29th July 2024
God is salvation
This is the 24th study in a series of studies about shadows in scripture
…the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17-21 (NIV)
It is Christ himself, early in his earthly ministry, who embedded himself firmly in the prophetic book of Isaiah when, in the synagogue in Nazareth, he read from Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV). This invites readers to look for Christ throughout this book, and it is not a disappointing search. It was the same search carried out by Charles Jennens, a founder of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, who believed in the power of music to communicate truth. In the mid 18th Century he wrote the words to the music that we know as Handel’s Messiah. In fact he copied them, because every word is from scripture, and 21 of those scriptures are from Isaiah: from the celebratory, ‘Unto us a child is born…’, to the more sombre, ‘He was despised and we did not esteem Him’, and ‘He was led as a lamb to the slaughter…’, and beyond his physical life, the resurrection and the ascension to the triumphant, ‘For the Lord of hosts will reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem…’ (Isaiah 24:23).
Isaiah tells the whole story of the person who entered our human existence (Isaiah 9:6), who lived among us, teaching, healing (Isaiah 29:18); whose life ended on the cross (Isaiah 53:4-6) but was resurrected; to the Lord who dwells in the heavenly realm, ready to return in glory to rule. The book of Isaiah is an account of the prophet’s vision, and much of it is the words of the Lord. Isaiah begins with, ‘Hear, O heavens, and give ear O earth! For the Lord has spoken…’ (Isaiah 1:2). If that’s the case, we had better listen. And Jesus, the Lord, was unsurprisingly well acquainted with the book, referring to it on several occasions. He applies Isaiah 53:12 to himself when he tells his disciples, “…this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’…” (Luke 22:37).
Isaiah’s prophecies see Jesus, the wholly human and wholly divine Messiah, as King and as a servant. As we wait for the return of the King, we are living in the age of the Servant – and through his life, in the gospel accounts, Jesus gave us a perfect and detailed example of what this should look like: ‘wounded for our transgressions’; carrying ‘the iniquity of us all’. (Isaiah 53:5-6). In Chapter 53 Isaiah points to sacrifice and suffering but also to a glorious future, and we are called to share in His work.
Prayer
You have promised that your kindness will not depart from us (Isaiah 54:10). You are a God of mercy. Accept our thanks for that, Lord God, as we live lives of servants, waiting for your return knowing that our God is salvation. Amen.
Study by Maggie Mitchell
About the writer:
Maggie Mitchell attends the Market Harborough congregation of Grace Communion International
Local congregation:
GCI Market Harborough
9 The Point
Rockingham Road
Market Harborough
LE16 7QU
Meeting time:
Sunday 4.00 pm
Local congregational contact:
Sinead Henderson
Email: sinead.henderson@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church