Isaiah
Who hath believed our report?
Isaiah, who lived about 700 years before the time of Jesus, gave a word picture of Jesus, the One who would be the sacrifice for mankind, the Messiah.
Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But 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.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It is notable that Isaiah began with “who hath believed our report?” and follows that with “and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”
There is a causual relationship between believing the report and having the arm of the Lord revealed.
The truth of God’s Word, the truth of Jesus, is revealed to those who believe…not to those who scoff. Scoffers and mockers and doubters self-select themselves out of experiencing a relationship with God.
In anything in life, there are those who have a cursory, or beginning or scanty knowledge, and those who understand the significance of the details. This applies in any field: farming, fishing, husbandry of any kind, construction, homemaking, sports. Details matter.
Not only do details matter, but those who really know the topic, those who have the “inside knowledge” and experience, understand why you would use, for example, one tool over another in a particular situation, or why you would use, for example, a particular fishing rod and bait over another in a particular situation. Outsiders remain clueless.
A good example is sports. Someone who knows football understands what the different players are doing and why. They follow the strategy. To someone who doesn’t know the game, players are simply throwing an odd-shaped ball around the field.
Likewise, someone who has no understanding of Jesus and his redemptive work, who has not yet been born again, can miss the point.
For example, take communion. Communion is one of the sacraments of the church. Correctly approached, it is a means whereby the very life and healing of the Lord Jesus Christ can flow into a person.
But for those who don’t grasp what is going on, “not discerning the Lord’s body”, who don’t discern the fact “by whose stripes ye were healed”, it is simply a ceremony. Not accessing the inner spirit and power, many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
I Corinthians 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
I Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
This was the Apostle Paul’s advice to Timothy in such a situation.
II Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
The Leap to Experience
How can you have faith in a God you cannot see? How can you experience God?
Words can only point to an experience. How can someone, for example, describe the smell of coffee? The only way would be to sit a person down, and say, “I am going to open a can of coffee grounds, and when you smell it, that is the smell of coffee.” There really is no way to describe the smell of coffee, but to lead a person to the experience, where ultimately, the person must experience the smell of coffee for himself or herself.
How does a child learn to ride a bike? A parent may hold the child on the bike for a little while he or she is learning, the parent might catch the child if he or she begins to fall, the parent might tell the child to sit up straight and try to give some hints, but the child has to “catch” the experience himself or herself and learn to balance and pedal at the same time.
A teacher can try to organize the material, give some examples, but the student has to have the “light bulb” moment when the knowledge catches on.
And so it is with God and faith. Apologetics and those who work in that discipline can give you the historical facts. Archeologists can confirm Biblical history.
You can learn of the fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament that point to Christ. The prophet Micah said he would be born in Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The prophet Isaiah described the redemptive work of Christ in Isaiah 53. Many other prophecies were fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.
Like the various aids and hints on riding a bike, the scriptures, the testimonies, the law helps guide a person to the reality of Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Matthew 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?
26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.
Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.