July 1

1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor conceliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth, he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her wearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justly many; for he shall bear their iniquities:

12 Thereafter will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Marvelous condescension—Christ took our place! The sinless assumed the punishment of the sinful; the just died for the unjust; the Holy One gave His life for the guilty. And he did this "that He might bring us to God."

"It seems too costly for Him who is the Prince of life and glory to let His (338)

fair limbs be tortured in agony, that the hands which carried mercies should be pierced with accursed nails, that the temples that were always clothed with love should have cruel thorns driven through them! It appears too much! Oh! weep, Christian, and let our sorrow rise. Is not the price all too great, that your Beloved should for you resign Himself?"—C. H. Spurgeon

"We may paint the outward appearance of Christ's sufferings, but not the inward bitterness or invisible causes of them. Men can paint the cursed tree, but not the curse of the law that made it so. Men can paint Christ bearing the cross to Calvary, but not Christ bearing the sins of many. We may describe the nails piercing His sacred flesh, but who can describe eternal justice piercing both flesh and spirit? We may describe the soldier's spear, but not the arrows of the Almighty; the cup of vinegar which He but tasted, but not the cup of wrath, which He drank out to the lowest dregs; the derision of the Jews, but not the desertion of the Almighty forsaking His Son, that He might never forsake us who were His enemies." —J. Maclaurin.

Closet Promise.—If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.—2 Tim. ii. 12

"Disciple, oh, be not afraid, I only prove thy trust; Perfect through suffering I am made, And so my followers must: 'Tis thus my power and glory shine, And thus I prove thy love and mine.

Gold in the furnace thou dost try, And so do I try thee: Renew, refine, and purify, To live and reign with me— A polished, pure, and perfect gem, A diamond for my diadem."