Spurgeon: April PM
* 04/03/PM
"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!