"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." --Isaiah 53:6
Here a confession of sin
common to all the elect people of God. They
have all fallen, and therefore, in common chorus, they all say, from the first
who entered heaven to the last who shall enter there, "All we like sheep have
gone astray." The confession, while thus unanimous, is also
special and
particular: "We have turned every one to his own way." There is a peculiar
sinfulness about every one of the individuals; all are sinful, but each one with
some special aggravation not found in his fellow. It is the mark of genuine
repentance that while it naturally associates itself with other penitents, it
also takes up a position of loneliness. "We have turned every one to his own
way," is a confession that each man had sinned against light peculiar to
himself, or sinned with an aggravation which he could not perceive in others.
This confession is
unreserved; there is not a word to detract from its
force, nor a syllable by way of excuse. The confession is
a giving up of all
pleas of self-righteousness. It is the declaration of men who are
consciously guilty--guilty with aggravations, guilty without excuse: they stand
with their weapons of rebellion broken in pieces, and cry, "All we like sheep
have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way." Yet we hear no
dolorous wailings attending this confession of sin; for the next sentence makes
it almost a song. "The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." It is the
most grievous sentence of the three, but it overflows with comfort. Strange is
it that where misery was concentrated mercy reigned; where sorrow reached her
climax weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing of bruised
hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured confidence through
simply gazing at Christ on the cross!
Morning and Evening Index
