By Doug Redford
In Psalm 8, David expressed his amazement at the Lord’s majestic work in creation, praising him for “the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place” (v. 3, New International Version). Today we have the technology that allows us to explore the immeasurable vastness of the heavens, which should produce a sense of wonder far greater than David’s. (Sadly, for many it does not.) Yet we must never forget that every bit of this magnificent light show was just “finger play” for God!
At times in Scripture, God chooses to cast aside finger play and display his “mighty hand” and his “outstretched arm,” as when he brought the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt. Such language appears in several Old Testament references, including Deuteronomy 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; 26:8; Psalm 136:11, 12; and Jeremiah 32:21. Isaiah spoke of the Lord’s arm in action following the prophet’s alarming description of humanity’s wretched, sinful condition in Isaiah 59:9-15. The Lord recognized that there was “no one to intervene” to address such a crisis (v. 16). This verse goes on to say that “his own arm achieved salvation for him,” a picture of what Jesus would do to reverse the dismal conditions described in the preceding verses.
Earlier, in Isaiah 53:1, the prophet expressed reservations about the reception of his message: “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” And in the verses that follow, the Lord’s arm seems concealed, not revealed. Here is one “despised and rejected by mankind,” “held . . . in low esteem” (v. 3), and “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (v. 7). Can this be the same “arm of the Lord” that acted in power to free the Israelites from slavery? The Message renders the question of Isaiah 53:1 as follows: “Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?”
At Communion we remember that it was Jesus’ “outstretched arms” on the cross that did indeed demonstrate God’s power to free us from the slavery of sin. Read the entirety of Isaiah 53 to see the prophet’s vivid portrayal of what God’s saving power would look like. The emblems of the bread and the juice remind us that Isaiah’s words have been vividly fulfilled at the cross. Imagine those arms of Jesus outstretched now, welcoming each of us to this table.
Doug Redford has served in the preaching ministry, as an editor of adult Sunday school curriculum, and as a Bible college professor. Now retired, he continues to write and speak as opportunities arise.
Contact us at cs@christianstandardmedia.com
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