Evening, April 3
Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings
Isaiah 53:6
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Isaiah 53:6
Here a confession of sin common to all the elect people of God. They
have all fallen, and therefore, in common chorus, they all say, from
the first who entered heaven to the last who shall enter there, "All we
like sheep have gone astray." The confession, while thus unanimous, is
also special and particular: "We have turned every one to his own way."
There is a peculiar sinfulness about every one of the individuals; all
are sinful, but each one with some special aggravation not found in his
fellow. It is the mark of genuine repentance that while it naturally
associates itself with other penitents, it also takes up a position of
loneliness. "We have turned every one to his own way," is a confession
that each man had sinned against light peculiar to himself, or sinned
with an aggravation which he could not perceive in others. This
confession is unreserved; there is not a word to detract from its
force, nor a syllable by way of excuse. The confession is a giving up
of all pleas of self-righteousness. It is the declaration of men who
are consciously guilty--guilty with aggravations, guilty without
excuse: they stand with their weapons of rebellion broken in pieces,
and cry, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one
to his own way." Yet we hear no dolorous wailings attending this
confession of sin; for the next sentence makes it almost a song. "The
Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." It is the most grievous
sentence of the three, but it overflows with comfort. Strange is it
that where misery was concentrated mercy reigned; where sorrow reached
her climax weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing of
bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured
confidence through simply gazing at Christ on the cross!