Our reading takes us just one chapter shy of finishing the first major prophetic book in the Old Testament this week - Isaiah. Remember the first half of the book deals primarily with judgment against Judah and a call to repentance; the chapters we are reading this week continue on with God's message of forgiveness and hope as he reveals his plan for a coming Messiah.
We get a reference to the one we know as John the Baptist in chapter 40 as the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God". - Isaiah 40:3
We see a few references to the suffering that the Messiah would go through on our behalf:
1) "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth." - Isaiah 53:7
2) "I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting." - Isaiah 50:6
And finally we see a testimony about the kind of healer that the Messiah would be: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;" - Isaiah 61:1
I pray this helps give depth to your reading this week.
Here is the schedule:
Sunday, 1: Isaiah 34-37
Monday, 2: Isaiah 38-41
Tuesday, 3: Isaiah 42-45
Wednesday, 4: Isaiah 46-49
Thursday, 5: Isaiah 50-53
Friday, 6: Isaiah 54-57
Saturday, 7: Isaiah 58-61
May God add His richest blessings to the reading, the hearing, the understanding and most importantly the living out of His holy word. Amen.
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