🐑 Isaiah 53:6 | The Week of Sheep

Happy Monday and Happy Memorial Day to our fellow American brothers and sisters! 🇺🇸

This week is all about sheep. But before we get there, let’s look at arguably the clearest vision of the Messiah in the OT.

In today’s email…

• 📕 A needed overview of the book of Isaiah

• ✝️ A reminder of what Isaiah is all about

• 🎵 A song to help you memorize Isaiah 53:6

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MEMORIZE 🧠 

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.

Isaiah 53:6

CONTEXT 📕 

The book of Isaiah is a 66-chapter epic.

A sweeping message of judgment, hope, and redemption. Written over 700 years before Jesus, it’s often quoted in the New Testament and it’s arguably the clearest vision of the Messiah in the Old.

It’s an elaborate storyline that can be hard to follow.

So I’d encourage you to watch BibleProject’s summary videos (linked near the bottom of this email).

Isaiah himself lived in Jerusalem and preached during a time of massive political and spiritual instability.

God had made a covenant with Israel: they were to be His people, a light to the nations. But they had broken that covenant with idolatry, injustice, and rebellion.

So Isaiah delivered a warning: Judgment is coming.

Empires like Assyria and Babylon would rise up to discipline God’s people. Jerusalem would fall. Exile was certain.

But here’s the twist: Judgment wasn’t the end.

In the ruins of Jerusalem, Isaiah also saw hope. He saw a new King (a descendant of David) who would establish a kingdom of justice and peace.

He saw a remnant returning, a holy seed sprouting from the stump of what had been cut down.

And then, in the second half of the book, we meet someone unexpected.

Not a warrior. Not a political hero.

A servant.

This Servant would be rejected. Beaten. Killed.

And somehow, through His suffering, God would bring salvation, not just to Israel, but to the whole world.

That brings us to Isaiah 53.

One of the most shocking, beautiful, and hope-filled chapters in the Bible.

And at the heart of it is a single, stunning verse:

This is where we’ll spend the next few days.

But don’t miss this, Isaiah 53 only makes sense when you’ve seen the full arc of the story.

• From rebellion to judgment

• From judgment to hope

• From hope to a servant who saves

It’s no wonder Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah and declares that the book’s messianic promises were being fulfilled in him (Luke 4:16-18).

APPLY AND RESPOND 🏃‍♂️ 

Today, take a step back and soak in the story. There is a lot here, but the point is not to know and memorize every detail.

The point is to see Jesus.

💻️ Watch: The Bible Project overviews: Part 1 - Isaiah 1-39, Part 2 - Isaiah 40-66

📖 Read: Isaiah 1, Isaiah 6, and Isaiah 40. Let the themes of judgment, purification, and hope set the stage.

🙏 Pray: Father, help me see Your big picture. Help me see Jesus. Give me ears to hear the warnings, eyes to see the hope, and a heart ready to receive the Servant You sent.

🧠 Reflect: Why do you think God mixes both judgment and hope? What does that reveal about His character?

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SONG OF THE WEEK 🎵 

Here’s our song of the week to help us memorize Isaiah 53:6.

Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Music | Full Malachi Daily Playlist

And if you have kids or grandkids, this silly song can help them memorize it…my kids were chanting in the car this morning on the way to school. So I know it works!

ANSWER KEY ✅ 

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.

Isaiah 53:6