The Cup

So, I once heard an awesome (as in really weighty) talk about "the cup"---of God's wrath, that is---and how Jesus took that cup for us. CJ Mahaney led us through the Garden of Gethsemane, and why it was such a terrible time for Jesus---because Jesus was already starting to drink, willingly, from the cup then. This was, strangely, the best picture I could find for that scene. For more on the other outdated images that google will bring up for you, watch here.

Anyway, I'm reading Isaiah now. It is by far my favorite book of the Bible. Is that sacrilegious to have a favorite? Well, either way, it's my favorite. Casey always gives me a funny look when I say that---and I guess I understand---because, honestly, there's a lot of hard stuff---lots of wrath is talked about throughout the 66 chapters. But there's also some of the sweetest words (in my opinion) of the Bible in there. And, I suppose, sometimes, I do just go straight to the sweet words. I could just camp out on chapters 40-43 maybe forever. But, I also think that sometimes the sweet words are all the sweeter when they immediately follow the hard words about our sin and its nasty disgusting deathly consequences. I'll admit though, there is this dissonance going on. Even within a chapter it'll be wrath, wrath, and then it'll end with peace and faithful love of God the King, Father, Creator, Husband.

This morning, though, it sort of all came together. I was reading chapter 50 and it starts with God rebuking Israel. Basically saying "Look, it's your own sin in turning away from me that has led to this mess (namely, the exile), and not my turning from you." He says "Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem?" (50:2b) Answer: Duh. No. So we go from the rebuke, to the end of the chapter and God is saying "Let him who walks in darkness (again, exile) and has no light trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God." (50:10b). Which is awesome that we get to put our hope in God and find salvation, but it's like "Wait a minute...what about all that wrath from the beginning? I mean, is that just swept under the rug?..." NO! It's not. Because our God is a God of justice. And that's when the middle of the chapter made sense. Verse 4, a character enters. He says:

"The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught,
that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary...
The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious;
I turned not backward.
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;
I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.
He who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together.
Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.
Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty?
Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up."

And who is this character? He is Messiah. Jesus. The mediator. He stands in on our behalf and is struck by the enemy for our sin. But He knows that God will help Him and vindicate Him, so He does not despair. And now, He allows us to say with Him, "He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together? Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty?" (50:8-9) So, here, as John Piper has said, "the death of the Messiah resolved the dissonance of history."

"You drink the cup to the bottom,
but it burns in your hand.
The cup was poured out
on The Maker instead."
(from "High Countries" by Sandra McCracken)