Thursday after the Second Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on June 17, 2021 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 42:5-8 (NKJV)
42:5 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:
6 “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,
7 “to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.”
Devotion
Because of who the Suffering Servant is and what He has been divinely sent to do, God will ratify a covenant to take away the sins of the world. He will free men from death for rebellion against Him, purely by grace, through faith in this Servant and His holy work. The Messiah will fulfill the Davidic covenant as King, and will institute the new covenant of divine grace through faith by His death. The people of Israel and the other nations will share alike in the spiritual benefits won and delivered by the Messiah, as if they constituted one global community.
The conclusion of verse six is a beautifully concise Gospel message in a few simple words: “light to the Gentiles.” Paul and Barnabas brought “the light of the world” (John 8:12) to the Gentiles by proclaiming the Word to all who would listen, regardless of their ethnic heritage. Paul and Barnabas justified bringing “the light of the world” to the Gentiles by referring to these very verses and to 49:6 (Acts 13:47; see also Simeon’s words in Luke 2:30-32).
Prayer: O Lord, who never failest to help and govern those whom Thou dost bring up in Thy steadfast fear and love, make us to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
