Isaiah 49

There are so many ironies in the Christian life, and this is one of them: to be a slave to others in love is the highest expression of freedom. Yeah, that probably bears repeating: to be a slave to others in love is the highest expression of freedom. And in this chapter of Isaiah, that’s exactly what we learn about God—He is a slave to others in love.

In Bible times, a slave would have his master’s “mark” tattooed on his hand. That way, if there was any question about who the slave belonged to, they only needed to look at his hands. Marking the hands was a common practice (Ex 13:9; Isa 44:5; Rev 13:16). And, apparently, it is not a practice limited to human beings.

God says His hands have also been marked: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” (vs 15-16)

God has engraved our names on His hands. In other words, He has made Himself a slave to us in love. This doesn’t mean that we can now boss God around and act like He should jump at our every whim. No, it means that He has chosen to fully commit Himself to our every need, our best good, our total well-being.

It’s no accident that this slave imagery is coupled with the concept of motherhood in this passage. Let me tell you—on August 30, 2011, at approximately 7:43p.m., I became a slave. When our first daughter, Caroline, entered the world, I became a slave to her in love—fully committed to meeting her needs and doing what is best for her (even when it has been terribly painful and inconvenient for me!). As I have discovered (actually, it was sort of like a rude, yet somehow glorious, awakening), this job never ends. There will always be a part of my heart enslaved to my love for her.

To be a slave in love to others is the highest expression of freedom. And God has freely chosen to engrave you and me on the palms of His hands. As a wonderfully perfect Mother, He will never, ever forget us, and He will never fail to be moved by our struggles, our triumphs, or our interests. For all time, there will always be a part of His heart enslaved to His love for us.

He’s got the scars on His hands to prove it.