Daily Devotionals

Having exposed himself to death and being counted among the sinners (Isaiah 53:12).

True sacrifice is a rare thing. Sometimes it's confused with courage, which involves a choice to face life's challenges. Sacrifice, on the other hand, involves a choice to give that which is most precious. David said "I refuse to offer to Adonai my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). The media often emphasize the "heroic courage" of celebrities who endure tragedy bravely. But true heroes are not just courageous. They are also sacrificial when the need arises.

There have been many sacrificial acts in Jewish history. Often these have occurred in times of great persecution. During World War II, Jewish leaders marched ahead of their people to death, comforting them as they went. Likewise, some righteous Gentiles, during that period, sacrificed their lives for Jewish people.

The paramount sacrifice in history was performed by a person that Isaiah calls the "arm of Adonai" (53:1). Though some Jewish commentators say that chapter 53 refers to Israel, Isaiah 53:12,59:16 confirm that such a sacrificial intercession for others could only be accomplished when the eternal "arm of AdonaI" came as a man. Hence, the most noble choice a man can make is also an attribute of the God in whose image we were created!

Let's consider that loving sacrifice is part of who God is, and who we, too, are called to be.

...choose to lay my life down for others, the choice of Yeshua, who said "This is why the Father loves me: because I lay down my life....I lay it down of my own free will" (John 10:17-18).

MW