Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Isaiah 50:6 (NIV)
“I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.”
Isaiah 50:6 (MSG)
“I followed orders, stood there and took it while they beat me, held steady while they pulled out my beard, didn’t dodge their insults, faced them as they spit in my face.”
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“I turned My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not hide My face from insults and spitting.” -AMPLIFIED
In yesterday’s text, we learned more about the Faithful Servant, the Messiah.
“The Lord Yahweh has equipped me with the anointed, skillful tongue of a teacher—
to know how to speak a timely word to the weary. Morning by morning, he awakens my heart.
He opens my ears to hear his voice, to be trained to teach. The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear,
and I did not resist; I did not rebel.” -Isaiah 50:4-5 (The Passion Translation)
Today’s passage continues with a prophecy of the willing submission of the Messiah to the ultimate plan of Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty. We are to understand that this passage is spoken by The Faithful Servant, the willing, obedient Servant:
“But it’s been hard. I offered My back to those who whipped me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not turn away from humiliation and spitting.” -(VOICE)
Immediately we see, the Messiah willingly offered Himself in obedience to the Father. Remember yesterday’s text, He did not resist or rebel. The various translations convey to us the willing, obedient attitude that the Messiah would have. Take note:
“I offered my back to those who flogged me…” -(TPT)
“I gave my back to those who beat me…” -(CSB)
“I offered my back to those who struck me…” -(CJB)
“I submitted my back to those who beat me…” -(EHV)
The Messiah voluntarily took our place, paying for our sin. He would willingly submit to shame, pain, even torture for our sake. Take notice of what is prophesied would happen to Him:
1.) He would be whipped.
“Then Pilate, afraid of a riot and anxious to please the people, released Barabbas to them. And he ordered Jesus flogged with a leaded whip, and handed him over to be crucified.” -Mark 15:15 (TLB)
2.) His beard would be pulled out. Though there is no mention of Jesus’ beard being plucked in the New Testament, we know it must have happened because of this prophecy in Isaiah.
3.) He would be insulted.
“Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking and ridiculing Him [and treating Him with contempt] and beating Him. They blindfolded Him and asked, “Prophesy, who is it that struck You?” And they were saying many other [evil and slanderous] things against Him, blaspheming [speaking sacrilegiously and abusively about] Him.” -Luke 22:63-65 (AMP)
4.) He would be spit upon.
“For a long while they beat Him on the head with a reed, spat upon Him, and knelt down as if to honor Him. When they had finished mocking Him, they stripped off His purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they took Him away to be executed.” -Mark 15:19-20 (VOICE)
He volunteered and accepted all of this pain and shame for our sake.
“I give my back to the whip, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard. I do not hide from shame—they spit in my face.” -(TLB)
“He suffered the deepest humiliation, for to pluck out the hair (of the beard) and to cover someone’s face with spit was, according to Near-Eastern concepts, the most humiliating suffering that could be inflicted upon a man.” ~Harry Bultema
If we turn over a few chapters in Isaiah, we will find him describing for us The Faithful Servant, and what He would endure for us, even further:
“Who would have believed what we heard? Who saw the Lord’s power in this?
He grew up like a small plant before the Lord. He was like a root growing in a dry land.
He had no special beauty or form to make us notice him. There was nothing in his appearance to make us desire him. He was hated and rejected by people. He had much pain and suffering.
People would not even look at him. He was hated, and we didn’t even notice him. But he took our suffering on him and felt our pain for us.
We saw his suffering. We thought God was punishing him.
But he was wounded for the wrong things we did. He was crushed for the evil things we did.
The punishment, which made us well, was given to him.
And we are healed because of his wounds. We all have wandered away like sheep. Each of us has gone his own way. But the Lord has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done.” -Isaiah 53:1-6 (ICB)
Paul reminds us that Jesus, who was God, gave up all His rights, becoming a servant, in order to die for all mankind on the cross. In this way, He paid the debt that man owed and could not pay. Paul wrote to the Philippians:
“He existed in the form of God, yet he gave no thought to seizing equality with God as his supreme prize. Instead he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! He humbled himself and became vulnerable, choosing to be revealed as a man and was obedient. He was a perfect example, even in his death—a criminal’s death by crucifixion!” -Philippians 2:6-8 (The Passion Translation)
“What an amazing testimony about the work of Christ that “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”. There was no way we could be crushed, pierced, bruised, battered, and chastised for our own sins or for the sins of another, but that was precisely why Jesus came into the world.” ~Jack Wellman
My friend, Jesus Christ willingly came to suffer and die for our sins. Why? Because He loved us. Remember that verse you may have learned as a child: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus was not robbed of His life, He freely gave it for us. Take time today to give thanks to Jesus for His sacrifice given freely for you.
“The mystery of the Suffering Servant is, indeed, a strange design. Yet, this is what led the apostle Paul to declare that he determined “to know nothing while I was with you but Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). It is in the presence of the Crucified One, God’s Suffering Servant, that we finally begin to see the full contours of God’s great plan. In the gift of God’s Son into the world—One born to suffer and die—we finally come to fully know and comprehend the love of God.” ~Timothy Tennent
My Prayer:
Adonai–Tzva’ot, God Almighty, I am so thankful for Jesus, the willing, and obedient Servant, who came to this earth to pay the price for my sin that I could not pay. Jesus, you endured, pain, suffering and shame for me. You gave up all your rights, so that you could be the perfect sacrifice, the Lamb without spot or blemish. I am so grateful for your willingness to take may place. I will be forever in your debt. I am humbled by your sacrifice, and I ask that you help me to live my life as a testament of your faithfulness. Help me to follow your perfect example, Lord. Thank you, Lord, for doing what I could not do for myself. You have saved me!
Growing with God 