A Bitter root
A wandering eye and then
The ties that bind start wearing thin
You're in the moment now
When all that you've been blessed with is not enough
It's where the ground gets loose
It's where the devil calls your bluff..." (1)
and you set your foot in the trap
take a slow, savouring, luscious bite
feel the sweet and sour juicy crispness of evil roll over your tongue
and say "it is good!" though already you feel the poison spreading through your body
mortality - you had no idea! but you knew enough
and already bitter shame causes your insides to writhe when you think of your Creator
pain
shame
sorrow
and He knows. You can never hide.
You can never hide
And He will not hide! --that is hope!
...and so the first prophecy: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman
between your seed and her Seed
He will crush your head
And you will bruise His heel." (2)
And on that vague though substantial promise rests the hope of men for the first third of the history of the earth (3) ...as the world descends into depravity so utter that God destroys and recreates it via a worldwide flood, and calls the man in whom the whole earth will be blessed. The man Abraham becomes a family becomes a nation enslaved, heard, and freed, sent to the mountain and told the Law of the Lord. Through Moses God revives the knowledge of the genesis hope, but all we are told about Christ in the Law is a curse... "cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree" (4). But that is less a prophecy and more a foreshadowing... 'types and shadows of things to come' as a later writer would explain it (5). And throughout the time of wandering and conquest I expect God's promises of a land for a people were of greater comfort than God's promises of a crushing of a snake. Even amidst their continual failures and judgments, they were seeking a homeland of promise, where all would be well. But all was not well. And so God raised up the judges, then granted their request for a king, who they thought would solve all their problems. But as the line of kings decayed and disintegrated, God revealed His new plan: His voices on earth, physical signs and spokespeople to a physical people - the prophets. Prophet after prophet He sent, reminding them of the blessings and cursings He set before them in the Law, pleading with Israel to return! repent! renew!
But they did not.
And so God raises another longing..... they have longed for freedom, they have longed for a homeland, they have longed for a king. They have received all these things, and still the longing remains. God points them back to the root of their longing: the fellowship that was broken, Seed of Eve, of Abraham, of Isaac, the Son of King David who will reign forever..... and tells them more about Him. (6)
“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
A King shall reign and prosper,
And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell safely;
Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear
a Son,
and shall call His name Immanuel.
He shall grow up before Him as a tender
plant,
And as a root out of dry ground.
And as a root out of dry ground.
The people who walked in darkness
The land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth,
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth,
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”
Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
“I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
How beautiful upon the
mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
“Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
He has no form or comeliness;
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
And when we see Him,
There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
“The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”
And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
I gave My back to those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.”
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.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment,
And who will declare His generation?
“Many were astonished at Me,
So My visage was marred more than any man,
And My form more than the sons of men;
So My visage was marred more than any man,
And My form more than the sons of men;
I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
‘He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
All those who see Me ridicule Me;
They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
‘He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him;
Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!’
I am poured out like water,
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
And all My bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It has melted within Me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And My tongue clings to My jaws;
You have brought Me to the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet;
I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?”
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?”
He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
And they made His grave with the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
“I will ransom them from
the power of the grave;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, I will be your plagues!
O Grave, I will be your destruction!
You will not leave my
soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(1) Stay Strong by the Newsboys.
(2) Genesis 3
(3) According to young-earth creationism, the earth is approximately 6000 years old, with the first 2000 years from Creation to Abraham, the second from Abraham to Christ, and the third from Christ to now. But don't get hung up on this. My point was mainly that it was a very long time!
(4) Deut. 21:24
(5) Col. 2:17
(6) Roughly in order of appearance:
Jeremiah 23: 5-6
Isaiah
7:14
Isaiah
53
Isaiah
9
Isaiah
42
Isaiah
61
Zechariah
9
Isaiah
50
Isaiah
52
Psalm
22
Hosea
13
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