“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 unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah 53:12, NKJV)
This verse sent me to my commentaries. Most of them said the same thing as my initial impression—eventually Jesus will win all spiritual battles and plunder even the greatest enemies. Then He will share the results of victory with those who fought alongside Him.
I’m trying to imagine that. The original readers would see a military image. A conqueror brings home the spoils of his victory and shares them with the leaders of his people. It is a great celebration. (Maybe something like parading the Stanley Cup in the home town of each player?) Modern day war is not like this, but Isaiah describes a different kind of war.
Each day I take my prayer list and go to battle. Some days it feels more like a war than others. My enemy knows my weaknesses and vulnerabilities. For instance, I’m a person interested in many things and easily distracted. If I pray in my house, I’m soon putting away a stray book or dishes into the dishwasher. To concentrate on prayer, I must occupy my feet or hands in some way that aids prayer rather than pulls me away. Going for a walk is good. So is the exercise bike. That defeats only one tactic designed to pull me from the fight.
Another distraction is the problems themselves, the things on my prayer list. Taken all together, they are far too heavy a burden and good reason to throw my hands up in defeat. Who am I to fight these battles? Why should God listen to me? I can’t do this.
But verses like this one remind me that I’m not a lone soldier. Besides the family of God, Jesus Himself is fighting alongside me. Because He conquered sin and death, there is no enemy left that can defeat Him. I can brandish my ‘sword’ (the Word of God) in confidence, knowing that because the victory is His, it will also be mine.
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Some who read this blog are asking questions about my husband. First, he has no symptoms other than a high white cell count. The progress of this form of leukemia is often slow. He could be here for twenty years. Sometimes it is rapid, moves into other organs, and does its deadly damage in two years. We don’t know yet which form he has, but do know he is in a ‘first stage’ that is painless. His condition would not have been discovered except for his routine exam. The only ‘treatment’ right now is to avoid fatigue, since CLL affects the immune system.
His attitude is amazing. For years he has told people that, “We take our next breath by the grace of God” and he continues to say the same thing. Websites with excellent information all say that the most difficult issue at this point is simply living with it. My husband’s response to that? “We are all terminal. Everyone has to be ready.”
Coming to grips with the fact of death should not be neglected until there is a threat to a person’s life. Everyone will die. Some know when, but most don’t. The change of focus and sense of God’s presence and care that my husband and I have right now should be the norm for those who believe in Jesus Christ, not a special thing only for those with a terminal illness. Bob is right—we are all terminal. How thankful I am that he is one of those “strong” people that is fighting a good fight (a spiritual war) and will eventually share the spoils with Jesus.
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