December 28: OH! TO BELIEVE THE ONE WHO CANNOT LIE!

He was taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living… [Yet] He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days… He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. Isaiah 53:8a, 10b, 11a

The arrest and series of trials (we might call them kangaroo courts) that the sinless Redeemer was subjected to culminated in His death on the cross. As Isaiah penned the prophetic words regarding His cruel treatment and death, he poses the question: who will declare His generation? How could this Man, who was cut off from the land of the living generate posterity?

And yet, He shall see His seed! The “how?” of this haunting question is so complex that the redeemed will be on a path of discovery through eternity. But, for now, we may answer: Because of God’s love, His Messiah would choose to suffer the penalty of our sin.

The next question is “why would He do that?” The answer: to reach the unreachable. And—get ready for this—the “unreachable” is us! Someone once said, “We have met the enemy and they are us.” Such dry simplicity carries pinpoint accuracy. God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:8,10). Death could not hold the sinless One, and the record of His sinless life is applied to all who believe [the] report (Isaiah 53:1).

The crucified Savior was raised to life and offers His sinless record as justification for the repentant sinner. This Plan of redemption is the merciful will of God. Included in the Plan is the supernatural transformation of our marred character by His grace. It is a process of becoming… God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in [Christ] (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, He shall prolong His days… and also those of the redeemed—for eternity.

The risen Christ is our Great High Priest. He also continues as our Teacher, having provided us His textbook and His Spirit as our Guide. All of these things are so wonderful that it is difficult to believe, but, beloved: know that any difficulty that we have believing One who cannot lie is due to our own sin… that thing that always gets in the way. It is possible to make an idol of always having an explanation for every tribulation. Some suffering that we encounter could be the Lord helping us to overcome personal ambitions, preferences, or habits that are incongruous with His will. Are you willing to alter your course as He leads? Are you willing to be supernaturally transformed? All of the “whys?” and the “hows?” that we are left with may be His way of protecting us from pride—so that He can use us for the growth and glory of His eternal kingdom. Through every wonderment and question, we can latch onto the certainty of this fact:

He shall see the labor of His soul and be satisfied. Isaiah 53:11a