Esteemed Him Not

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. (Is 53:3)

Recently while reading through Isaiah 53, the phrase they esteemed Him not flashed me the SLOW sign as if it were a flagman on a road crew warning me to tap the brakes. I can understand the rationale behind cautioning some average non-believing Joe who fails to esteem Jesus. By and large we humans are a dense bunch regarding our entry into the world as image bearers of God and our fall from those noble beginnings. But until God wakes us up to the fact, why would we pay Jesus any mind? Much less hold Him in high regard as God come in the flesh to save us from sins we didn’t know we committed just so He could restore glory to us that we didn’t know we lost?

But for me—one who believes in Jesus—it caught me off guard. Was this a rebuke? Had I somehow failed to esteem Him? Or was this an invitation to slow down and give it some deeper thought? I had more questions than answers. So when Psalm 103 came to mind next, I dove in.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name . . .[i]

This sounds like self-talk if you ask me. Self, if you recall, everything comes from God, and exists through Him, and will return to Him. So don’t forget to bless the Lord today.[ii]

A well-meaning person once corrected me for saying, “We bless You, Lord” when I prayed. They thought it condescending of me to bless God because indisputably, the lesser is blessed by the greater—not the other way around.[iii] I have since decided that blessing the Lord is more a matter of heart posture before Him than it is my choice of words. The Source of all blessings needs no blessing from me. I get that. But a thankful heart that desires to bless Him in return for all He has done can surely be considered ground zero in our endeavors to esteem Him. To bless Him with all that is within us—that surely must be the pièce de résistance of esteeming Him.[iv] 

But how does blessing Him tie in with esteeming Him? I’d say the answer lies in the word esteem—"to respect, admire, value, hold in high regard, to love, to be fond of”.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits - Despite my innermost desire to bless God, I sometimes still get caught up in the mundaneness or the intensity of a day and take His blessings for granted. We all do; that’s life. But when I forget that He is the source of every heartbeat, every breath, and every blessing I receive, I tend to lose my thankfulness. Lose thankfulness, and I’m down in the dumps.

And while we’re at it, what exactly are His benefits if they are so easily forgotten? Well, let me see . . .

Who forgives all your iniquities - Iniquities—that deep propensity toward sin that in turn begets sin, which begets even more sin, which eventually brings forth death. God doesn’t just pardon, He severs sin's jugular vein, not forgiving in measure, but abundantly, as in all your iniquities.

  I’m thinking that when we thankfully remember God’s most gracious gift of forgiveness, we esteem Him as The Justifier who cleanses those that confess their sins. We also esteem Jesus’ deity, because only God can forgive. We esteem Jesus’ priceless, sacrificial blood that cleanses us from all sin, once for all time, and makes us righteous before God.[v] That must really bless God!

Who heals all your diseases - No matter what health issues we face or how long they drag on, we esteem Jesus’ suffering when we keep the faith, staying ever thankful that ours is always a win/win situation no matter what. Jesus was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment needful to bring us peace was placed upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed-now and into forever.[vi] This also must bless God’s heart.

Who redeems your life from destruction - Our deliverance wasn't a Get Out of Jail Free card that secures a one-time rescue from the kingdom of darkness. It justifies us freely and in every way by transferring us into God's Kingdom of Light. When we thankfully remember the gracious benefits of redemption, we esteem Jesus’ sacrifice that delivered us from destruction.[vii] Surely this too blesses God.

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies - The I AM THAT I AM is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. When we thankfully remember God’s lovingkindness and tender mercies, we esteem His Person, His nature, His character as a loving and gracious God toward those He created.[viii] God can’t help but be blessed by that.

Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s - God so graciously satisfies our every desire. He faithfully provides us with strength that lifts us above life’s harrowing challenges. When we thankfully remember these, we are esteeming His goodness. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.. . .[ix]

Wow! Had God not flashed me that SLOW sign at they esteemed Him not, I would have missed so much! The sweetness of these blessings is that He brought home to me His generous heart and the many benefits of Jesus' selfless sacrifice that reaches into present day.

So with all that is within me—all that is within us—we shout out our Thank You Lord for blessing us! in hopes that our renewed efforts to esteem You will really bless You in return.

[i] Psalm 103:1

[ii] Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6

[iii] Hebrews 7:7

[iv] Psalm 103:1; Matthew 22:37

[v] Romans 3:26; Mark 2:7; Hebrews 10:4, 10; Hebrews 9:9, 14; 1 John 1:7

[vi] Isaiah 53

[vii] Colossians 1:13–14; Romans 3:24; Ephesians 1:7

[viii] Exodus 34:6; Lamentations 3:22–23

[ix] James 1:17; Mark 10:18; Psalm 136:1; 1 Chronicles 16:34; Psalm 25:8; Psalm 145:9

Psalm 103:1; Matthew 22:37; “the sweetness of the blessing lies in its being brought home to a man’s soul” – Psalm 103:3, (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)