Ep. 160 — Hope For the Weak + ”A Bruised Reed and A Smoking Flax”
A Bruised Reed and A Smoking Flax.
Over the last few weeks, a particular scripture has been coming to mind regularly.
“A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench…”
This is a prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah 42:3, which Jesus quoted in the days of his earthly ministry in Matthew 12:20. This morning, as I was praying, this scripture came to mind again, and so I stopped to look it up.
The New Living Translation translates this verse as:
“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.”
If I'm reading and understanding “my” Hebrew correctly, the first line means, He will not destroy (#7665—sabar) the crushed, weakest person (#7533—rasas).
Let me write that again.
He will not destroy the weakest person. (Dancing shoes.)
Now, if I'm reading and understanding “my” Hebrew correctly, the second line reads, He will not extinguish (#3518) the dimly lit wick (#6594) (#3544—specifically of a wick burning with a very little flame, almost gone out (Genesius’)). The failing, weak flame of the spiritually weak. (#3518)
Let me abbreviate that.
He will not extinguish the failing, weak flame of the spiritually weak. (Dancing shoes again.)
This is an Old Testament prophecy, but Jesus' disciple Matthew recognizes it to be fulfilled in Him and in His ministry. “That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Esias the prophet…” (Matthew 12:17)
This verse is part of a larger passage about the Messiah, but it is worth noting.
And this verse is a particular comfort to me. This verse shows Jesus' heart for the weak and I am weak.
I want to be strong. On many occasions, I resolve to be strong, to “get it together,” to keep up, to follow through on my New Year's resolutions, to be better, to do better, to measure up. I want to be stoic and strong.
As I survey the landscape of my heart and my life, I see only weakness. Oh yes, I see a lot of beauty in life, but beauty in spite of and through weakness. I look one direction and see weakness. Then I somewhat frantically look another direction, hoping to see some semblance of personal strength, but there is none to be found. Every angle and facet I look to shows only one thing…every aspect shouts “weak.”
And sometimes my weakness makes me feel worthless. Less than, less than all the others of those who seem strong. (Why comparison is unwise. :) )
And well, bruised reeds and smoking flaxes are rather worthless. But it is written of Jesus that “a bruised reed he will not break and a smoking flax he will not quench.” He doesn't discard the weak or even the seemingly worthless.
Jesus has a long history of redeeming human frailty and human weakness. It is, in fact, the very place he does some of his finest work.
*Quick disclaimer, not talking about unrepentant sin.
The Apostle Paul is denied an answer to his prayer for God to remove a thorn in his life. Paul begged God to take away this thing that was intended to keep him from being exalted. And God said “no.”
God responded to Paul by saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weakness…” It is almost as if God said, I'm going to allow this thing that creates weakness in your life to continue, because it will keep you tethered to me. It will keep you constantly aware of your need for my strength. It is where you can always remember that you're just the conduit for everything from Me to flow through. You can't be exalted because you see your weakness every day. This weakness keeps you at my feet. It keeps you in a humble, dependent posture. And that's the only way I can continue to use your life.”
As a young girl, I once heard someone say, “I don't use Jesus as a crutch; I use him as a full-blown stretcher.”
I feel that—laid out flat on him. No might of my own. Weak…weak…weak…no intellect to figure it out. No deep spiritual insight to understand or look behind the curtain and see what God is doing. Just failing strength that often questions if it can muscle through.
But as Paul discovered, “Most gladly will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecution, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong…” I am strong when I am weak because I am required to rely and depend on His strength…and as it says in 1 Corinthians 1:25,
“God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength…” (NLT)
Even if I get only the “weakest” parts of God, I have got more strength than the strongest human strength on the planet. This is why Paul learned to lean into and celebrate his weakness, his “asthenia,” (# 769)— “want of strength,” because in that lack of strength, he discovered the stronger-than-diamond-or-kevlar-strength-of-God. There, in weakness, he learned the great exchange of human weakness for divine strength.
Maybe this is part of why Jesus doesn't break bruised reeds or extinguish the dimmest flicker of a smoking flax. Where there's a glimmer of hope, He refuses to give up…it is in the broken and the barely visible spark that He is glorified.
“God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the mighty…” (1 Corinthians 1:27)
Why does God choose weak and maybe even seemingly worthless things? 1 Corinthians 1:29 gives the answer:
“So that no flesh should glory in His presence.”
It is in human weakness and frailty that He alone is glorified. And it is in human weakness and human frailty that I am strong. Strong only because this bruised reed is laid out on the “stretcher” of Jesus.
“While I breathe, I hope.”
“Dum Spiro Spero”—Latin
I hope in the One whose strength shows off in the weakest of vessels.
“Solo Gloria Deo”—Latin
Glory to God alone.
Thank you for joining me for this journey!
Go grab your Bible and your journal!
I look forward to the power of this habit in your life. This is Unedited.