1 Trinity – Thursday

The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:6.

Thus did Isaiah prophesy concerning Christ, the promised Messiah. He spoke as if these things were then already accomplished. Of course, today they stand as having been fully accomplished. The Lord did lay “on Him the iniquity of us all”, and we are free and saved eternally. These are the glad tidings brought to us now. But how few there are that believe these glad tidings! Many are offended at Christ Crucified. Flesh and blood, in looking at Him, behold no form nor comeliness, no beauty such as they would rather see. He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Man, as it were, hides his face from Him; natural man esteems Him not. Yet the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. We are all as sheep gone astray; but the Lord has laid on Him the iniquities of us all. He was the blameless and patient Lamb of God that bore the sins of the world. It pleased God so to bruise Him. He has made His soul an offering for sin. They who are born of God know this, and behold this, and delight in it. And even He, our Savior, delights in the congregation of believers which has sprung from His sowing of blood and from the travail of His soul. By His knowledge He – the righteous Servant of God – justifies many; for He bore their iniquities. Despite the unbelief of many, the portion of His spoil is large, His victory is great, because He has poured out His soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors, and bore the sin of the world, and made intercession for the transgressors. – And you, too, O Christian, share in the victory of His vicarious work of redemption. Your sin, also, did the Lord lay upon Him.

PRAYER. – I give thanks to Thee, crucified Redeemer, because Thou didst bear my sin, and didst make me righteous in the sight of God. I thank Thee for the blood Thou didst shed and for Thy death on the cross. When I contemplate this, my soul is delighted in Thee. For this is my salvation. I thank Thee that – through Thy most precious Gospel – Thou didst pluck me, a poor sinner, from out of the unbelieving world, and through faith in Thee, didst make me a portion of Thy spoil, having made satisfaction for all my sins. I trust and rejoice in Thee, dear Jesus! Amen.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11:1-5                             Theme: The Promise of His Coming

1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:

4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.