As a Lamb to the Slaughter

January 22, 2014 - As a Lamb to the Slaughter – Manna by Dorothy Callies

Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth” (KJV). “He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open His mouth” (NLT).  

I was only 12 or 13 years when I had seen my father taken a sheep by the neck and held it and then plunged the knife into the sheep’s throat and the blood flowed into the pail. What impressed me was that I noticed the sheep did not fight or struggle at all. The sheep was just silent and peaceful, willing yielded to the hand of my father, whose job was butchering. Occasionally, I would look back and remember the sheep being slaughter. A sheep being slaughter, I can understand, but to visualize Christ being led “as a lamb to the slaughter”? My heart sank.  

If you ask, why ‘my heart sank’? My heart sank means “my strength failed and my spirit was down” with the thought of Him being led “as a lamb to the slaughter.” He did this for me. It was just a vision I saw His head bowed down, yielded Himself to take the stripes, and yielded Himself before the Pilate. He stood before the people, and He struggled to walk through the street unto the Calvary, and finally He yielded His life to the cross. Isaiah 53:8 “From prison and trial they led Him away to His death. But who among the people realized that He was dying for their sins—that He was suffering their punishment?” (NLT)

John 1:29 “… John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the Temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29:38-42). Isaiah 53:7 prophesied that the Messiah, God’s servant, would be led to the slaughter like a lamb. To pay the penalty for sin, a life had to be given—and God chose to provide the sacrifice Himself. The sins of the world were removed when Jesus died as a perfect sacrifice. This is the way our sins are forgiven (1Cor.5:7). The “sin of the world” means everyone’s sin, the sin of each individual. Jesus paid the price of your sin by His death. You can receive forgiveness by confessing your sin to Him and asking for His forgiveness. [Notes from QVLAB)

Rev. 5:6,11,12,13 NLT “I looked and I saw a Lamb that had been killed but was now standing between the throne …”  “… I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“The Lamb is worthy—the Lamb who was killed.

He is worthy to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and blessing.”

¹³And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They also sang:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

belong to the one sitting on the throne

and to the Lamb forever and ever.”