314. Our Common Lament

Key Verse: "The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm worked salvation for Him, and His own righteousness sustained Him."

Isaiah 59:16

I realize that there may be some impatience here with my continuing to address the subject of our sin. Today, especially, we want so badly to get to the happy ending. We don't want to think about the bad stuff. We want to move on to Easter. But, remember, for the followers of Christ, at Jesus’ death, there was no knowledge of an Easter coming. Their hope had been snuffed out. Jesus had come and gone. The Romans were still in control. The law still oppressed the people. The writings that they had to contemplate were such as these from Isaiah.

Paul tells the Corinthians, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." (2 Cor. 7:10) At this point, all Jesus’ followers knew was that sin leads to death no matter how much sorrow was expressed. They did not yet understand that God was fully aware of their helpless condition and that He Himself had acted to bring about the true justice that was required.

Read Isaiah 59 for yourself. Can you make it personal and join in the lament and recognition expressed here? Spend time reading slowly and putting yourself in the place of other pronouns. Let it move you to godly sorrow. Then, recognize the truth of the verse above. God has taken matters into His own hands. He has acted in the name of justice and He has forgiven. He is the only one who is truly righteous, the only One who could do so. If He has forgiven, you are forgiven in deed.

Hymn: "Approach, My Soul, The Mercy Seat"

Also, "You Are My King," by the Newsboys

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