King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Friday, July 29, 2022
Chapters: ISAIAH 49-53
Study: Despised And Rejected
Hello My Friend,
I had the weirdest experience last night, I was at my desk at work and felt this tugging on the back of my chair, I kept looking back, but no one was there, except for my co-worker who was sitting at his desk on the left. At the time my mind was not very focused with my work, well, I was focused on it, but not the work itself. I just think that it was Jesus telling me to calm down, because all of a sudden, I came up with a routine that had be completing these tasks quicker. It was a reminder for me not to fret because Jesus is wherever I go, [Psalms 37:1-3 A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.]
You see, it is a numbers game with my job, they expect us to work each task that we receive in one hundred and twenty-five seconds. That means that in two minutes and five seconds they expect us to contact a store, perhaps a doctor, and a patient, and have them taken care of in that time frame, and if we do not meet that goal we could lose our jobs. Well, needless to say, there are a lot of us on edge right now because we have just come out of training for the second time, and unbeknownst to us, we were ranked by our performance. As Christians, we can be thankful that we are not ranked by some number to determine our worth, in fact, there are no numbers when it comes to our salvation because Christ did all the work for us, [Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.]
As we learned when we started reading the Book of Isaiah, it actually mirrors the entire Bible, everything contained within the entire book is found somewhere else in the Scriptures, including the New Testament. The more you read through Isaiah, the more you discover that it is actually Jesus who is speaking through much of it. As we continue in the reading of Isaiah, these next several chapters, Jesus is the one speaking as He reveals how and why His Father sent Him, and this message was not only addressed to the children of Israel, it is addressed to all believers.
[Isaiah 49:1,3–6 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. 3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God. 5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength. 6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.]
[saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant,] Of course this is referring to Jesus Himself, but it also applies to every saved, born again faithful Christian who serves Him. To the world, we are fools because we choose Christ over them, and to the religious we are fools because we choose to obey the Word of God over them. One thing is for sure, our labor will never be in vain, and even if we never see anyone get saved through our efforts, we shall be glorious in the eyes of our God and Father, [1 Corinthians 15:56-58 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.]
We must come to understand why God sent Jesus in the flesh through the virgin Mary. It was not because she was perfect as she sinned just as well as we all do, she brought her sacrifices just like all the rest of God’s faithful had done at that time. God, had favor upon Mary, because she was faithful to Him. God used her to bring forth His only begotten Son for that fact that if He had sent Him through normal conception He would have been the son of Adam and not of God, [Luke 1:30-31 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.] God did not just send Jesus to save Jews, He sent Him for all who believe in Him. Now, as we continue, some of this is actually God Himself speaking.
[Isaiah 49:7-10 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 8 Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; 9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. 10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.]
[to him whom man despiseth,] He reveals His Son’s deity as well as a description of Him right here in Isaiah, [Isaiah 53:7-8 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.]
The religious despised Jesus when He walked the earth in the flesh, and they still despise Him today because His words are truly a two-edged sword that cuts right through their soul. In fact, it was the religious who cried “Crucify Him!”. [Mark 15:12-14 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? 13 And they cried out again, Crucify him. 14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him.]
None of us are worthy, except for Jesus, to serve God and receive His blessings for a job well done because even on a good day, we fail Him. Oh, it may seem like He is far away sometimes when we are being afflicted, but He has not gone anywhere, in fact, He goes on to tell us that He not only never forgets us, that our very own names are written in the palms of His hands.
[Isaiah 49:14-17,22-23 But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. 15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. 17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. 22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. 23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.]
[they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.] To the backsliders who lost their way, and to the lost who have yet to find their way, there is hope in Christ. And let me tell you, Jesus, not only, picks us up out of the dust that we have been scurrying around in when we were lost, He also lifts us upon His shoulders and carries us through the desert. This is a reminder that once we receive Christ, He holds on to us, and never lets us go, [John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.]
It may sound strange to the world that one could even imagine a God is so powerful that He is able to not only be in heaven, but everywhere at same time, including in the flesh of Jesus Christ Himself. Well, that is why they will never see Jesus as anyone other than some prophet or preacher man who became a martyr for His God. While Jesus did give His life to save all, He will only save those who come to Him through their faith in Him. God, promises that once we come to Him through His Son, then we are His forever so, why do so many Christians live as though He is no where to be found? Well, their sin has drawn them away from Him, but He has not left them.
[Isaiah 50:1-2,4 Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away. 2 Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. 4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.]
[for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves,] Those who are saved who continuously live in sin and refuse to repent, they are the ones who sell themselves for their sin and will suffer so much more than what they will ever suffer from life’s afflictions. Needless to say, it is a good thing that they are saved by grace and not their own works. And if they would just get it in their heads and hearts of what Jesus went through to save them, then perhaps they would not keep hanging Him on that cross every time. In fact, they would be down right humiliated by the way they have been acting if they truly understood that. And speaking humiliation, Jesus speaks of the humiliation He will face leading up to His crucifixion.
[Isaiah 50:6-10 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7 For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up. 10 Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.]
[therefore have I set my face like a flint,] A flint is a rock, but not just your average rock, it is a quartz, often bluish gray, or grayish black in color. So, it is not the most beautiful to look at in its natural state. It is amorphous and interspersed into other stones, which means that it is found in the midst of other stones. Its surface is generally uneven, covered with a rind or crust, and it is very hard, strikes fire with steel, and also an ingredient in glass. This is a symbol of Jesus, no matter how much they shamed Him He stayed the course, not only when they hung Him on the cross, but beat and brutalized Him as well before He was crucified. Jesus, is the ROCK, He is not desired as one would desire flesh, yet His faithful draw near to Him to satisfy their thirst, [John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.]
It is no wonder why we need the Saviour and run to our ROCK, He never moves from His promise to save us, He quenches our thirsty soul, and we never have to worry about our own works of righteousness because His righteousness does. Jesus, goes on to explain how His own righteousness is what saves us forever.
[Isaiah 51:1-5 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. 3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. 4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. 5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.]
[but my salvation shall be for ever,] Animal sacrifices were a way for a person to be atoned for their sins, but it was not permanent, everytime they sinned they would have to bring another offering. What Jesus would do by offering Himself as the sacrifice would not only atone for our sin, it would pay the debt owed, and remove the need for any other sacrifice, [Hebrews 10:4-6,12,14 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. 5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.] Due to our own transgressions, we owe a debt that we can never pay for our redemption on our own. Even if we could afford to pay for every sin we ever committed in the past, we still would never be able to pay it off because we never stop sinning. Jesus, goes on to explain this.
[Isaiah 52:3,6-7,11-12 For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money. 6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. 12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.]
[and ye shall be redeemed without money.] Through our iniquities we have sold ourselves to the creditor, Satan himself, and for nothing, because all he will do is take us to hell with him. By Jesus sacrificing His sinless body, He paid that debt for us, and we never have to pay it back. Amen! We have been washed clean with His blood, removed of our sin stain filled garments, and put on the new clothes of Christ’s righteousness that He has given us without one single payment. Amen! Now, through Isaiah, we get a little more insight into what Jesus looked like, the life He would live, how man would see Him, His crucifixion, and the amazing purpose behind it.
[Isaiah 52:10-14 The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD. 12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. 13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. 14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:]
[his visage was so marred more than any man,] We have seen the movies that give us a picture of what Jesus went through during His passion, but they are not even close to what actually happened, his face beaten, beard literally ripped off his face, his body maimed as knife like weapons rip pieces of his skin off his body. Jesus could have ended it all right there, but He endured it all so that we do not have to walk in darkness, so that we could see His Light and trust that He alone would be our means to salvation. Through Isaiah, Jesus also reveals those, including Jews, who would reject Him, and how they despised Him.
[Isaiah 53:1-5 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.]
[and with his stripes we are healed.] Jesus, did not just endure all that pain for the Jews, He did it for all. When Jesus hung on that cross He bore every single sin of every single soul upon His body, it was covered with so much sin that God had to turn His face as to not look at him, [2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.] His sacrifice, once and for all, satisfied God’s requirement needed to redeem a soul bound for hell permanently because of the debt that could never be paid, even if we gave ourselves as a sacrifice. And this goes all the way back to the first sin committed by Adam and Eve.
[1 Peter 2:21-25 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 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. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, As much as I thank You for saving my soul from death and hell the second I trusted You as my Saviour, I still do not comprehend all that You have done for me. It is so overwhelming that You died for me to save me from something I deserve. Thank You, Jesus. I know there is nothing I can do to repay You, but I love You, and want to give honor to You by giving myself to You as the Bishop of my soul. You are my Lord and Saviour, the ROCK upon which I stand, there is no other, and I am glad that there is no other because You are all I need. Lord, Give me Your power, strength, mercy, and grace to endure all the trials, challenges, and afflictions I face as I seek to serve You as a living sacrifice. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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