I know this
because when I read the gospel of John, chapter three, verse sixteen, the
author says: "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." To me, the word "world" is inclusive to mean
everyone on this planet. I accept this promise by faith. All I have
to do in this equation is to believe that God doesn't lie, and if I acknowledge
that Jesus is God's son, I, too, will have everlasting or eternal life.
God's love for us is so great that he gave his only "Son" so that we
may be saved! This concept of someone giving up an only child is painful
to me. I have only one child. There is no way I can willingly
give her up, even for three days, even now that she's a woman, so that others
will be able to live forever! I'm so grateful that God is not like me.
I am both honored and humbled that He continues to love me and care for
me. He tells me this each day as I read morning devotions and meditate on
his divine promises to all of us - Jew and Gentile- alike.
As I read over what I have written here, I find that I have digressed a
bit. However, considering the original text of Isaiah, I cannot help but
compare Christ, the servant, to Christ, the "Word" of whom the Gospel
of John speaks. To continue this thought-trend a bit further, I find in
Psalm 119:105 another reference to the "Word". Here the
psalmist is explaining what God's "Word" means to him:
"Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path."
How wonderful is that!
God guides us in our everyday lives so that we can be "lights" in
this world for others who have yet to know Him.
It
is my hope that you, too, will know how dearly beloved you are in that God sent
his Son to die for you, for me, and for ALL The WORLD so that all of us may
have eternal life. What an awesome God we serve!
Prayer:
Dear God,
Thank you for your mercies toward us, for your unfailing love for
us, and for the gift of everlasting life, made
possible through
Jesus, your one and only Son. We love you, Lord.
AMEN
N. Sabo
Steven
Minister