October 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Matthew 12:10-21:

¹⁰And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
¹¹And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
¹²How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
¹³Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
¹⁴Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
¹⁵But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
¹⁶And charged them that they should not make him known:
¹⁷That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
¹⁸Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
¹⁹He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
²⁰A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
²¹And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Devotional

We have here a fulfilment of prophecy. The above words were spoken by Isaiah, the prophet, hundreds of years before Jesus was born. Now Jesus has come. He is teaching and working miracles. Great multitudes follow him and He healed them all. He even healed on the Sabbath. That aroused the anger of the Phari­sees, and they sought to destroy him. Jesus withdrew himself, and told the people that they should not make him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah, the prophet.

Jesus is called My Servant, that is, God's servant. He did not come with blare of trumpet, with a lot of noise and outward show. He did not cry, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. But He was God's beloved servant, God had chosen him; He was filled with the Spirit of God, and in him God's soul was well pleased.

What we wish to emphazise here is that He was and is the compassionate Saviour. All the poor, the weak, the sick, the help­less sinners found in him a mighty Helper and Deliverer. The bruised reed He does not break, the smoldering wick He does not quench. He lifts up the meek. He strengthens the weak hands, and makes firm the feeble knees. He comforts all that mourn, and says to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not. Till He brings justice to victory; then righteousness shall reign, "and the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and asurance for ever."

Prayer

Our Father in heaven we thank Thee for the gift of Thy Son, that unspeakable Gift. We thank Thee for the life He lived, for his suffering and atoning death, for the full and free salvation, which He obtained for us. We thank Thee that we now through him have free access to the throne of grace, where we may obtain mercy, and find grace in time of need. And may we realize that Thy grace is sufficient for all of our needs. May we out of Thy fulness receive grace for grace, strength in our weakness, and in the hour of our departure an abundant entrance into eter­nal life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Isa. 42:1-4; Matt. 12:18-20; Ps. 147:6; Isa. 53:3; 61:2; Isa. 35:3, 4; 32:17.

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