By Terri Cavaliere
“Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights;I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1)
As many times as I have read this passage, I never understood its true meaning. With the help of my Lutheran Study Bible, I learned that this passage is the first of the SERVANT SONGS and all 3 persons in the Trinity are mentioned here. The SERVANT is Jesus, the Messiah. How did I miss this? I must have read it with my eyes closed. Most of us remember the BIG VERSES: John 3:16, Jeremiah 33:3 [AKA God’s phone number], and the RED-LETTER PASSAGES [Jesus’ words].
This reminds me of a situation that I encounter with my students. I create “open book” exams, allowing them to use course materials to help in answering the questions. I warn them that the answers will not come by magic and they must actually READ the texts. You would think that the whole class would get 100%; I would tell you that you are wrong. Some students do not even open the book. Perhaps they sleep with it under their pillows and expect to learn through osmosis. This might get them through the semester, but they have licensing exams ahead of them. How will they pass? They will not.
Well, this might apply to Christians who never actually read the Bible for themselves or if they do read, they do not understand what they read. God reaches for us and teaches us through His WORD. Hearing the Word preached in church is not sufficient, assuming that we attend services regularly. Listening is a form of “passive learning”; we do not remember much of what we learn. We need “active learning”: reading, writing, questioning, discussing. Peter wrote that the devil prowls around like a lion seeking those whom he can devour [1Pe 5:8]. My message is simple: immerse yourself in the WORD.
Dear God, in Jesus’ precious name, grant us the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and guide us to the true meaning of the Word so it can be a lamp to me feet and guide to my path. Give us strength to stand fast and use the Word against the evil one as Jesus did. Help us to put on the whole armor of God [Eph 6:10 – 17] so we will be able to withstand the assault of the world, the flesh, the devil, and Instagram, Facebook, and other false preachers and teachers.
Blessings from our God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.