Isaiah 53: Peace Treaty With God Series

ISAIAH 53 SERIES: Peace Treaty with God

ISAIAH 53:5 | #Isaiah53

PERSON IN THE CONGREGATION READS ISAIAH 53

READ ISAIAH 53:1-12 (ESV)

“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as One from Whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4 Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on a Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, and there was no deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief; when His soul makes an offering for guilt, He shall see His offspring; He shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by His knowledge shall the Righteous One, My Servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”

PEACE TREATIES

I was watching the news the other day and the correspondents were highlighting the war between Ukraine and Russia. They showed video of destroyed bridges and some apartments that looked to have been hit by rockets. I am sure they could have easily focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the civil war in Myanmar, Lybia, or Sudan. When these wars come to an end of the fighting, the groups may gather and agree on peace. Usually a peace treaty is signed.

A peace treaty is a formal agreement between conflicting parties to end hostilities and establish terms for a lasting peace. The structure and content of a peace treaty can vary depending on the nature of the conflict, the parties involved, and the goals of the agreement. However, most peace treaties include several key components to help ensure that the peace treaty addresses the core issues of the conflict and provides a framework for a stable and lasting resolution.

Normal components are: Terms of Peace, Territorial Adjustments, Political Arrangements, Economic Provisions, Verification and Implementation, Duration and Review, Signatories and Ratification. I know that sounds like a lot and most peace treaties have many more sections like: Rights and Responsibilities, Dispute Resolution, and Inspections, but for the sake of understandability, we will skip for today. Each component is to ensure that the peace is lasting. It does not help if peace is agreed upon, but then no one follows up with it. Peace treaties are important. Peace, lasting peace, can be achieved. We know this is true from real life, movies, and TV shows:

* In “The Man Who Would Be King” (1975), we have a story involving two British adventurers who become kings in a remote part of Afghanistan and negotiate a treaty to secure their positions.

* In “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” (1991), the backdrop of the whole movie is the events surrounding the Khitomer Accords which brokers peace between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire.

* In “Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers” (1994), Jason, Zack, and Trini were written out of the show by being sent to a Teen Peace Summit.

* In "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" (1999), the Treaty of Coruscant is central to the film’s plot. The Galactic Republic attempted to negotiate peace with the Trade Federation to end the blockade of Naboo, though the treaty’s failure leads to further conflict.