The Grand End

A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench.

Isaiah 42:3

If Christ does not ‘break the bruised reed,’ nor ‘quench the smoking flax,’ it raises the question, why not? The only reasonable answer to that is that He must have some larger end purpose in view. Because ‘the bruised reed’ and ‘smoking flax’ are essentially unproductive, the practical person would simply break the reed and remove it, or quench the flax to cause it to cease its’ smoldering. Christ does not cut us off when we are unproductive. He very easily could, yet He does not. The reason must be that He has a grand end for us in view. Christ sees the end from the beginning. Therefore, He does not lose patience with us even when we falter and fail. This is a great encouragement to us. Christ raises up that ‘bruised reed,’ to be ‘like a tree planted beside the rivers of waters’. He makes ‘the smoking flax,’ to be ‘the light of the world.’ We cannot trace this grand transformation to any dint of human effort, or take any credit for it whatsoever. Left to our own devices, we would continue as ‘the bruised reed,’ and ‘the smoking flax.’ Christ raises us up, strengthens us, and makes us to prosper. Christ ‘anoints us with fresh oil’ and enables us to shine as lights in the world. He has a grand end in view for us. Therefore, He is patient, and does not, ‘break the bruised reed,’ or ‘quench the smoking flax.’ Today, let us magnify the compassionate restraint of Our Loving Savior.

Our most Holy and Wise God,
great is Your Faithfulness.
We praise You daily that You have a providential plan for us,
which You shall infallibly perform, until we become all that You intend for us to be.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning