Translate

Thursday 1 August 2024

God’s word becoming flesh

 The book of Isaiah does not explicitly use the phrase "the word of God would become embryonic flesh," but it documents God’s struggle with mankind, a struggle of reasoning argument, whereby God keeps pressing home the truth of His word despite human resistance and doubt, pressing home God’s answers to human needs, especially seen in the needs of His people for salvation. As the struggle progresses in the Isaiah prophecies, God overcomes each obstacle, seeking ever to save His people. The needs of His people revolve mainly around a need for salvation from their sins. Eventually it becomes apparent that the means to meet the need is not for God to overwhelm with strength but to overcome opposing strength with weakness. Nothing but weak flesh will do what is needed. Not great human strength but small weakness of a tiniest human cell which would grow to be a human saviour, the Christ. The salvation which God achieves cannot overcome opposing strength with might but rather with the word of God becoming weak and yet tangible: a tiny cell, then bigger and bigger until it is the mightiest saviour. Instead of a military takeover, weakness of the still small voice becoming flesh is to be the answer from God. The Christ would grow to be a servant, and suffer, and through that suffering would heal the sicknesses and redeem the people with his life. By his stripes we are healed. The word of God speaking into human need would become tiniest of flesh and from there grow to be saviour and great high priest offering his own body and blood for the people through suffering service, and then be made Lord, until eventually as Lord over all, would install righteousness in place at the top of human power, eventually submitting himself and all things under him to God. Then there would be utopia. The lion will lie with the lamb on that ultimate mountain. The word of God will save the day. Jesus.