The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 216: The Suffering Servant (2023)

Episode Date: August 4, 2023

Fr. Mike marvels at the beauty of Isaiah 53, which reveals that Jesus is the Lord's suffering servant and also zeroes in on Ezekiel 15, which reminds us that without God we are like a useless vine that bears no fruit. Today we read Isaiah 53-54, Ezekiel 14-15, and Proverbs 12:25-28. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 216, and we are reading from Isaiah chapter 53 and 54, Ezekiel 14 and 15, as well as Proverbs chapter 12, verses 25 through 28. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year

reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast. I don't know if you knew that. Little known fact. We got to get the word out, people, because not everyone knows that you can subscribe to this and get daily updates and daily episodes and all those kinds of things. As I mentioned, today is day 216, and Isaiah 53 and 54 is just, man, gosh, bonkers, incredible. It is the Lord's suffering servant, and if nothing else, it is one of the most clear proclamations and prophecies of Jesus Christ and his suffering for us, for our sins. Now, keep in mind the context of Isaiah 53 and 54 is Isaiah is talking about the people of Israel. And yet at the same time, he maybe didn't have any idea. He was also talking about the Messiah,

Jesus Christ, our Lord, as well as in chapters 14 and 15 of Ezekiel, when he's talking about those false prophets, idolatry condemned. Anyways, you know what's coming up. We've got the readings today and gosh, let's not wait. Let's dive in right now with Isaiah 53, 54, Ezekiel 14 and 15, Proverbs 12, verses 25 through 28. The book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 53. The Lord's suffering servant. Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground.

He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone 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, like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away, and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the away, and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him. He has put him to grief. When he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring. He shall prolong his days. The will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied.

By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Chapter 54, Mercy and Comfort Offered. Sing, O barren one who did not bear. Break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not had labor pains. For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord. Enlarge the place of your tent,

and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out. Hold not back, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. Fear not, for you will not be ashamed. Be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame. For you will forget the shame of your youth and the reproach of your widowhood. You will remember no more. For your maker is your husband.

The Lord of hosts is his name. And the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. The God of the whole earth he is called. For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God. For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting mercy I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.

For this is like the days of Noah to me, as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my mercy shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you. O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphire. I will make your pinnacle of agate and your gates of carbuncles and all your wall of precious stones. All your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons. In righteousness you shall be established, you shall be far from oppression Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons. In righteousness you

shall be established, you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me. Whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals, and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, says the Lord. and their vindication from me, says the Lord.

The book of the prophet Ezekiel, chapter 14. Idolatry condemned. Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me and sat before me, and the word of the Lord came to me. Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I let myself be inquired of at all by them? Therefore speak to them and say to them, thus says the Lord God, any man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart and sets the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face and yet comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself because of the multitude of his idols,

that I may lay hold of the hearts of the house of Israel, who are all estranged from me through their idols. Therefore say to the house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, repent and turn away from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel who separates himself from me, taking his idols into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and yet comes to a prophet to inquire for himself of me, I the Lord will answer him myself, and I will set my face against that man. I will make him a sign and a byword and cut him off from the midst of my people.

And you shall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, the Lord, have deceived that prophet. And I will stretch out my hand against him and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel. And they shall bear their punishment. The punishment of the prophet and the punishment of the inquirer shall be alike. And the word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its staff of bread and send famine upon it and cut off from it man and beast, even if

these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, says the Lord God. If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land and they ravage it, it may be made desolate, so that no man may pass through the land, and they ravage it, it may be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the beasts. Even if these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Let a sword go through the land, and I cut off from it man and beast, though these three

men were in it as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they alone would be delivered. Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath upon it with blood to cut off from it man and beast, even if Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it as I live, says the Lord God, they would deliver neither son nor daughter. They would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness. For thus says the Lord God, How much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four sore acts of judgment, sword, famine, evil beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast.

Yet if there should be left in it any survivors to lead out sons and daughters when they come forth to you and you see their ways and their doings, you will be consoled for the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, for all that I have brought upon it. They will console you when you see their ways and their doings, and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord God. Chapter 15. The Useless Vine. And the word of the Lord came to me, Son of man, how does the wood of the vine surpass any wood, the vine branch which is among the trees of the forest? Is wood taken from it to make anything? Do men take a peg from it to hang any vessel on? Behold, it is given to

the fire for fuel. When the fire has consumed both ends of it and the middle of it is charred, is it useful for anything? Behold, when it was whole, it was used for nothing. How much less, when the fire has consumed it and it is charred, can it ever be used for anything? Therefore, thus says the Lord God, like the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest, Can it ever be used for anything? and you will know that I am the Lord when I set my face against them, and I will make the land desolate, because they have acted faithlessly, says the Lord God. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 12, Verses 25-28 Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. A righteous man turns away from evil, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. A slothful man will not catch his prey, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

In the path of righteousness is life, but the way of error leads to death. is life, but the way of error leads to death. Father in heaven, we give you praise and thank you so much. Gosh, God, thank you for this opportunity to be close to you and close to your word. Thank you so much for your promise of a Messiah who's willing to suffer for us and did and has suffered for us. Thank you for the deliverance of not only the people of Israel in sending your son, our Lord God, Jesus Christ, but also thank you for sending him for us. Many of us who were not your chosen people

until you've chosen us in Jesus. And so we just give you thanks. We give you praise. And we ask that you please hear our prayers and receive our thanks, receive our praise this day and every day. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Gosh, you guys, how phenomenal is chapter 53 of Isaiah?

It is worth going back. You know, it's the very first thing we read today. And so it's one of those things where you could go back and just listen again and again or open up your Bibles and just underline these things, that the reality of here's Jesus Christ, the Lord's suffering servant, prophesied 600 years, 700 years before he was made incarnate on this earth. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. And it goes on talking about how he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, that he looked abandoned, right? Struck down by God. He looked afflicted, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. And this is just bonkers. As I said at the beginning of this,

it is crazy to realize the goodness of God and what he's done for us. Now that's chapter 53. In chapter 54, mercy and comfort is offered. And that's this massive message here that, you know, so many of us experience shame, right? We experience the guilt of our sins and that's accurate. That's what we should. We should, if I've done something wrong, I should feel guilty. If I don't feel guilty, that means I am a sociopath, right? But we also experience shame.

And one of the things that shame wants to do, you know, guilt is, I know I've sinned against the standard. Shame is often, I know that you know that I've sinned against the standard, right? When guilt is, I know I've failed. Shame is when I've failed in your eyes, right? That's one of the ways you can maybe define it. And yet in chapter 54, God says to his people through Isaiah, fear not, you will not be ashamed.

Be not confounded for you will not be put to shame. You will forget the shame of your youth and the fact that you were abandoned at one point. And I love this is God's word for your maker is your husband. It's that sense of like, here's your creator is your beloved. And, and just like here's a wife that was cast off, you'll be gathered back by the one who loves you, the one who knows you more than anyone else. And it's just incredible. God's offer of mercy, his offer of compassion, his offer of comfort. Remember, this is the book of comfort. The previous book, 1-39 of Isaiah,

the book of Woe, and 40-66, this is the book of comfort. And it's just God's promise. We only have, I think, 11 chapters left in Isaiah, but just what a gift to be able to hear God's word that offers so much comfort because, you know, we jump over then to Ezekiel, which is, remember, he is writing to people who are in Babylon. They're already exiled. And one of the things that he's letting them know, again, this is again and again, remember he's had his visions in chapters eight through 11. Ezekiel had his vision of being transported to Jerusalem and seeing that the people who still remained in Jerusalem had not turned back to God yet.

They had abandoned him. And so here is God abandoning his presence, leaving the temple. And this is gonna be very important. One of the things that I did not highlight and I should have when it comes to chapter 11, again, even in the midst of God's taking his spirit, taking his presence, that glory cloud and leaving, even in the midst of that is a promise. And I didn't

mention this promise. I mean, read it, but I didn't point it out. But it's chapter 11, verse 19. It says this, it says, I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them. And they shall be my people and I will be their God. And that is so incredible. You know, if you haven't underlined that one, that's a good piece to underline. It's chapter 11, verse 19 and 20.

And it just, again, why? Because God's people have been false to him and we have been false to him. That's why the next couple chapters are all about judgment will not be delayed. You keep thinking this is not going to come to you, but it's going to come to you. False prophets are condemned, the ones who are just saying, here's what I think, as opposed to here's what God is saying. And then we have today, idolatry condemned. And what does it say? It says that you've taken your idols and put them into your heart, these things that are outside of you. Now, we don't necessarily have idols in the sense that we have an image of a god or a goddess that we will give our hearts to. But we do have idols in terms of the things that we love more than anything else.

In fact, our relationship with God is meant to be such that he tolerates no rivals to his place in our heart. Now, there's a lot of things in our lives that you can have rivals to it. Like you have more than one friend. You can have more than one child. You can have more than one aunt or uncle or cousin. You have more than one buddies, whatever. But you can't have more than one spouse. And God has said, like, listen, again, your maker will be your spouse. And God is saying that, you know, just like any good spouse would say, like, no, and God is saying that, you know, just like any good spouse would say like, no, I don't tolerate any rivals to my spouse in this relationship. And so whenever we allow something to be God's arrival in our lives, God's arrival to our heart, his place in our heart, that's what

he's talking about when taking his idol into his heart and putting the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face. And that's what the people of Israel are doing, but they're actually doing it by turning away from God. They're actually intentionally turning away from the Lord God to false gods. We sometimes slip into this and we end up giving our lives and spending our lives for things that are not worthy of your life, right? There might be things you need to do, maybe work, might be family, might be the things that just, yeah, they're important, but they have taken the place of God in our lives. And because of that, our

lives then end up becoming useless. And this is what the message of chapter 15 is, the useless vine. The Lord God says, speak this, what good is wood from vines? You can't do anything with it. You can't make anything with it. You can't do anything with it. Now, take that vine branch and put it in fire and the ends get burned. The whole thing gets charred. It is even more useless. And what God is saying through Isaiah is that's what Jerusalem has become like. That's what the inhabitants of Jerusalem have become like. No, they were chosen, not because they were great, not because they were wise or more beautiful or more powerful than all the nations. God says so many times, I chose you because I chose you. I chose you because I wanted you.

I chose you because I can take how small you are and how ineffective on your own you are, how weak you are, and make you glorious because of my glory. But now if you've turned away from me, you're even more useless, right? There's even less that someone can do with you. And that is just so remarkable. Last little note here. In chapter 14, God mentions through Isaiah, three people, Noah, Daniel, and Job. Now, Daniel, Ezekiel would have known Daniel.

Remember, Daniel was in the first exile, first deportation from Jerusalem to Babylon. And he was known as a righteous person, right? He was known as a Jew who remained faithful even in the midst of exile. And so he's a good example. Job, again, righteous man of God. Noah, obviously righteous man of God. And one of the things God is saying through Ezekiel, that even these three men who are incredibly righteous, that when judgment comes, even their righteousness won't even save their

own kids. Even their righteousness won't even save their own kids. It'll save their lives, but it won't even save the lives of their children. And one of the things that that highlights is, yes, we need to pursue righteousness. We need to pursue right relationship with the Lord, but also we need to just pray that the people around us, you know, we can't make anyone do anything. We can only control ourselves. But we also recognize that we just ask, okay, Lord, you're drawing me closer and closer to yourself on these 216 days of reading your Bible, reading your word, listening to your word proclaimed.

God, I want to intercede on behalf of my own kids. I'm going to intercede on behalf of my parents, my siblings, my nieces, nephews, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, like all the people in my life, my coworkers, because I want them to choose you the way that you've allowed me to choose you. And that's the prayer. We just got to pray for each other because, yeah, the people who are us who are journeying in this Bible and year, this community, we're so grateful to the prayer. We just got to pray for each other because yeah, the people who are us, who are journeying in this Bible and year, this, this community, we're so grateful to the Lord, but there's also people we know that, um, this would change their life. This would change their

life. And so we're just praying for them that at one point, God sparks that, that desire, the hunger for his word, and they're able to just, you know, someday just press play. So I'm praying for them. Let's pray for them. Please pray for me. I'm praying for you. My name is father Mike, and I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.