Focus Chapters:
- Isaiah 52:13-15
- Isaiah 53-57
Standout Verse(s):
Isaiah 52:13-15 NLT
See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted. But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.
Observation (s):
- God’s servant did not have the appearance that was appealing by the world’s standards.
But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.
- Despite his unappealing appearance, he lived his purpose and was highly exalted to the point where he was brought before kings.
And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For they will see what they had not been told; they will understand what they had not heard about.
Application:
We place a lot of emphasis on appearances. When I first got baptized, I felt a lot of pressure to fit into the appearances of my church. When I attended school, there was a lot of pressure to look a certain way, even though we all wore the same uniform. When we enter the work world, there are a whole set of rules and regulations about what is deemed appropriate professional wear. And at home, even there, we often find no peace. Despite the emphasis, our appearances does not often effectively declare the merits of our character.
The Lord reference to his servant pinpoints one integral thing: We are judged by our appearances yet our appearances have nothing to do with our purpose and how God chooses to use us. God’s servant’s appearance was not pleasing to the eyes. In fact, many would have probably overlooked him. Instead, this all changed when he begun to fulfil his purpose. He warranted a second and a third and a fourth look. Kings gave him audience and stood speechless before him. Many looked on in amazement. This man who was hard to look at became highly exalted!
Don’t worry too much about fitting in, appearance-wise. Focus your energies on being available to be used by God to fulfil your purpose. Good appearance or not, being used by God will make room for you.
