All this week's Bonus Readings are drawn from the "Servant Songs" found in Isaiah 42-53. These provide a graphic prediction of the mistreatment the Messiah would undergo. But they also remind us that, to use the saying Jesus quoted (in John 15:20), "A servant is not greater than the master." We can learn from how Christ dealt with suffering.

1. Why would resistance to His tormentors by the Servant have been rebelling (vv. 5-6) against the Sovereign Lord?



2. Why (v. 7) could the Servant endure abuse without panic or despair?



3. How does taking the long view (vv. 8-9) help you persevere through times of adversity?



4. What does Isaiah urge (v. 10) for those who can't make sense of the predicament they find themselves in?



5. What is his warning for those who self-sufficiently strike out on their own?



6. How does one set his face like flint (v. 7) to adhere to God's will no matter what?

Thank God for all our Savior endured on our behalf. Ask for the gift of joy in the face of opposition and adversity.

⁴The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. ⁵The Sovereign Lord has spoken to me, and I have listened. I have not rebelled or turned away. ⁶I offered my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from mockery and spitting.

⁷Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will. And I know that I will not be put to shame. ⁸He who gives me justice is near. Who will dare to bring charges against me now? Where are my accusers? Let them appear! ⁹See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side! Who will declare me guilty? All my enemies will be destroyed like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!

¹⁰Who among you fears the Lord and obeys his servant? If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. ¹¹But watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires. This is the reward you will receive from me: You will soon fall down in great torment.

Prayer for the Week

Keep me, Lord, from resenting the tests You bring to bear. Help me accept the toughening process You've prescribed for me.

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