Day 19: With Us in the Fire

Today's Scripture Reading: Daniel 3

Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” - Daniel 3:24-25, ESV

With Us in the Fire

Isaiah 53 teaches us that Jesus is the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, which means that He sympathizes with us in our sorrow. We need real sympathy when we're sorrowing and suffering. It helps that we have a Great High Priest who is able to sympathize with us. But sometimes we need more than sympathy, don't we? We need a powerful and protecting presence.

Shadrach, Mechach and Abednego had been uprooted from their homes in Jerusalem and moved to a hostile foreign land a thousand miles away. They had been indoctrinated in the ways of Babylon, but they had stuck together and remained faithful to God. They had faced a challenging a test with their decision not to eat the delicacies of the king's table, to keep themselves pure. God had shown Himself to be faithful and they had passed the test.

Now a larger test stood before them, literally. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar had been inspired by his dream, in which he was the head of gold on a giant statue. Whatever the reason, he constructed a giant golden statue of himself and insisted that everyone bow down to it. The three Hebrew youths looked around and saw everyone complying. What would they do? Together, they refused to bow.

Their refusal was noticed and they were arrested. How dare they defy the king's command? Nebuchadnezzar had come to like and even admire these remarkable young men, so he decided to give them another chance to comply. Their refusal and their unwavering trust in their petty Hebrew god infuriated Nebuchadnezzar. Whatever affection he had fled and was replaced by an fiery rage.

"Heat the furnace seven times hotter and throw them in!" The blaze was so intense that it killed them men who threw them into the furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell bound into the furnace.

Yet Nebuchadnezzar rose from his throne in astonishment when he realized he was seeing the impossible. Four men were in the furnace, not three. And they were walking around, unbound and unharmed in the intense heat! The fourth man in the fire looked like a son of the gods!

Who was the fourth man in the fiery furnace? Can we doubt that it was the Lord Jesus, taking human form before His incarnation to accompany these faithful men of God in their trial? Jesus was with them in the fire, and His presence protected them from all harm. Not even the smell of smoke could cling to them.

Do we know that Jesus is with us in the fiery trials we face? Do we sense His presence, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit? Do we rely on His protecting presence?

Jesus promised us, "I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) God has said to His children, "I will never leave you. I will never forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5) Will we walk in the light of His promised presence, abiding in His word as He abides with us?

Lord Jesus, You came to be Emmanuel, God with us. You have promised to be with us always, never leaving nor forsaking us. Let us rest in Your presence as You abide with us. May we abide in You always. Amen.  

Day 18: The Righteous Branch

Today's Scripture: Jeremiah 23:5-6 & Zechariah 3:8-9

Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ - Jeremiah 23:5-6, ESV

Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of this land in a single day. - Zechariah 3:8-9, ESV

The Righteous Branch

Listen to a sermon from John Piper on today's text.

Would you consider it a complement if someone called you a branch? Honestly, doesn't this seem like a really strange title for God's Son, the long-awaited and much-anticipated Messiah? The Branch? Yet think about what a branch does:

A branch bears fruit and has leaves which make food for the tree. If you want fruit from a tree, you look for it on the branch. If the tree is going to get food, it is made by the leaves on the branches. So, the branches provide life for the tree itself and for the world. Likewise, Jesus feeds His flock, the tree of God, and provides food for the world.

A branch is strong and gives support. We have a big old oak tree in our front yard. On a sturdy branch is a rope swing. My kids love swinging, held up safely by the strength of the branch.

A branch provides shelter, covering people from the heat of the sun and the weather.

Yet this branch is a specific promised Branch. Jeremiah and Zechariah both have a specific Branch in mind. They are picking up on Isaiah's prophecy of a shoot from the stump of Jesse, which we looked at in Day 10. They picture the shoot growing into a strong branch, a new life for God's people.

In Jeremiah, the Branch is a King. He is a King whose reign is marked by righteousness and justice. He will reign in such a way that will bring security and peace to God's people. Further, He will be called "The Lord is our righteousness." Paul speaks of the Righteous Branch in 1 Corinthians 1:30: "Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption."

In Zechariah, the Branch is the High Priest as well as King. God speaks to Joshua the High Priest and tells him that he is a sign pointing to the coming Branch, who will be the high priest at a time when God removes all the iniquity of His people. Thus, the Branch will be the High Priest and the atonement for His people.

It may seem strange to call the Messiah a Branch. Yet we can thank God for such a wonderful, righteous, just, life-giving, sin-atoning, security-providing Branch as Jesus Christ, King of kings and our merciful and faithful High Priest!

Day 17: The Song of the Messiah

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
    he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
    and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,
    and the day of vengeance of our God;
    to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. - Isaiah 61:1-3, ESV

The Song of the Messiah

What prophetic passage did Jesus see as describing Himself and His mission best? Well, we may not be able to give a definitive and irrefutable answer to that question, but when Jesus launched His public earthly ministry in Nazareth, as recorded in Luke 4:16-30, He read Isaiah 61. So today's passage has a special place as The Song of the Messiah. The word translated "anointed" in verse 1 is the Hebrew word Mashach, or Messiah.

Jesus read Isaiah 61 to an expectant synagogue gathering in Nazareth, where He had grown up and was well known. It was on the streets of Nazareth that Luke tells us Jesus "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom" and He "increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." (see 2:40 & 52) 

When Jesus finished reading from Isaiah 61, He closed the Torah scroll, sat down, and said "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." This was not well received. Jesus had a good reputation, but how could the local carpenter's son be the fulfillment of Isaiah prophetic words?

Yet we know Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. He was the long-awaited Anointed One. So let's consider what He said He came to do:

1. He came to preach good news to the poor. Jesus did not come to prop up the egos of the rich and powerful. He came to proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom of God to those who had been excluded and marginalized by the world's kingdoms. The Pharisees had added many requirements to the Law, which only the wealthy could reasonably fulfill. Jesus came to open the gates of the kingdom to all who believe, welcoming all who come by faith in Him. 

2. He came to bind up the brokenhearted. Sin and suffering break many hearts in this world. Jesus came to bind up the wounded hearts, bringing healing to those who have been broken. He did this by bearing our suffering and brokenness in His body on the cross, healing us by His wounds. 

3.  He came to proclaim liberty to the captives. Sin doesn't just break our hearts; it also enslaves us. Satan holds us in bondage to the fear of death, as our guilty consciences condemn us before God's holy Law. Jesus breaks the chains of condemnation and the enslaving power of sin through His victory over sin at the cross and His victory over death in the empty tomb. 

4. He came to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Jesus' coming brings God's favor to His people. As Jesus fulfills all righteousness and takes the punishment we deserve, He brings the sunshine of God's favor and the fulfillment of God's blessing for us. Because of all that Jesus came and did, the Aaronic blessing falls upon all of us who trust in Him - 

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.  -Numbers 6:24-26, ESV 

Have you believed in Jesus and received the good news of what He came to bring? Or are you still walking in the brokenness, imprisonment and condemnation Jesus came to undo? Too many people have missed the joyful freedom, healing and blessing of Jesus' coming. Let's walk by faith this Christmas in the work of our Messiah! 

Day 16: He Shall See and Be Satisfied

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
    he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
    he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities. - Isaiah 53:10-11, ESV

He Shall See and Be Satisfied

I have a very tricky question for you: What does a dead man see? Here's another: How long does a dead man live?

Why am I asking such bizarre and obvious questions? A dead men doesn't see anything, and he obviously doesn't live at all. He's dead. I'm bringing up these questions because so many people read Isaiah 53 and miss the resurrection.

If you've read Isaiah 53, you're probably familiar with the theme of the suffering servant. We explored that theme yesterday. Yet we must notice that the righteous servant doesn't just suffer in Isaiah 53. He dies. How else can we interpret "they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death"? By the end of verse 9, the servant of God is dead and buried.

Strangely enough, this servant dies as a sinner, a condemned wicked man who is nonetheless buried with a rich man, or perhaps in a rich man's tomb. The level of specific detail regarding the death and burial of Christ is astounding, as it is in Psalm 22. Yet somehow people read these very specific words and miss the resurrection in verses 10-12.

After the righteous servant is dead and buried, it is said of him that "he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days" and "he shall see and be satisfied." Clearly the dead man is alive again, alive and rejoicing to see "the will of the Lord . . . prosper in his hands." Not only is this a clear prophesy of the resurrection, but it is also very encouraging.

Jesus sees our salvation. He sees it and rejoices in it, finding satisfaction that His death was not in vain. He justifies many and is satisfied to see us justified through His perfect righteousness and obedient death. We are "accounted righteous" because He bore our iniquities. Praise God!

Hebrews 12 describes "Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." What was the joy set before Jesus as He faced the cross? It was the knowledge that His suffering would not be in vain. He would accomplish the purpose for which He went to the cross: Our salvation.

Are you trusting in Jesus? Do you wonder some days if you're going to be able to persevere in faith? Do you ever wonder if you're really going to be saved in the end? Consider this: Will Jesus look on the purpose of His loving suffering and be disappointed? Will Jesus' soul fail to be satisfied? Absolutely not! And His satisfaction is in our salvation.

Lord Jesus, You died to redeem me, to make me righteous and to bear my iniquity. Though my sins are great ad my doubts are pesky, Your loving sacrifice is more powerful still. You love me and You will be satisfied with nothing less than my full and final salvation from sin. I know You can save me and You will save me, for You have already done all of the work and You have already received Your satisfaction.  I praise You! Amen. 

Day 15: Punished in our Place

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

"But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
    we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:5-6, ESV

Punished in Our Place

In Sid Fleischman's classic Newberry Award-winning novel, The Whipping Boy, Prince Horace is a spoiled brat who nevertheless cannot be physically punished for his numerous wrongs. Instead, Horace is given Jemmy, a "whipping boy," who is beaten every time Horace misbehaves. Readers feel the tension as Jemmy is beaten for Horace's crimes and feel a sense of justice when Horace is finally beaten when Jemmy is mistaken for the prince. 

It is unfair that Jemmy should be punished for Horace's crimes. Many people have made the same "unfair" objection to the Christian Gospel. 

The cry of "unfair" goes back to the Garden of Eden and the doctrine of original sin or inherited depravity. "In Adam's sin we sinned all" says the old Puritan Primer. Why should's Adam's sin count for all of humanity? Why should everyone be born corrupt because of one man's sin? That hardly seems fair! But would we have done anything different had we been in Adam's place? Hardly.

If it's unfair that we suffer a curse because of Adam's sin, it's also unfair that we should be counted as righteous because of Jesus' obedience. Some have said, "I never asked anyone to die for my sins." They seem ready to stand before God on their own two feet, ready to get what they deserve, to be treated fairly.

Yet what happens when we get what we deserve? What happens when God is fair and justice is consistently applied? We have all sinned against God Almighty. We have all openly, repeatedly, willfully rebelled against our rightful King. We have all habitually violated His good law, the law of love. Can we really handle getting what we deserve?

In The Whipping Boy, Prince Horace is never beaten because he's the prince. For us, God cannot give us what we deserve because we would all be condemned to eternal punishment. It's not that we deserve anything different, but we cannot handle the punishment we deserve. It would utterly undo us forever.

So Jesus willingly took our place. He obeyed perfectly for us. Then, He went to the cross to be cursed for us. When we consider Adam, we can say that would have done no different had we been in his place. But when we consider Jesus- the perfection of His life and the agony of His death- can we say that we would have done what He chose to do, if we were in His place? No! 

Is the Gospel unfair? Yes! It is gloriously, wonderfully, and redemptively unfair! Fairness lands us all in hell forever. Unfair gives us the reward we did not earn for work we did not do and curses Jesus with the hell we deserve on the cross. This is not fair. This is love. It is wonderful beyond all words.

Guilty, vile and helpless we

Spotless Lamb of God was He

Full atonement, can it be?

Hallelujah! What a Savior! 

Day 14: Man of Sorrows

Today's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53 (Day 1 of 3)

He was despised and rejected by men,
    a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not. - Isaiah 53:3, ESV

Man of Sorrows

Isaiah 53 is the high holy ground of the prophecies of the coming of Jesus. This marvelous chapter details the suffering of our servant Savior in beautiful detail. We learn clearly how He suffered, why He suffered and what His suffering accomplished. We will spend three days exploring this great chapter together.

When you are grieving, deep in sorrow, what do you want from others? Sympathy. Not empty sentiment or cliche answers, but real and deep sympathy, defined as "the fact or power of sharing the feelings of another, especially in sorrow or trouble; fellow feeling, compassion, or commiseration." (see Dictionary.com) 

Sometimes in the depth of our grief, it seems like the person least able to sympathize with our sorrow is God. After all, God is enthroned in heaven, a place of sinless and painless perfection. How can He sympathize with us? Well, He can't, not really, not as God. Does that sound strange to you, to think that God does not sympathize with you in your sorrow?

This is part of the reason why God the Son had to take on a true human nature as Jesus of Nazareth. Goes became a man so He could sympathize with us. Jesus is the "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Think of the grief Jesus knew:

1. Jesus lost His earthly father, Joseph, sometime before His 30th birthday.
2. Jesus was rejected by the people of His hometown, His friends and neighbors, who thought He was insane and tried to kill Him.
3. Jesus was betrayed by one of His closest followers, as His so-called friend betrayed Him to His death for money.
4. Jesus was denied by another of His closest earthly friends.
5. Almost all of Jesus' followers abandoned Him when He was arrested.
6. Finally, God the Father turned His back on Jesus in wrath when Jesus was made sin for us.

So, whether you are grieving the loss of a loves one, feeling misunderstood and rejected, betrayed or abandoned, Jesus the Man of Sorrows sympathizes with your weakness. He has entered into your pain so He can offer your real sympathy in your loneliest times.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." - Hebrews 4:15-16

Lord Jesus, you know our sorrows and our pain. You have entered into our hurt, and You sympathize with us when we struggle. Let us always go to You for the mercy and grace we need. Amen.

Day 13: Submitting to Disgrace

Today's Reading: Isaiah 50:5-6

The Lord God has opened my ear,
    and I was not rebellious;
    I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike,
    and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face
    from disgrace and spitting. - Isaiah 50:5-6, ESV

Submitting to Disgrace

Today, we begin a series of devotions focused on prophecies that foretell Jesus as our suffering servant Savior.

So much of how we experience life depends on our expectations. Many people enter marriage expecting a fairy tale "happily ever after" life together. Paul Tripp wrote What Did You Expect? and recorded a video teaching series of the same title to help people deal with the reality of marriage after their expectations are tragically unmet. Marriage can be the most powerful way God shapes us to be more like Christ, but only if we expect a struggle and not a never-ending dream.

Israel's Messianic expectations were shaped largely by wishful thinking, based on national hopes more so than God's actual promises. They wanted national independence, economic prosperity and dominance over their neighboring nations. Thus, when they read promises of the Messiah, these were the promises they saw. The language of suffering and rejection in the Psalms and Isaiah were overlooked.

Yet God's plan for His Messiah was to grant victory only through suffering. Freedom would come only after the Messiah voluntarily submitted to humiliation and bondage. Here in Isaiah 50, the prophecy emphasizes the Messiah's willing obedience and His submission to the harsh treatment of His enemies.

Why did Jesus willingly submit to harsh treatment at the hands of Roman soldiers? He did so out of willing obedience to God the Father. The soldiers did not capture Jesus in the Garden. He willingly gave Himself into their hands. They did not force Him to submit to scourging by Roman whip. He gave them His back to beat. He did so because He sought to honor His Father and secure redemption for His people.

What Isaiah 50 foretells, Philippians 2:5-11 recalls from the other side of the cross:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (ESV)

Our Advent lesson for today is to shape our expectations by the word of God alone and not by our own wishful thinking, our own life ambitions. We must let God's word lead us in this Advent season and always! 

Heavenly Father, Your ways are better than our ways. When we impose our expectations on You, we are asking for less and not more. Give us the grace to submit our life expectations to Your word alone. May Your Spirit help us understand and walk in the path of Your word. In Jesus' name, Amen.