4.2.2026 - Scott Elgersma

Thursday, April 2, 2026

Isaiah 43:7

We read today from Isaiah 43:7. Read the passage now or at the end of this devotion. What can we learn today from the light of God’s word to us?

Happy Easter Week! May the Spirit bless you as you anticipate the celebration, the remembrances and the reflections ahead. In these devotions, we are focusing on Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

To do that, I’d like to join in some simple word associations throughout the week. My hope is to bring us into some places of gratitude and reflection by using some common objects that we run into every day.

Today’s word association is silence.

If you made it a goal to experience silence today, my guess is that you would set yourself up for a challenging day. Silence in most of our realities is difficult to come by. 

It’s also important to note that there is a radical difference between ‘quiet’ and silence. Quiet is something that we might know in the hour before sunrise if we are up at our kitchen table. We might know quiet if we have the keys to church and sit in the sanctuary when no one else is there. But silence is something else entirely.

Silence is the absence of all sound. It is virtually impossible to achieve complete absence of any sound input. We can hear vehicles move in the distance. Appliances and machines keep up a steady low buzz as fans cool internal components. Insects may buzz around us while we hear the murmur of distance conversations. Silence is pretty challenging to come by. 

So, when our text from Isaiah 53 says that Jesus before his oppressors was “silent” as a sheep before the shearer, we should take note. Not a murmur. Not a peep. No defense. No bargaining. No deal making. No pleading. Despite being innocent before first Judas and the soldiers, then the religious leaders, then Pilate, his wife, King Herod and eventually the crowds around the cross, Jesus did not try to end his own suffering. He did not ease his own pain. He didn’t compromise to make things easier for himself. 

He silently took everything that was given. Each charge and insult. Each jeer and rebuke. Each slap and punch. Each nail and finally a spear thrust faced with silence. 

He was silent not because he did not have defense. He could have claimed his perfection, shown the power of his deity, and confronted the foolishness of his accusers. He could have done those things, but he remained silent for our sake.

Because we have no defense for our sin. We cannot make any claims as Christ can. We have nothing to point to that succeeds at wriggling out from our death sentence. Christ’s silence is ours. He takes on the judgment for our sin, sin with no defense, and redeems it for our salvation.

If you are in a place of quiet (since silence would be pretty hard) picture Christ’s resolve to take on what you deserve. In his silence, he looks at his children with eyes of love. 

“You can’t do this, but I can. I’ll take it for you. I’ll take it because there is no other way. Watch what it is that I do for you. As you watch, remember that this is all done out of my love for you.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his smile towards you and give you his peace.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

I love you all. Blessings.

Feel free to share this devotion with others.

To contact the author, please email: elgersma@therivercrc.com