Drink the Cup of Salvation
Scripture — Isaiah 51:17 (NRSV)
Rouse yourself, rouse yourself!
Stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who have drunk at the hand of the LORD
the cup of his wrath,
who have drunk to the dregs
the bowl of staggering.
Focus
In Isaiah 51 the cup symbolizes God’s wrath, that is, God’s judgment of Jerusalem for her unfaithfulness. Yet in this chapter, God also foresees the time when the people of God will no longer drink from that judgmental cup. That time came through Jesus, who “drank the cup” of God’s judgment on the cross. Because he drank that cup, we are able to drink from the cup of salvation.
Devotion
In Isaiah 51:17, as in many verses of the Old Testament, drinking the cup symbolizes God’s judgment. Jerusalem drank “the cup of [the LORD’s] wrath” when the Babylonians invaded, destroying the temple and taking the best of her citizens to Babylon.
Yet Isaiah offers the hope that, in time, the cup of fury would be removed from Israel. In verse 22 the Lord says, “See, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; you shall drink no more from the bowl of my wrath.”
God removed the cup of wrath, not only for Israel, but also for us by drinking it through God the Son. We see this in the New Testament. For example, when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter drew a sword in order to defend Jesus. But Jesus replied: “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” (John 18:11). For Jesus, the “cup” stood for his death on the cross. On the cross he would “drink the cup” of God’s judgment, not for himself because he did not deserve it, but for Israel and, indeed, for all humanity.
Because Jesus drank the cup of divine judgment, he is able to offer us a different cup: “And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’” (Luke 22:20). Jesus drank our cup of judgment so that we might drink his cup of salvation. Thus, we live each day, not in fear of God’s condemnation, but in gratitude for God’s grace in Christ. We look forward to drinking the cup in Communion because it symbolizes for us the shed blood of Jesus who has delivered us from the wrath our sin deserved.
Reflect
Do you truly live as if Jesus drank your cup of judgment? Why or why not?
Do you live in the freedom of God’s grace? Or do you try to earn God’s favor by your own efforts?
If you know you were truly and fully forgiven in Christ, what difference might this make in your daily life?
Act
The next time you receive Communion, remember how Jesus drank the cup of judgment so you might drink the cup of salvation.
Pray
Gracious God, how I thank you for your amazing grace. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for drinking the cup of fury. You took upon yourself the righteous judgment of God, thus bearing my sin in my place. You drank the cup of judgment so that I might drink from the cup of salvation. What a wonder!
Dear Lord, since you drank my cup of judgment, help me not to live as if I had to drink some of it too. May I truly accept the freedom you have offered me. And may I use this freedom, not to sin, but to serve you in gratitude and joy, in every part of life. May I drink your cup of salvation in celebration. Amen.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: What Is the “Cup” That Jesus Wants His Father to Take Away?
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...