Who Is "He"?

Isaiah 53:4-12

I found a way to confuse myself this morning, not just once, but twice. I began reading the passage for today and immediately started thinking, "Why is the second passage of the week from the New Testament, it's usually from the Old...hmm" So I re-check the passage, re-open my bible, and re-read the same words.

Unable to understand what I'm reading as being from the words of Old Testament, I double check the book, chapter, and verse of today's passage to be sure I'm on the right page. I finally give in to the fact that I'm in the right place and continue reading, all the time thinking, "Isaiah must be a great prophet to be talking about the life of Jesus hundreds of years before that life was to take place.

Indeed, Isaiah is a great prophet. Indeed, Isaiah is believed to be foretelling the coming life of the Messiah. Indeed, when you read the same passage you may very well say that Isaiah's words are uncanny and is most definitely talking about Jesus.

Or maybe not.

After I accepted this passage to be the words from the prophet Isaiah and put it into context I felt a different message in my heart. This portion of Isaiah, known as Deutero-Isaiah, or Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), is written in a time when the people of Judea were experiencing the second exile of their people from their land. The introduction of a "servant" actually occurs very early in this section of Isaiah and continues throughout.

This servant is said to be sent from God to be with God's people in this time of turmoil. Not only is this servant sent directly from God, but is also just like them, feeling the same anxieties and fears. This servant also has the strength and courage to not just endure the unknown, but to also find a way to lead them into a better place.

Sometimes when we take a step back and try to separate our personal beliefs from that the message the bible is trying to give us we see a new enlightening. In today's case I see the words of a God who promises that we are never alone in the trials we face. If we allow ourselves to be open enough in our hearts and minds  we will see that our lives are filled with "servants" sent by God to share in our suffering as well as be the strength we need to get through it.

Whatever you are going through, whatever you may be experiencing, please know that you have a God that never leaves your side.