Crossing the Jordan River: Joshua 3:1-17

  

Isaiah the Prophet,
Painting by Pietro Perugino 1452-1523

The Suffering Servant: Isaiah 52:13-53:12

 

Introduction

Today we look at the fourth of what commentators call the “Servant Songs” in Isaiah. These are Hebrew poems or chants that told the Israelites some details about the future Messiah. Isaiah recited or chanted these probably in the temple court.

The first Servant Song we discussed is in Isaiah 42:1-9, in which the Father calls the future Messiah “My Servant.” That Song prophesies that the Messiah would have a quiet and patient demeanor, would offer comfort to the weak and oppressed, would bring truth and justice, would be a light to the Gentiles and open mankind’s eyes. The first song ends with Yahweh assuring that the Messiah’s advent is sure because we can depend on His word. He tells us in 42:9:

See, the former things have taken place,

    and new things I declare;

before they spring into being

    I announce them to you.”

In the second Servant Song, Isaiah 49:1-13, the Lord prophesied that the Messiah would come in human form, would be an effective teacher and glorify the Father, that He would be sent to save Israel, but that Israel would reject Him, He would save all mankind, that those who despised Him will one day worship Him (a prophecy of His second coming), and that He will be a covenant to all people, including the Gentiles, saying in 49:6:

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant

    to restore the tribes of Jacob

    and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,

     that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

That is something that the Israelites found hard to accept, because to them Gentiles were vile, unclean, and beyond redemption.

In the third Servant Song, Isaiah 50:4-9, we read a prophecy that the Messiah would be obedient in speaking and teaching, in listening to the Father, in His suffering, and in accomplishing His purpose, and predicting:

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,

    I will not be disgraced.

Therefore have I set my face like flint,

     and I know I will not be put to shame. (50:7)

Throughout the Servant Songs, we have run into a characteristic of the Messiah that the Israelites did not accept—that He would be a light to the Gentiles. They expected a Messiah that would free them from foreign domination and reinforce their rigid legalistic practices. But Isaiah prophesied that their Messiah would come to save all people, including the hated Gentiles, and the Messiah’s message would not be one of political and national dominance, but one of restoration to and communion with the Father.

The fourth Servant Song is found in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, and the first part of this Song is found in the final four verses of chapter 52:

¹³ See, my servant will act wisely;

    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him—

    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being

    and his form marred beyond human likeness—

¹⁵ so he will sprinkle many nations,

    and kings will shut their mouths because of him.

For what they were not told, they will see,

     and what they have not heard, they will understand.

This Song continues with chapter 53, which contains perhaps one of the best known passages in the Old Testament:

¹ Who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

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.

³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,

    yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

    so he did not open his mouth.

⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

    Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

    for the transgression of my people he was punished.

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

    and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

¹¹ After he has suffered,

    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

    and he will bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,

    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,

because he poured out his life unto death,

    and was numbered with the transgressors.

For he bore the sin of many,

    and made intercession for the transgressors. For

He shall bear their iniquities.

First, I want to deal briefly with the first part of the Song, (52:13-15):

The Exalted Destiny of the Servant

¹³ See, my servant will act wisely;

    he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.

¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at him—

    his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being

    and his form marred beyond human likeness—

¹⁵ so he will sprinkle many nations,

    and kings will shut their mouths because of him.

For what they were not told, they will see,

     and what they have not heard, they will understand.

The song opens with the Lord calling attention to the Servant’s wisdom: ¹³ See, my servant will act wisely;

V. 13 begins with a Hebrew interjection means more than just to see, but means to pay special attention, to look or observe with care and understanding that “…my servant will act wisely.” In many older English translations, it is rendered “behold,” and is a common way in the Old Testament to draw attention to what the Lord is about to tell us.

The Servant’s wisdom was deeply self-denying. The outcome would be determined by the Father, with the Servant—the son, Jesus—willingly shouldering the burden of untold suffering. In these verses, God’s wisdom and human wisdom decisively part company.

V. 14 tells us:

…there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness…

This is a description of His appearance at the crucifixion…an appalling sight “…disfigured…” and “…marred beyond human likeness…”

V. 15 may seem a bit odd to us, we’re told that the suffering Servant “…will sprinkle many nations.”

This isn’t the first time I have encountered v. 15. Before we were saved, we were irregular church goers, and the church we attended sprinkled water on a newborn’s head as the means of baptism. I knew there were various forms of baptism, so I asked the minister of the church we had attended about it. She told me sprinkling is the only proper form of baptism and cited the passage “…he will sprinkle many nations…” in Isaiah 52:15 as her proof text.

But the Hebrew term translated “…sprinkle…” in English has what scholars call “priestly overtones.” It refers back to Leviticus 16:14 in which Aaron is to take some of the blood of a sacrificial bull and “¹⁴…sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover…” of the ark and then take the blood of a sacrificial goat and “¹⁵…sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. ¹⁶ In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites…” This ritual cleansing of the tabernacle was to atone for the sin of the Israelites, whose sin and rebellion defiled the tabernacle when they worshiped.

So in verse 15 of Isaiah 52, the prophet sees the future Messiah as not only a victim, but also a priest. His sacrifice won’t be for Israel alone, however, since we’re told that his blood will sprinkle many nations, meaning His sacrifice will be for all mankind.

In addition, there are a few scholars who point out this “…sprinkling…” also may be a remembrance of the sprinkling of blood on the door posts and lentil of the Israelites’ dwellings on the night in Egypt, when the Lord spared the firstborn of the Israelites (Exodus 12). It is the blood of Christ, His death on the cross in payment for our sin, that enables all mankind to enter into communion with the Father.

In the latter part of v. 15, Isaiah prophesies that the Servant’s exaltation after the horror of His terrible suffering and death, would be most emphatic, even joyful for those responding in faith. Jesus’ second advent is in view here, although Isaiah had no way of knowing of two advents. His prophecy that—“…kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand…”—anticipates a day when the even world leaders will be humbled and silenced, because they will understand what had previously been unknown to them…the arrival of the King of Kings. Kings will fall silent in his presence, overawed and eager to see and hear rather than to speak themselves in the presence of such an unprecedented revelation.

The Servant Song continues in chapter 53, telling us something of the Messiah’s life during His first advent (53:1-3):

The Life of the Servant

¹ Who has believed our message

    and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

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.

The implication in v. 1—“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”—is that despite these and other prophecies, few would recognize the Messiah, although the prophecies clearly describe Him and his life and purpose.

V. 2 tells us, ^“He grew up before him like a tender shoot…” The “…tender shoot…” is the same term we find in Isaiah 11: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse, from his roots, a branch will bear fruit.,” referring to a young plant or the growth that sprouts from the stump of a tree after it has been cut down or died. Jesus was the “…shoot…” that came from “…the stump of Jesse…,” David’s father. By the first century, when the ruling house of David had long before been cut off, just as prophesied, came the Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David, the son of Jesse.

V. 3 and following describe His pain and suffering:

³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,

     a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

     he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Jesus’ suffering and death was horrendous. He endured it on our behalf, in our place. In so doing, the He bore our guilt and penalty—they were transferred onto Him. God would judge Jesus Christ, His own Son, because He took our sin upon Himself, and His pain served a great redemptive purpose.

The passage gives us a good description of how things were when Jesus first came to earth. It was a dark time in history for the Israelites, a dark time spiritually, a dark time politically after centuries of foreign dominance and occupation, a time of poverty; the nation of Israel was all but dead.

But then came the Messiah, in humble circumstances and with no particular personal charisma or especially pleasant or appealing physical stature. Jesus was born to a poor, working family and probably had an average appearance.

Even in adulthood, when He taught as the Son of God, He was despised and rejected…rejected by the religious leaders, who cursed Him, falsely accused Him, and in many ways expressed their hatred and disgust for Him. Although a few saw Him for Who He is, most “…held Him in low esteem.”

Vv. 4-9 tell of:

His Suffering for Our Sin

        4 Surely he took up our pain
            and bore our suffering,
        yet we considered him punished by God,
            stricken by him, and afflicted.

5         5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
            he was crushed for our iniquities;
        the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
            and by his wounds we are healed.

In Isaiah 53:4-5 we see all the broken

ness of mankind…it is, in fact, a summary of the Gospel story.

The Hebrew words  translated “…pain…” and “…suffering…” in vv. 3 and 4 can legitimately refer to either physical infirmities, mental pain, or spiritual problems. Charismatic Christians normally limit the meaning of “…by his wounds we are healed…” only to physical illnesses because of their theology of miraculous healing. Hoowever, the context of the passage is that His pain and suffering took place for the “healing” of sin it enabled for us.

Normally, the surrounding context indicates what the author meant by the words he used. Most evangelical commentators see the phrase “…and by his wounds we are healed…” as referring not to physical healing, but to the spiritual healing from our “…transgressions…” and our “…iniquities…”

In addition, Isaiah 53 uses three different Hebrew words for sin—translated “…sins…,” “…iniquities…,” and “…transgressions…”—at least nine times in the chapter, and we must consider the context to identify the passage’s intent. For example, in v. 5 we read that Christ was “…pierced for our transgressions…” and “crushed for our iniquities”; so that, in v. 6, “…the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The obvious focus of Isaiah 53 is on sin, not on physical illness or infirmities.

The Messiah as substitutionary atonement for our sin—for the judgment due us—is one of the most intense passages in the Bible. Note how this is emphasized in v. 5 (“…he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed). He paid the price for us, so that we would not have to and so that we could live in communion with the Father.

This doctrine of the atonement for our sin is often repeated often in the New Testament and is at the core of Christian theology.

For example:

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13).

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18).

Vv. 6-8 describe our sin and the Messiah’s acquiescence to the process of atonement:

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

    each of us has turned to our own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

    the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,

    yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

In v. 6, the prophecy describes us in a not-so-complementary way…as sheep that “…have gone astray…” and that have “…turned to our own way.” These are descriptions of the sinfulness of people’s hearts. It means every one of us. Even after trusting in the forgiveness that God gives, we sometimes are still prone to turn aside to our own ways.

There are quite a few teachers and preachers today, especially some of the celebrity ministers on television, who would tell us we should believe in ourselves…to have confidence in ourselves…to be proud of ourselves…and to enjoy all we can of the happiness and prosperity that is there for the taking.

But that’s not what the Bible teaches here: “…We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way…”; I am reminded of Paul’s lament in Romans 7. We all look up to Paul’s example of faithfulness, yet there was a time when he admitted: “…I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out (Romans 7:18).

The Bible tells us people everywhere have some tendency to be like the proverbial wandering sheep of v. 6…thinking we know what we’re doing, but occasionally clueless because of that old nature that always seems to lurk just around the corner.

Sheep often wander aimlessly unless the shepherd guides them. They have virtually no way of defense when they’re in danger, except to run.

Then in the latter part of v. 6, we encounter the solution: “…the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” All of us. So not just some of us. No one is excluded here. The sharpest, smartest, richest, most talented and intelligent people in the world are like sheep…prone to go astray. But the beauty of this v. 6 is that God chose to pour out the judgment that we deserve on Jesus, who has paid the price for every time we have turned aside from God’s way to our own way.

In v. 7, the prophet reminds us that Jesus the Messiah would be injuriously treated by the Jews, and indeed He was; He was shown no mercy. The opening phrase, “He was oppressed and afflicted…” conveys a sense of unjust treatment and hardship. Yet, despite the affliction he endures, there is a remarkable response—Jesus chooses silence. His silence is not what would be expected and stands as a powerful symbol of the servant’s willingness to endure suffering for our sake without protest or self-defense.

The imagery of being “…led like a lamb to the slaughter…” gives

The parallel image of Him “…as a sheep before its shearers is silent emphasizes His silent endurance even further. The shearing of sheep is a common practice that requires the sheep to remain still, and He is likened to the sheep’s quiet compliance, a voluntary surrender to a process that, though uncomfortable, serves a purpose.

V. 7 portrays the humility and obedience of the suffering servant. His silence in the face of oppression and affliction reflects His submission to the Father’s purpose for the Son as the Lamb of God whose sacrificial death brings redemption and forgiveness.

The phrase in v. 8, “…by oppression and judgment…” indicates that judgment was in fact employed as an instrument of oppression.

⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

    Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

     for the transgression of my people he was punished.

It seemed as though the Servant must die without descendants, being “…cut off…” suggesting not only a violent, premature death but also the just judgment of God.

V. 9 provides us with another specific detail of the death of Christ:

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

    and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

     nor was any deceit in his mouth.

V. 9 gives us a prophetic detail that Matthew reports literally occurred. Jesus died with the wicked (crucified between two criminals) and was buried in a rich man’s tomb. Matthew tells us in Matthew 27: 57-60:

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Jesus’ pain served a grand purpose—He suffered on our behalf, in our place. In so doing, the Servant bore our guilt. Our guilt and penalty transferred onto Him. God would judge Jesus Christ, His own Son, because He took our sin upon Himself. This greater redemptive purpose called this into plan into action.

The Messiah’s ministry on earth did not end with His death. Even in death He was victorious: He defeated death in His resurrection and now is at the right hand of the Father. Vv. 10-12 tell us of:

His Ultimate Victory

¹⁰ Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,

    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,

he will see his offspring and prolong his days,

    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

¹¹ After he has suffered,

    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;

by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,

     and he will bear their iniquities.

Vv. 10-11 remind us that after suffering comes vindication, suggesting the completion of the Servant’s atoning work in his death and the opening of a new life beyond that death. Being “…an offering for sin…” (v. 10) is a special overtone of completion, because His suffering and death involved restitution for our sin, as well as an offering to God. Nothing remained to be done; the work was complete.

The statements in v. 10 that “…he will see his offspring and prolong his days…” and in v. 11 that “…he will see the light of life and be satisfied…” both foreshadow the Resurrection.

In. v. 11, the prophet goes on to tell us that”… by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities…” I see this as good background for Paul’s doctrine of justification through Christ’s, appropriated by faith. Christ’s righteousness and therefore his innocence of sin furnished a basis for his substitution.

And finally, the opening statement of v.12 shows God the Father honoring the Servant for his faithful work and the Servant in turn dividing “…the spoils with the strong…”:

12 

12           12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
                    and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
               because he poured out his life unto death,
                   and was numbered with the transgressors.
               For he bore the sin of many,
                   and made intercession for the transgressors.

That phrase dividing “…he will divide the spoils with the strong…” introduces a new note into the passage, using a military reference of distributing the spoils of battle to others. Nowhere else in the Servant Songs is there military language. Christ’s work is presented as a victory over spiritual foes, resulting in a distribution of spoils to those made strong in Him. The reference may relate to the giving of spiritual gifts, but that is unclear.

Innocent, he was charged with human sins and so bore their penalty. Beyond this, he has an intercessory ministry, concerned about and ministering to his people.

Finally, Jesus’ “…intercession for the transgressors…” began on the cross with the compassionate words for His tormenters, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:24). And His compassion has continued ever since and will continue until the last day, as Paul reminds us in Romans 8:34: “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ”

Conclusion

Isaiah has given us a good look at our Savior in the four passages we know as his Servant Songs…whom God calls My servant, who would save Jews and Gentiles alike, and who was obedient even in suffering and death.

It is good for us to take a long look at the prophecies of the Messiah, at the gospels that record Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and at the epistles, in which God fills in a lot of the details.

We need to take a long look at His life and death, His resurrection and ascension, and the fact that He continues to minister to us and intercede for us.