He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53: 3-4
As a child sitting next to my mom on the piano bench, we’d sing old hymns and praise choruses until our throats were dry. I always loved the happy upbeat songs like Spring Up O Well or Count Your Blessings. My mom valued a different type of song. Her favorites seemed heavy to me as a fourth grader. Often, she’d end up in tears. However, this favorite pastime instilled in me a love for hymns and their familiar tunes. One of my mom’s favorites, Man of Sorrows, we’d sing over and over held this line:
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
As an adult, the word of the hymns and praise choruses have become much more valuable to me than the tunes. Just read the words of that verse. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood. Did you hear those three little words – in my place? I always am caught when singing that familiar line. It was in my place He stood, MY place. It was YOUR place. Isaiah 53:5 tells us that Christ was “wounded for OUR transgessions, He was crushed for OUR iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace.”
He is The Man of Sorrows so we can live as women of joy.
Love, Julie
