Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. New King James Version (NKJV)
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed. New King James Version (NKJV)
Happy 4th of July! Today we celebrate the birth of our nation, the independence gained by our forefathers in standing up and fighting for their religious freedom and the oppression of the British. It was gained through great sacrifice. The flags that are flying and the patriotic songs will speak of and point to that sacrifice. The thirteen stripes in our American Flag represent the thirteen colonies that united and made sacrifices so that we could be free as nation.
I read today's verse in my Old Testament reading this morning . The NKJV and other versions point to the "stripes", the beating that Jesus would endure for us, making the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, to give us freedom from the punishment and the continuing oppression of our sins.
While we receive forgiveness, freedom and independence, we realize that we are dependent upon the One who freed us if we are to remain free.
As we here the "Stars and Stripes" being played to day at 4th of July parades and celebrations may we also remember the stripes that the suffering Servant endured for us. I'm reminded of the Steven Curtis Chapman song "Declaration of Dependence", I'll close with the chorus. May it be our declaration today.
This is my declaration of dependence
This is my declaration of my need
This is my declaration of dependence
On the one who gave His life to me
This is my declaration of my need
This is my declaration of dependence
On the one who gave His life to me
In Christ,
Mike
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Isaiah 53:5The Message (MSG)
2-6 The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.
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