"But the Lord GOD helps me;
therefore I have not
been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I
shall not be put to shame." (Isaiah 50:7)
“But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you,
for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have
a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. Behold, I have made your face as hard as
their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads. Like emery harder
than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their
looks, for they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 3:7-9)
Every day there are lessons from God’s word that come from whatever
Scripture passage I am reading. But other lessons come by being reminded of things
I have already learned. So often these reminders weave together truths of
Scripture in ways I had never noticed before.
Today’s time with God in his word and prayer
began like a narrow spotlight on the central figure of Christ fulfilling
prophecy. It then panned to another prophecy God had already encouraged me with
in times past that clearly applied to Jesus’ example. Then the spotlight expanded
to show God’s history of reminding his people of things he had already done to
encourage them to trust him with whatever they were facing.
And all of a sudden the Holy Spirit was
reminding me that all God’s reminders to his people were good. They were done
in love. They were the grace and mercy of God. They were the patience of a holy
and loving Father. Even when discipline was imminent because the children would
not listen, God’s reminders of what he had done for them were aimed at saving
them in a present conflict by retelling how a previous generation had already
learned from such an experience. There was always time to repent and return to
God!
On the night before Jesus’ crucifixion, he
told his disciples some things about the Holy Spirit because it would only be
50 days after his death that the Spirit would be poured out on the church. One
of the things about the Spirit’s ministry was described like this, “But the
Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach
you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John
14:26). This was telling the apostles how the Holy Spirit would continue
helping them as Jesus had already done, but it was also telling the church how
the Spirit would help us all, by constantly teaching and reminding us however we
need both.
In God’s kingdom, being reminded of “truth
in love” is a good thing. Always. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are
always in full agreement when they teach us anything new from the Scriptures or
remind us of things we were taught in the past that connect with what we are
learning each day. We must let ourselves be like little children who delight to
learn new things all the time, while constantly being reminded of how
everything works together to make us more like our Savior.
I am a bit curious about how the “face like
flint” in Jesus and the “harder than flint” forehead of his servant will apply
to anything that comes up this week. However, this lesson has already comforted
me about things that have recently taken place.
The bottom line is that we must constantly remind
ourselves of how Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. He went through Gethsemane
in such sorrow at what he would soon feel of the wrath of God against our sin by
praying, “Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Then he
set his “face like flint” to go to the cross, “despising its shame”, but
knowing that this is how he would redeem people like us out of our sin so we
could become the righteousness of God in him.
Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would do this
seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth. God’s word is telling us to live this
way no matter what we face today. And I share this by way of reminder.
© 2024
Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the
English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text
Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.)
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