But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Funny how the simplest and most innocuous things will spin in your mind and, at times, find their way deeper to penetrate your heart. I just had one of those! The refrigerator/freezer in our house is not the quietest appliance, to say the least. Random knocking noises are one of its trademarks, the other is the ice dispenser on the freezer door. Let’s just say it is loud! To use it late at night would be to awaked everyone in the house with a start! The last time I used it, however, I was startled because I didn’t notice that the setting had been changed from “cubed” to “crushed” ice. The unexpected and violent sound of metal blades whirring, pulverizing, and spitting out crushed ice was intense! I looked down and sure enough, the indicator light was on above “CRUSH” instead of “CUBE”… Isaiah 53:5 was brought to mind – My Lord, My Savior willingly subjected Himself to cruel crushing at the hands of men just like me; indeed they might as well have been my hands! God’s perfect love displayed! O what a Savior!
But that’s not the only “crushing” that occurred that dark day that we will soon commemorate on “Good Friday”. Remember God confronting the serpent (Satan) in the garden said:
“Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” – Genesis 3:1, 14-15
Jesus, in death, effectively de-fanged Satan with a stomp of his cursed head! Sin defeated, death conquered, the grave relegated to nothing more than a symbolic passage way to eternal glory! Yes, the story of the cross really is a story of “crushing grace”! But, remember, the crushing isn’t over; for although Satan still powerfully roams about like an angry lion (1Peter 5:8), and he still wreaks havoc in this fallen world, God’s not finished crushing! This time, through His Spirit, He’ll use our feet to do the stompin’!
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. — Romans 16:20
Armor up! The battle is real!
In His Amazing Love,
Pastor Ben
