Dancing in the Florida Sun (Completed)

21- FS Peace

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     "Isaiah 53:1-12 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 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. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."

     Jacob's text said this was a prophesy about Jesus. She knew enough about Jesus to know that he was rejected by the religious leaders of his people, tortured before being hung on the cross, and that rather than defend himself, he accepted all that they did. Maybe that is like a quiet lamb that is led to the slaughter. "Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, with his wounds we are healed." "Yet he bore the sin of many..." She flipped to her sermon notes. "Matthew 26:28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

     Then she looked up Exodus 12 again. "Exodus 12:13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt." The blood of the lamb! It was their protection from death!"

     The time on her phone was 6:00 am, so she picked it up to FaceTime as she and Jacob had agreed, and walked out to the patio, so as not to wake Noah or Grams. "The blood of the lamb in Exodus was their protection from death! Christians believe that Jesus' blood, his death, gives them eternal life. That's it? Right?"

     Jacob's face lit up at her excitement, and he chuckled. "Close. It's not just his death, but the fact that he rose again, that he came back to life, that makes his death so valuable. He rose again because he is God, therefore he is perfect. No one else's death could have the same value; a value worth the price of life for every person who has ever existed."

     Brooke tapped her chin. "Hm, okay, I can see that. So what was the purpose in killing all of those lambs every year?"

     "Actually the Passover lambs were just a small part of the animals that were sacrificed by the people. There were other celebrations that required offerings and sacrifices, and they also had to offer animals regularly for sins. While traveling in the desert, God had them construct a tent called the tabernacle, and later build a permanent temple once they were settled in their land. The tabernacle was the place where all the animal sacrifices and offerings were done." As Jacob spoke, Brooke's nose crinkled and she frowned.