In this advent commemoration season, my reading led me to these verses,

Hear, you deaf,

    and look, you blind, that you may see!

Who is blind but my servant,

    or deaf as my messenger whom I send?

Who is blind as my dedicated one,

    or blind as the servant of the Lord?

He sees many things, but does not observe them;

    his ears are open, but he does not hear.

The Lord was pleased, for his righteousness’ sake,

    to magnify his law and make it glorious.

Isaiah 42:18-21 (English Standard Version)

Many say Isaiah was referring to a mere man; some say this one and some that. Yet, it is clear from the context that Isaiah refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, beyond the immediate circumstances that he was addressing in his own time. How else could it be if God Almighty were to walk among men? His eyes must have been “blind,” and His ears must have been “deaf” to the sins committed by those around Him.

Earlier, Isaiah described what it would be like for God to walk among men and what is required of them in His presence,

Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;

    and you who are near, acknowledge my might.

The sinners in Zion are afraid;

    trembling has seized the godless:

“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?

    Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,

    who despises the gain of oppressions,

who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,

    who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed

 and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,

Isaiah 33:13-15 (ESV)

Truly, He is God Almighty; It is He who will tread the winepress of His fierce wrath against the nations.

And yet, Isaiah said this of the Lord’s advent,

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

    or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

    and with the breath of his lips, he shall kill the wicked.

Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

    and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Isaiah 11:3-5 (ESV)

And so, He did. The words from His mouth do strike the earth and slay the wicked. And He does decide for the meek of the earth. We must take this to heart.

However, you might say, “Did He not deal harshly with the disobedient while He was on earth?” Yes, He overthrew the moneychangers’ tables. But He dealt tenderly with those who were weary and heavy laden.

So, summing up, He emptied Himself for our sake,

Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7 (ESV)

He laid down His right as God to execute fiery wrath and judgement at His first advent so many would be saved though Him.

Therefore, hear Him in His own words,

“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:21-23 (ESV)

And,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 (ESV)

And, finally, contemplate this,

Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)

And this,

If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26-27 (ESV)

May the Lord Jesus Christ dawn in your heart.

O come, O come, Emmanuel – (Piano/Cello) – The Piano Guys, YouTube, December 4, 2012, The Piano Guys