Isaiah 53:2
He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 53:1-3
Many other translations begin verse 2 with the word “For” such as the ASV:
“For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground.”
This verse appears to offer an answer or explanation to the questions in verse 1. Why didn’t the Jews believe in Jesus? Well it was because he grew up before them. Remember that the Jews were looking for a Messiah but they were expecting a king who would conquer Rome – a mighty oak of a king! But Jesus was not that type of king. He was a tender shoot. So here is their excuse as to why they rejected him.
The Hebrew word for “tender shoot” is yônēq which describes a suckling shoot growing off the main branch. This is the only time this word is used in all of the Old Testament. This word suggests extreme dependence like the suckling that relies on the moisture from the main stalk. Gardners would prune sucklings because they sucked the life out of the plant. Isaiah comes back to this idea later in this Servant Song to show that this is in fact what happened to Jesus:
“For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished” (Isaiah 53:8).
“He” grew up before “him” is better translated “Jesus” grew up before “his Father” like a tender shoot. The word “before” is the Hebrew word pāneh which occurs over two thousand times in the Old Testament. It can mean face, presence, countenance or before. In relation to God, it means to turn toward Him. It links the intimacy found in relationship with the responsibility demanded by the covenant. So literally, this says that Jesus grew up before the face of God.
We have a term for that in Christianity – Corem Deo. Corem Deo is a latin phrase that means “in the presence of God.” To live our lives in the presence of God is to live Corem Deo. This is our calling as followers of Jesus – to live Corem Deo just as he did. Jesus lived his entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God and we are called to do the same.
In reality, this means to integrate our relationship with God into every aspect of our lives. Everything we think, say and do should be done as if we are in the presence of God. The way we are at work, home, school and even on vacation, we act as if God is standing right next to us. We don’t compartmentalize our life into two different sections of being with God and being away from God. We are always with God and so our actions and words reflect that reality.
Two scriptures come to my mind when I think of living Corem Deo:
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5).
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16).
Both of these scriptures were penned by the apostle Paul. He uses words like every, always, continually, and all. There is no compartmentalization. There is no down time. We take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. We always rejoice. We pray continually. We give thanks in all circumstances. This is God’s will. This is how Jesus lived. This is living Corem Deo.
Christ in the Old Testament 
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