“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6 NLT).

GOD HAS LAID OUR SINS UPON CHRIST JESUS

Seven hundred years before Christ Jesus, the Lord gave the prophet Isaiah a description of His coming. There are two types of Messianic prophecies revealed in the Old Testament. Both are seen in Isaiah. The first is the Messiah as conquering king, who will rule the nations from the throne of David. Isaiah spoke of Him, saying, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder…” (Isa. 9:6). Yet, the Messiah as conquering king prophecies have yet to be fulfilled.

The second type of Messianic prophecy is that which Isaiah described in chapter 53. The Messiah he foretold in this passage would come not as a conquering king, but as a suffering servant. For the Lord would lay on Him the sin of us all. Why? Because we have all gone our own way, rather than God’s way. This is a simple description of what the Bible calls sin; that we have rebelled against God and “left God’s paths to follow our own.”

The “suffering servant” prophecies were fulfilled at Christ’s first coming. He has taken our sin, our separation and our death upon Himself. And He offers His righteousness, Sonship and eternal life to those who would believe on Him.

Have you stopped straying from God and turned to Christ for forgiveness of sins? He has already fulfilled the suffering servant prophecies and one Day soon, He will come again to fulfill the conquering king prophecies as well.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Jesus! He is our Lord and Savior. We look forward to His second coming, but until then, we look to You for strength and encouragement that we might be His ambassadors in this world. Open people’s eyes and hearts that they might receive the message that You have laid our sins upon Him, so that we are set free from sin’s penalty and adopted as Your children. In Jesus’ name, amen.