2024-08-20 “he hath … carried our sorrows”

Isaiah 53:4  “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

The phrase, “our sorrows”, refers to the deep anguish of our souls and the miserable pain of our minds that so heavily burdens the Children of God when they come to know the gravity of their sin.  These “sorrows” are like a heavy burden that makes life miserable and unpleasant, they drag us down and drain us of any desire to go forward in life, and they make even the smallest task seem like an insurmountable obstacle.  These “sorrows” are like an ominously dark and stormy cloud that sits upon us and will not go away; under this dark cloud there is no joy, no peace, no happiness, no pleasure in fellowship, and no desire to go about our daily duties.  The plague of these “sorrows” often makes death seem to be our only friend.  These most miserable “sorrows” first appeared in Genesis 3:16-17 after Adam and Eve had blatantly sinned, that is they had disobeyed God.  Since then, these “sorrows” have been an unrelenting plague to the Children of God.  The Psalmist wrote that “I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me” (Psalms 38:17).  Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10).  There was “a woman in the city, which was a sinner” and was greatly burdened with her sin; “when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,  38  And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:37-38).  But, by “faith” she found relief at her Lord’s feet; the Lord said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven” (Luke 7:47) and told her “Thy faith hath saved thee [from the pain of your great sorrow]; go in peace.” (Luke 7:50).  There was a “publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13); but he also found relief before his Lord; for, our Merciful Lord said, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified” (Luke 18:14).  Paul miserably moaned, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”; but, he likewise found relief in Jesus Christ, for he joyfully declared, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:25).  By the sweet Grace and Mercy of our Lord, we also find this blessed relief, for He hath forgiven us and hath “carried our sorrows” all the way to His disposition of them on the Cross!