Monday Meditation
October 21, 2013
From the desk of Dr. A.J. Higgins
The Report and the Revelation
‘He shall grow up before Him .
a tender plant . no form nor comeliness . a man of sorrows’
Isaiah 53:1-3
His growth was unique. The Lord Jesus grew up before the eye of God. Here was one Servant Who was fully devoted to His Master. He was tender, and sensitive to His Master’s will. The callousness of the nation and the failure of previous servants did not hinder Him. Though men did not appreciate the beauty of that life, it must have been a continual feast for the heart of God to gaze upon it.
His grace was evident to all. He was a tender plant amidst thorns and weeds. He was a root out of a dry ground, life sustained by nothing around Him but by His communion with His God. He was life amidst death; He was beauty in a scene of ugliness. In His service, it was not only what He did, nor was it only how He did it; but every motive, every movement, every ministry was as perfect as it could possibly be. Every touch, tear, and tender act was calculated for God’s total glory and man’s richest blessing.
His guise is noted by the writer as well. He was unappreciated by those who looked only on the outward. There was nothing outwardly impressive or attractive physically about Him. He chose, by His own will, to avoid anything which might attract human beings to Him apart from the message and ministry He came to complete. His goal was not to gather men around Himself but, as the faithful Servant of Jehovah, to bring men to Him.
His grief is highlighted in these verses as well. He was spurned by men – despised and rejected. His life was marked by sorrows – a Man of Sorrow; He knew shame and scorn from all around.
What wondrous grace that the revelation has been given to us and, by grace, we have believed the report!
Consider:
1. Gather up some of the botanical imagery of the Lord Jesus Christ: Psalm 1, Ezekiel 34, Isaiah 53, Luke 23, and John 12.
2. There are four passages which speak of the Lord Jesus being despised: Isaiah 49:7; Ps 22:6; Ps 119:141; and here. Look at some of the reasons why men despised Him.
3. Creation is ascribed to the fingers and hand of God – Psalm 8:3. What is the implication then of the fact that it is the “arm of the Lord” which is involved in salvation?
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