If you are like many of your brothers and sisters in Christ you read Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 today. You should. If you haven’t there’s still time.
The first phrase is, “Behold, my servant will prosper…” The phrase starts with an emphatic word, “Behold.” So the Holy Spirit is drawing attention to “prosper” emphatically. Then he details what He means by prosper:
Not sure how you define, “prosper,” Those elements are not even in the ballpark of my definition of “prosper.” It seems my definition may be deficient.
The measure of prosper for God is in Isaiah 53:11, “My Servant, will justify the many…” Apparently prosperity in this context is not about what the Servant gains, but that He is an effective instrument of God’s overwhelming, lavish, overflowing grace.
- Appearance marred by more than any man
- No stately for or majesty
- Not attractive
- Sorrowful
- Grieving
- Stricken of God
- Afflicted
- Pierced
- Crushed
- Chastened
- Scourged
- Bearing all of our iniquity
- Oppressed
- Taken away
- Cut off from the living
- His soul in anguish
Not sure how you define, “prosper,” Those elements are not even in the ballpark of my definition of “prosper.” It seems my definition may be deficient.
The measure of prosper for God is in Isaiah 53:11, “My Servant, will justify the many…” Apparently prosperity in this context is not about what the Servant gains, but that He is an effective instrument of God’s overwhelming, lavish, overflowing grace.
Wow Mike.. Nice. Whole new view of prosperity. "The measure of my effectiveness as an instrument of God's [grace, love, compassion, heart, beauty, friendship, favor, mercy, kindness, goodness, healing, redemption (in essence, God's Kingdom Will on Earth)]."
ReplyDeleteThe question becomes: "How have I (insert my/your own name here) prospered in the Kingdom of God?"
- Andy Still
Great summary question, Andy. Thanks. But, as you know, Isaiah is really not "new."
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