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This Week's Reading: Isaiah 40-49
Come Follow Me Insight #1

Isaiah 49:16 is one of the most beautiful scriptures we have from Isaiah, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” But is there deeper meaning in both parts of this verse that we don’t usually see? Let’s look at the first sentence, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” Just five chapters earlier Isaiah wrote to post-captivity Israel. He first comforted them about Jesus’ loyalty to them, and then remarked in verse five a way that the Israelites could show their loyalty to Jesus, “. . .another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.” The word “subscribe” comes from the Hebrew כָּתַב (pronounced kāṯaḇ) which can be translated as write, inscribe, or engrave. Thus covenant Israel is invited to “inscribe” Christ on their hands to show that they made a covenant with Him and will never forget Him (how can you when you use your hands for everything you do?!). So Christ “engraving” us on His hands is a physical act through His crucifixion, but also symbolic that in everything He does He will not forget us. (Source)
Come Follow Me Insight #2
The second half of that verse is often forgotten, “. . . thy walls are continually before me.” If we keep in mind that Isaiah was writing this from Jerusalem during a time of incredible political upheaval it helps bring deeper meaning. What happened to the Israelites when the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed? They were taken captive. What happened when the walls were strong? They were safe. So the fact that our “walls” are continually before Jesus could be a symbolic way of saying, “I am constantly aware of how you’re doing. Your trials, your successes, your fears, your joy. . . I am always aware of them.”

My Favorite Scriptures for the Week
- Isaiah 40:11
- Isaiah 41:10
- Isaiah 43:1
- Isaiah 43:2
- Isaiah 43:18
- Isaiah 43:25
- Isaiah 46:4
