Isaiah 53
I. (1-39) Condemnation
A. Chapters 1-12—Prophecies against Israel and Judah
B. Chapters 13-23—Prophecies against the Nations
C. Chapters 24-27—Prophecies of the Day of the Lord
D. Chapters 28-35—Prophecies of Judgment and Blessing
E. Chapters 36-39—Historical accounts
II. (40-66) Consolation
A. Chapters 40-48—Israel’s God
B. Chapters 49-54—Israel’s Messiah
1. \\#Is 49:1-26\\ Messiah’s Mission
2. \\#Is 50:1-11\\ Messiah’s Obedience
3. \\#Is 51:1-52:12\\ Messiah’s Message
4. \\#Is 52:13-53:12\\ Messiah’s Life - This section is an Old
Testament record of the life and person of Jesus Christ. Like
so many of Isaiah’s other prophetical passages, these
prophecies jump in the order of time. By doing so in a passage
so clearly fulfilled, they prove the notion that Isaiah’s
prophecies do go back and forth in time.
I. \\#52:13-53:12\\ Messiah’s Life
A. \\#Is 52:13\\ "my servant" - This is the title used of Christ as
introduced in \\#Is 42:1\\ and continued in \\#Is 49:3\\. The section
follows with a description of Christ that will cover both His first
coming (when Christ came in His passion) and portions of His last coming
(when Christ comes in power).
B. \\#Is 52:13-53:12\\ The Servant Described
1. \\#52:13\\ His wisdom and exaltation
a. "my servant shall deal prudently" - This is true of Christ
regardless of when or where you find Him.
(1) PRUDENTLY - Means with wisdom and understanding
(2) How true it was of Jesus when He came to earth the first time.
It will be just as true upon His return.
b. "he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high."
(1) This revelation describes Jesus’ return to this earth in
power.
(2) He will no longer be the suffering Servant but shall come
as the roaring Lion.
2. \\#52:14\\ He was marred for us.
a. "As" - The word sets up a comparison between the great
disfiguration of Jesus at His crucifixion and the great power
He shall exercise over kings and kingdoms at His return. While
we might not consider the two related, God does. As people were
astonished at how much Jesus had been abused and disfigured, so
kings and nations will be astonished at His power and presence.
b. "his visage was so marred more than any man"
(1) This verse describes the horrible disfiguration that the
beatings given Jesus caused.
(2) From the details of Jesus’ crucifixion, no apparent reason
is given that would indicate why Jesus’ appearance would be
marred more than any other victims of the crucifixion.
(3) Albert C. Barnes, in Barnes Commentary on Is 52:14, states
that the Hebrew phrasing could mean that Jesus was so
marred that He no longer looked like a man.
c. Likewise "his form" no longer looked like it was one of mankind’s
sons.
3. \\#Is 52:15\\ In the future, kings and nations shall wonder at Jesus.
a. "sprinkle many nations"
(1) SPRINKLING - The word means to spurt or splatter.
(2) The idea of SPRINKLING the nations is unclear but overall,
the statement seems to be that the Lord’s servant will
have some part in many nations (perhaps like rain
sprinkling down from the heavens touches all things under
the sky).
(3) It is curious that the word MANY is used. As the King of the
kings, when Jesus comes in His power, He will have power over
ALL nations.
b. "kings shall shut their mouths at him" - An idiom to say that
out of fear and respect for this servant, the world powers will
let Him do the talking.
c. "that which they had not heard shall they consider." - Due to
the wisdom of our Lord, the world rulers will see and hear
things that they have never considered.
d. Notice how the prophecy turns in time.
(1) \\#13\\ speaks of the Jesus’ glory and exaltation Jesus will
have in His second coming.
(2) \\#14\\ speaks of the disfigurement Jesus endured at His
first coming.
(3) \\#14-15\\ is a comparison, noting the astonishment at Jesus’
disfigurement (first coming) and the astonishment at Jesus’
influence over kings (second coming).
(4) From our perspective, the time changes in this text are
obvious, but for those living prior to the incarnation, it
was an invisible movement in time. So the prophets’ writings
are filled with this back-and-forth movement in time, making
it difficult to understand the prophecy until at least some
of it has been fulfilled.
4. \\#Is 53:1\\ Only a few will see and believe.
a. "Who hath believed our report?" - The rhetorical question implies
that not many will believe the truth about this Servant.
b. "to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?"
(1) The "arm of the Lord" speaks of God’s strength.
(2) The arm is revealed when someone (in this case Messiah) is
about to perform work. It is like our expression, "He is
rolling up his shirt sleeves."
(3) This is the second question of the verse, and the sense of
it is more difficult to gather than the first. Since these
two questions are asked together, and both are without
answers, it seems their answers ought to be connected.
c. The likely conclusion is that just like few will believe the
truth about Messiah, few actually saw what He did on the earth
during His first visit. After all, the world is a large place
and Jesus limited His ministry to the area of Israel.
Note: Here begins a detailed prophecy of the life of Christ. It might well be
called the Gospel of Jesus by Isaiah.
Is 53:2 - Describe Messiah’s youth. He grew up unnoticed like a tender plant or
a root.
53:3 - In His ministry, Messiah was despised and rejected. He was not esteemed.
Is 53:4 - He was taking our sorrows.
Is 53:5 - He was taking our sins and iniquities.
Is 53:7 - During His trial, He was docile like a lamb.
Is 53:9 - He was crucified with the wicked and buried with the rich.
Is 53:10 - Yet, He saw the results of what He did (resurrection).
5. \\#Is 53:2\\ He will have a humble beginning.
a. "as a tender plant… root out of a dry ground" - One does not
take note of every plant or every root. These two descriptions
mean that Christ will grow from childhood to manhood unnoticed.
b. "he hath no form nor comeliness" - This does not mean that Jesus
was homely, but that there was nothing about His appearance that
would have told us who He was (there was no halo over our Lord’s
head) or that would have created a desire to follow Him.
6. \\#Is 53:3\\ We did not want Him.
a. "He is despised" - The word DESPISED is used twice in this verse.
It means to consider worthless, of no value, vile. Sadly, this
is not just what men thought of Jesus when He was here. It is
what many think of Him now.
b. "…rejected of men… we hid… our faces from him" - Because they
thought what He had to offer (neither Himself nor His atonement
for sin) was of no value, man rejected and hid from Him.
c. "we esteemed him not" - To esteem a person is to recognize His
value or worth. Man has not given to Messiah His due, not even
His own people.
John 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
d. "a man of sorrow… grief" - Messiah was a Man who bore much sorrow
and grief; yet, the next verse makes it clear. It was not His
own sorrows He carried.
7. \\#Is 53:4\\ It was our sorrows that He bore.
a. "Surely" - Meaning FOR AN ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY.
b. "he hath borne OUR griefs… OUR sorrows" - The sorrow and hurt
that He carried was OURS. The notion here is that Jesus bore
our regrets, the things for which we have done and are sorry
over.
c. "we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." -
Those who watched Christ die thought that He was being punished
by the Almighty for something that He had done, as if He were
worthy of it. This prophecy sets the record straight. Like in
\\#Is 50:8-9\\, Christ did not defend Himself on the cross,
but He did set some things straight in advance. His death was
not for His regrets. It was for our hurts.
8. \\#Is 53:5\\ It was about more than just our sorrows.
a. "he was wounded for our transgressions…iniquities" - What
Messiah did was much more than just remove our guilt. He came
to remove the sins which caused the guilt.
b. "wounded… bruised… chastisement… stripes" - Although all the
details are not given, it is apparent that Messiah will remove
both our sins and sorrows by His suffering.
c. "by his stripes we are healed" - This portion of Isaiah’s verse
has been used as a proof text that Christians who meet certain
conditions can be healed of any sickness or disease.
(1) In support of those who argue for physical healing, the word
HEALED does mean CURED and is used most often of physical
healing. Since sickness is part of the consequences of sin
and Jesus did heal, it is reasonable to seek physical
healing through Christ.
(2) In opposition to those who argue for physical healing, the
context of Isaiah is sin and sin’s spiritual (not physical)
consequences. No indication or promise is given that any
physical sickness, let alone all physical sickness, will be
healed as part of our salvation.
(3) The result is that this verse does not give enough
information to settle the issue one way or the other.
9. \\#Is 53:6\\ We are all guilty.
a. Three times terms are used which are all inclusive - ALL, EVERY
(one), ALL. No one is exempt. The guilt and sin of every human
being has been place on Him. This means….
(1) Everyone is guilty of slaying the Messiah.
(2) Everyone can be forgiven because of what Messiah has done.
b. "All we like sheep" - The human race is compared to a mindless
sheep who wanders where it wills without regard to its safety
or surroundings. While the sheep may not have any purposeful
malice in its heart, it still entangles itself in the bramble
of the world and often forfeits its own life.
c. "we have turned everyone to his own way" - Yet we are not
mindless, for we have deliberately turned to our own chosen
pathways. Ours is not blissful ignorance but a rebelliously
thought-out course.
10. \\#Is 53:7\\ He went meekly.
a. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted" - The thought of
Messiah’s suffering is not new. It is detailed in several
passages \\#Is 50:6, 53:3-5\\, but Messiah’s suffering is not
the main point of this verse. Instead, it is the meek and
submissive spirit with which He suffered.
b. He went "as a lamb" and He "opened not his mouth," the latter
thought being expressed twice in the verse. Messiah did not
cry for mercy, nor did He defend Himself, nor did He rail against
His enemy. Indeed, like "sheep" being sheared, He was docile
toward His attackers.
11. \\#Is 53:8\\ He was removed for the Jews.
a. "He was taken from prison and from judgment" - The phrase has an
uncertain meaning. It is possible that the verse is one thought.
TAKEN FROM is not the same word as CUT OFF, but has a similar
meaning. They mean to be removed or snatched away. So this
could be a list of places or things from which Messiah was
removed.
(1) He was removed from prison. The word PRISON literally
means oppression. Messiah was removed from these things by
His quick death.
(2) He was removed "from judgment." Messiah did not receive
justice.
(3) He was removed from "the land of the living." Messiah was
cruelly killed.
b. "who shall declare his generation" - This is another phrase that
has an uncertain meaning. Perhaps this question is, "Who will
explain this to those of Messiah’s generation?" Messiah was
abruptly killed, with some thinking it was a just and proper
execution. Such corruption certainly needs to be revealed.
c. "for he was cut off… for the transgression of my people" - But
not only should the truth be declared for justice sake. This is
the sacrifice of salvation. Messiah died for the sins of others.
This is the message which needs to be told to all generations.
12. \\#Is 53:9\\ He died among the wicked and was buried among the rich.
a. "he made his grave with the wicked" - A reference to the thieves
who surrounded Jesus during His crucifixion.
b. "with the rich in his death" - Yet, Messiah was buried in a rich
man’s tomb.
c. Why did one who was killed as a criminal receive the privilege of
bring buried among the wealthy? "because he had done no
violence, neither was deceit in his mouth."
13. \\#Is 53:10\\ This is the hand of the Lord.
a. "Yet…"
(1) This word sets up a statement that the reader would not
normally expect. The word is a conjunction; that is, it
is used to join two thoughts. However, here it is joining
two contrasting thoughts.
(2) In the remaining verses, Jehovah will be speaking about His
Servant.
b. "…it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief"
(1) The text has been describing the cruel death of the Lord’s
Servant. Until now, there has been no indication who
inflicted this pain upon Him. At this point, the Father
says that it was He. Here is the unexpected contrast. The
Father has executed His own Servant!
(2) Not only did God the Father inflict the pain and death, He
took PLEASURE in doing so.
(3) This text must have been the source for much debate among
Jewish scholars and readers. Their questions would be
obvious.
(a) "Why would the Father afflict His own faithful servant?"
(b) "What pleasure could there be in this twisted event?"
(4) Again, from our perspective, the answers are quite clear.
The Father’s pleasure was not in afflicting His Servant,
but in what the Servant’s afflictions accomplished, namely,
the salvation of all who would call upon the Lord.
c. "when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin"
(1) Jehovah’s purpose is clearly stated.
(2) The Servant would become an offering for the sins of the
people.
(3) This passages explains the entire Jewish sacrificial system.
It was all an illustration of what Messiah would one day do.
d. "he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days"
(1) This portion of the verse is promising a SEED, a by-product
or an after growth of the Servant’s sacrifice. It is a
reference to the church. Christ’s death is the seed for
the new life which began shortly thereafter.
(2) For the Servant to see the after growth of His death,
He will have to be alive. This alludes to Christ’s
resurrection, which the remainder of the verse would
demand.
(3) Again, this probably troubled Old Testament readers.
e. "the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand" - Not only
is life after death required for the Servant, but in that
afterlife, the Servant will do the PLEASURE OF THE LORD; and,
by doing so, that work SHALL PROSPER IN HIS HAND.
14. \\#Is 53:11\\ This is a work of salvation for the others.
a. "He… his" - It is difficult to know whether the antecedent is
the Servant of the Father.
b. "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied"
Jehovah saw what the Son endured, and accepted Him as the sin
offering.
c. "by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many" - By
or with the knowledge of what Jesus has done, many souls will be
justified (saved).
d. "for he shall bear their iniquities" - Because Jesus, the Sin
Offering, bore the sins of the guilty.
15. \\#Is 53:12\\ He wrought a great victory.
a. "Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great" - After
Jesus’ passion, comes His exaltation.
Phi 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which
is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father.
b. "he shall divide the spoil with the strong"
(1) The SPOIL is everything in creation.
(2) The phrase is an military idiom but in actuality, there is
no one else with whom Messiah will divide His spoil. All
has been redeemed, and all belongs to the Redeemer.
(3) However, the Son will give all to the Father.
1 Corinthians 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall
the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that
God may be all in all.
c. "because he hath poured out his soul unto death" - All belongs to
the Son because the Son has paid the price.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
d. "he was numbered with the transgressors" - The Servant will be
COUNTED as a sinner.
e. "he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors"
(1) Although counted as a sinner, Messiah was not a sinner. He
was (and is) the Substitute for sinners.
(2) As INTERCESSOR, Messiah stands between God and the sinner to
make atonement.
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