“In all their affliction, He was afflicted and the Angel of His presence saved them. In His love and in His pity, He redeemed them and He bore them and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9
When I was seeking to know whether Yeshua (Jesus) was my Messiah, I learned that over 300 Messianic prophecies in the Tanach (Old Testament) pointed to Him. Loving born-again Christians whom God put in my path showed some to me. Many are in the book of Isaiah, foretold by the prophet roughly 700 years before Yeshua was born. I am hardly a Bible scholar, so I don’t know if the above scripture, Isaiah 63:9, is one of the Messianic prophecies. But because I do have the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) dwelling in me, I would like to share how Isaiah 63:9 has impacted me during this special season of Pesach (Passover).
The Bible tells us to observe the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth because Messiah Yeshua, our Passover was sacrificed for us. (1 Corinthians 5:7) When our eyes, both Jew and Gentile, are opened to see Yeshua so brilliantly in every part of Passover, Isaiah 63:9 can take on special meaning.
The affliction in this verse refers to Egypt’s bondage in Egypt and how God looked upon the afflicted Israelites with compassion and pity. He not only had heard their cry for deliverance from their enemies but by His great power redeemed them.
And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. Exodus 3:7
“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” Exodus 19:4
The bondage in Egypt represents to the believer the bondage of our sin. Likewise, the deliverance from Egypt represents our deliverance from sin through Yeshua’s sacrifice. The Lord’s compassion for the sinner touches His heart no less than those who were in bondage under the Pharoah. He sees the affliction of our sin and feels our suffering when we continue to walk in darkness. How He longs to rescue us and redeem us.
We find God’s sympathy for his afflicted people in other parts of the Old Testament and ultimately on the Cross.
King David prophesied the Messiah’s suffering for the sake of His people in Psalm 22:24. “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted.”
A couple of hundred years later, Isaiah acknowledged the Lord’s affliction not only in Chapter 63 but throughout Chapter 53.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4
“He was oppressed and He was afflicted.” Isaiah 53:7
Lord, I know I am that sinner on whom you had compassion and sorrow for my affliction. You reached down from heaven and mercifully rescued me from the deep darkness I was in. To this day, You continue to bear me up, not leaving me in the afflicted state where You found me. Every day You bring me to Yourself. I of course do not deserve such grace. Yet you continue to bless me with your love, protection, provision, even discipline, and most of all Your Presence. When I do stumble and confess my sin, You mercifully lead me back onto Your path of righteousness. Thank You, thank You for the Cross, for my deliverance and redemption, where You became sin for me so I may become the righteousness of God in You. ( 2 Corinthians 5:21)
Just as God delivered the afflicted Israelites at the Red Sea, so He does for each one who is afflicted by their sins and turns to Him. During this divinely appointed season, let us consider what our Passover Lamb did for us so we may be set free, redeemed, and embrace the victorious life He has for each of us.