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October 25 Daily Devotional

Twilight: The Servant's Obedience

the Rev. Andrew Kuyvenhoven

Monthly Theme:

Isaiah's God is the Holy One of Israel. In God's presence we have to be morally clean. God has chosen his Servant, who will rule in righteousness in a kingdom of peace.

Bible Reading:

Isaiah 50:4–11

Bible Text:

The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue.... I have set my face like flint, and ... will not be put to shame (Isa. 50:4, 7).

Devotional:

In this passage, usually called the third "Servant's Poem," the servant himself is the speaker. He has an "instructed tongue" or "the tongue of those who are taught." That is to say, he is first of all a good listener and learner. Every morning God "wakens his ear to listen like one being taught." Consequently he has something important to say. For only those who carefully listen to God can speak for him.

The servant is also obedient. Those who listen carefully to God and act accordingly may expect shame and rejection that will test their will to obey. The servant offered his back to the stripes, and he did not hide from mocking and spitting.

The servant is courageous. He did not weaken by fear of suffering but set his "face like flint," resolutely determined. And he waited for the Lord to vindicate him, trusting that his God would never let him down.

All God's faithful people, all "servants of the Lord," reflect these traits. But none as fully as Jesus. The Word and will of his Father were his food and drink. He was obedient until death. When the time of suffering approached, "Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51)—like the servant who set his face like flint. And when all his suffering was over, God vindicated him by raising him from the dead.


Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.

 

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