Isaías 53
Samuel Johnson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Isaías 53
Johnson - He shall be exalted, a verb ya’ruwm — that can mean “he shall rise,” and then extolled, nasa, which means something like “to lift up,” to bear away in many contexts, and then shall be very high, a verb that means essentially that. In fact, can it possibly be that these three verbs refer to the commencement of our Lord’s exaltation in His resurrection, the continuation of it in His ascension and the climax of it in His session at the right hand of the throne of God? He shall be exalted, he shall be extolled, he shall be very high. (The Astonishing Messiah) (1) High (07311)(rum) is a verb which literally describes something raised up high (water in the global flood = Ge 7:17). Rum can describe God as being exalted (2 Sa 22:47, Ps 99:2, 108:5, Isa 33:10). In Isaiah 52:13 rum is in the Qal which can signify either being high or rising up. (2) Lifted up and is the verb nasa' which literally means to lift up which would be compatible with the idea of ascension for Luke records that after the resurrection from the dead, Jesus "was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." (Acts 1:9+) Nasa' also conveys the sense of bearing and so the picture Isaiah presents is of the Servant of God, the Messiah, lifted up (nasa') Who "surely our griefs He Himself bore" (nasa') (Isa 53:4+) for "He Himself bore (nasa') the sin of many" (Isa 53:12+) Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree! —Watts We can never sacrifice enough for the One Who sacrificed His all for us. It is interesting that the Septuagint translates nasa' with the verb hupsoo which can refer literally to lifting one up (on the Cross - Jn 3:14, 8:32, 12:32, 34 to heaven - Acts 2:33) or of exalting one in the sense of granting them enhanced honor (Lk 1:52, Jas 4:10, 1 Pe 5:6). (3) Greatly exalted - Exalted is the verb gabah which means to be high or exalted (of God Isa 5:16) but in a negative sense can also mean arrogant (2 Chr 17:6, 26:16, 32:25), this latter clearly NOT descriptive of the Servant of Jehovah (cf Isa 50:6). The Septuagint translates exalted here in Isaiah 52:13 with the verb doxazo meaning to glorify, which would certainly fit with Jesus' position of glory at the right hand of His Father in the glory of Heaven! Christ's exaltation to the right hand of God is referred to by Dr Luke quoting the apostle Peter... This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. (Acts 2:32, 33+, cf Acts 5:31) Paul incorporates Christ's resurrection and His exaltation in the great description of Jesus in Ephesians 1 Which He brought about in Christ (Eph 1:18-19), when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.(Eph 1:20-23+) Related Resource: What is a theophany? What is a Christophany? The Angel of the LORD The Astonishing Messiah - S Lewis Johnson David Thompson - W. A. Criswell said that one time he heard of an American soldier who had been in World War I in France and had been critically injured by a bomb that exploded in front of him. He lost the use of one of his limbs and was greatly disfigured. The saddest part of all of this was that he also lost his memory. He couldn’t remember his family name and he couldn’t remember where he was from. For years he would travel to various gatherings and he would ask, “Does any one know who I am?” People would look at this mangled, disfigured soldier and no one had a clue as to who he was (Isaiah, pp. 229-230). That is the way it was when Jesus Christ was here on earth. He walked through this world and when people looked at Him they were astonished. He basically kept asking, “Does any one here know who I am?” “Has any figured it out?” No one should have missed the identity of Jesus Christ, especially when you have a prophetic text like this in Isaiah. (Ref) James Smith - THE SERVANT. It is well to observe that God the Father is not ashamed to direct the attention of the Universe to His only begotten Son as "the Servant." There is nothing derogatory in this. In distant parts of the earth, in the habitations of paganism, idolatry, and cruelty, a gentleman is one who never works, and as a proof of this, allows the finger nails to grow to great length, and is arrayed in lengthy and costly robes. But the very glory of Christ is that He came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. On the eve of His Passion, fully conscious of His Deity and glory, like a common Eastern slave He girded Himself with a towel, and washed the feet of His disciples. He could even say, "I am among you as one that serveth." There is a great deal of miserable cant in even these so-called democratic days. For why should a domestic servant be considered worthy of less respect and honour than another girl in office or professional labour? Even the King and Queen upon the Throne are but the servants of their subjects. The Lord Jesus, by becoming a servant, has for ever sanctified and dignified that humble word. Here in this Golden Passional the great service rendered by the Divine servant is that of atoning for the world's sin. The Hebrew word for servant means a person at the disposal of another, to carry out that person's will, to do that person's work, to represent his interests, and to fulfil a mission. This also is the New Testament definition of a servant. In those days a servant and a slave were synonymous terms. The Lord Jesus placed Himself entirely at the disposal of the Father. In the Scriptures various individuals are referred to as God's servants. 1. Worshippers (Psa. 134:1) are called God's servants. How important worship is to be sure, and what an important service it is. 2. Trusting Ones (Psa. 34:22) are honoured by that designation. To place and exercise faith in God is delightful and important service. 3. The Jewish Nation (Isa. 41:8) is so designated. It would have been well if they had more constantly remembered this, and lived up to this great honour. 4. Certain Individuals are so marked, as for example; David (Isa. 37:35); Isaiah the Prophet (Isa. 20:3); and Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:9). But the greatest and most glorious of all the servants of the Most High was the Lord Jesus (Isa. 42:1-7). III. THE QUALITY OF HIS SERVICE. 1. Filial Service, the Service of the Son. There is a tremendous difference between a mere servant and a sonservant. That is, between a mere hireling and one who, because of a recognised and proud relationship, renders the service more whole-heartedly and more devotedly. It is well to notice He was first Son, then servant, or may we put it—God's servant because He was God's beloved Son. Before we can become God's servants labouring in His vineyard, we must become His children through faith in Christ Jesus. 2. Compulsory Service, the Compulsion of Love. "The love of Christ constraineth us," was the testimony of St. Paul, and was the secret of his incessant and abundant labours in the Gospel. Love was the great constraining force in the life of Christ. It was because He loved the Father that He was so ready to place Himself at the Father's disposal; it was because He loved mankind that He so readily came to render the service of the Cross. Love should be the great dominating force in our lives. 3. Heart Service, not the Service of the Eye. How significant is the phrase used by St. Paul with regard to service. "Not with eye service as men pleasers." Our blessed Lord's service was a real heart service, and so should ours be. 4. Chosen Service, a Service by Wondrous Grace. "My servant whom I have chosen" (Isa. 43:10). Undoubtedly our gracious Master is referred to here. He was the chosen one of the Father. But how significant when we can place side by side with this, that amazing verse in John 15, "Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you." We, too, are His chosen ones. He has some special work that we alone can do, for which His choice has fallen upon us. 5. Commissioned Service, not an Unrenewed Commission. "As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you." He came for a definite and specific work, and He has some definite and distinct work for us to do. It is the highest wisdom for all young Christians to place themselves entirely and unreservedly in the hands of the Redeemer, 6. Powerful Service, Energised by the Holy Ghost. "For He spoke with authority, and not as the Scribes," There was wonderful unction in all His addresses. Not one of His words fell to the ground. God save us preachers and speakers and Sunday School teachers from becoming as sounding brass and tinkling cymbal, a mere sound. But may there ever be recognised a definite power behind all that we say. 7. Sustained Service, Upheld by Wondrous Grace. Isaiah 42:1 clearly shows this. Is that not a significant phrase found in Revelation 2:1, "He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand," indicating the seven leaders of the seven churches in Asia upon whom so great a responsibility rested had special supporting grace given to them. He will sustain us. We, too, will always be held up by wondrous grace. (Handfuls of Purpose) Isaiah 52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. NET Isaiah 52:14 (just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man; ESV Isaiah 52:14 As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind NLT Isaiah 52:14 But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man. CSB Isaiah 52:14 Just as many were appalled at You-- His appearance was so disfigured that He did not look like a man, and His form did not resemble a human being-- NIV Isaiah 52:14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him-- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness-- Many: Ps 71:7 Mt 7:28 22:22,23 27:14 Mk 5:42 6:51 7:37 10:26,32 Lu 2:47 4:36 5:26 His appearance: Isa 50:6 53:2-5 Ps 22:6,7,15,17 102:3-5 Mt 26:67 27:29,30 Lu 22:64 Isaiah 53 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH'S ASTONISHING HUMILIATION Just as many were astonished at you, My people - Note that "My people" is added by the NAS translators. This is probably not the best translation as it tends to suggest that this statement is directed at the nation of Israel. A better translation is the ESV rendering of as many were astonished at you. Note that this passage begins with "as" which is picked up in Isa 52:15 that begins with "so" the significance of which will be discussed below. Suffice it to say just as the Jews were horrified at Jesus' appearance at His first coming, so the nations will be startled (the alternative reading of "sprinkle") by His Second Coming! Note that the pronoun in the previous passage was HE (Isa 52:13 - "He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted."), but is now switched to YOU, John MacArthur noting that "switching pronouns from the second to the third is not uncommon in prophetic language in the Old Testament." (from his sermon The Startling Servant of Jehovah) NET NOTE on the pronoun "YOU" ((just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man = Isa 52:14NET) - Some witnesses read "him," which is more consistent with the context, where the servant is spoken about, not addressed. However, it is possible that the Lord briefly addresses the servant here. The present translation assumes the latter view and places the phrase in parentheses. Note some versions render "YOU" as "HIM" - For example - NIV (and NLT) = "Just as there were many who were appalled at HIM" (Isa 52:14NIV) Here is Dr MacArthur's full statement related to YOU in Isaiah 52:14 - Verse 14, “Just as many were astonished at you,” and I think that is directed at the Messiah and so some (ED: THE NAS TRANSLATION) add “My people” in italics. That doesn’t help because He’s talking really to the Messiah, not Israel. “Just as many were astonished at You,” and switching pronouns from the second to the third is not uncommon in prophetic language in the Old Testament. “Just as many were astonished at You, so His appearance was more than any man and His form more than the sons of men.” Many are going to be astonished at Him, but not because of His exaltation, many. They’re going to be astonished because of His humiliation. Many? Yeah, many, the people of Israel basically. They’re the only ones that saw His humiliation." Isaiah is saying that many will be astonished by the Servant's appearance. This theme is described in more detail in Isaiah 53:1-9. I like the HCSB rendering of "many were appalled," a similar reaction from men being evoked by the destruction of Tyre in Ezekiel 27:35 ("Are appalled at you") Lindsey adds that "It could be translated “amazed, shocked, aghast, or horrified,” and indicates that those who gaze on the Servant are petrified by paralyzing astonishment and stupefying surprise at His deep abasement and degradation." (The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12) Astonished (shamen/samen) has the root idea of desolation caused by some great disaster and the second major sense is "horror" and "shock" brought about by the vision of the desolation, in this case the "desolation" of the God-Man Christ Jesus. Astonishment will be the inner response to the outward scene! This reaction of astonishment or horror is fulfilled by many in the Jewish crowd who looked at Him, for the Jews were the only ones (other than Pilate and the Roman soldiers) who actually witnessed Messiah's humiliation and disfigurement. What they saw was the Messiah's condition after being beaten and mocked (Luke 22:63-64+), and scourged (Mt 27:26, Mark 15:15+) in preparation for His walk on the Via Dolorosa to His ultimate destination, the Cross of Calvary. As the crowd lining the street saw Jesus bearing His cross, beaten and bloodied, they were appalled at His appearance. While many in the crowd were antagonistic to Him, there were also some who loved Him and to whom this sight must have been heart rending! May our thoughts of His broken appearance be used by the Holy Spirit to break our hearts, motivating us to greater and greater loving obedience to Him. Amen. Unger understood “appearance” as a “special reference to His face,” and “form” as a reference to His “physical body in general.” That may be the case as clearly both His face and body were beaten. As a side note it is a horrifying truth that Christian art prior to Constantine depicted Christ's normal appearance as repulsive. That they would have done so is unconscionable to me! David Baron comments that "By these strong words and expressions the Spirit of God seeks to give us a glimpse unto the depth and intensity of the vicarious sufferings of our Saviour, and of the greatness of the cost of our redemption; and as we contemplate this picture of the Man of Sorrows, with the "face" which for us was "marred" more than that of any man, and with His form bowed and disfigured more than the sons of men, may our hearts be stirred with shame and sorrow for the sin which was the cause of it all, and with greater love and undying gratitude to Him who bore all this for us!" (Isaiah 53 Exposition) Thompson on marred - When He was before Annas, Jesus was smashed in the face by an officer (John 18:22). When He was before Caiaphas, He was spit on, slapped, and beaten in the face with fists (Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; Luke 22:63). When He was before Pilate, Pilate had him scourged with whips (John 19:1; Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15) and soldiers brutally punched Him in the face with their fists (John 19:3). His beard was ripped out of His face (Isaiah 50:6). By the time this was all over, you could not even recognize that this is Jesus. (Ibid) So His appearance was marred more than any man - (ESV = "His appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance") The noun mishhat is used only here in the OT and is used to describe the disfigurement of Jesus as a result of the beating He endured. The Septuagint uses a verb (found only here in Scripture) adoxeo (opposite of doxazo) which means literally "without glory," and conveys the idea of being held in no esteem, of being of ill repute or even of being despicable! It can mean to hold one in contempt. It suggest that the Jewish crowd while on one hand were appalled on the other hand they held Him in contempt. Certainly we know the Jewish religious leaders held Messiah in extreme contempt! What callousness was on display on that horrible Passover day! Most lexicons say that the noun marred (mishhat) is derived from the verb shachath which means corrupted or ruined and in Malachi 1:14 describes the sacrifice of "a blemished (shachath) animal." Do you see the bitter irony? The Jews see Jesus' appearance which would make any Passover lamb unacceptable for sacrifice as it would be disqualified after inspection by the Temple priests! And so the irony is that the Passover Lamb of God (Jn 1:29) would have been an unacceptable sacrifice physically speaking, but He was in fact the perfect, sinless sacrifice (praise God) spiritually speaking! The tempest’s awful voice was heard, O Christ, it broke on Thee! Thy open bosom was my ward, It braved the storm for me. Thy form was scarred, Thy visage marred; Now cloudless peace for me. -- A R Cousins And His form more than the sons of men - The NET Bible renders it "He was so disfigured He no longer looked like a man"! O but He was still the Lamb of God! So let us take a moment and ponder with astonishment His suffering for us - play Watch the Lamb, The Lamb of God. James Smith - THE SERVANT'S PRUDENCE. "Behold My Servant shall deal prudently" (Isaiah 52:13) In this introductory stanza to the Golden Passional we have God's "Ecce Homo." Let us never forget that this was a prophecy uttered many years before Bethlehem and Calvary. Have you ever thought of the goodness of the Father in not only prophesying of the sufferings of Christ, but also of the glory that was to follow? "He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high." These are expressions confined by Isaiah to the Godhead (consult Isa. 6:1; 57:15). Therefore we here not only have prosperity foretold, but much more than that: surely this means nothing less than the exaltation and enthronement of Deity. Unlike mere mortal and finite men, the Man of Sorrows knew exactly all that awaited Him—the betrayal, the failure of His followers, the cruel scourgings, and the awful death. But how often, as He reflected on all these sad accompaniments of His death, His heart must have been cheered by this bright and attractive forecast. That prosperity should follow prudence is to be expected. "My Servant shall deal prudently—He shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high." Sometimes prudence fails in man, but never in the Man Jesus Christ. I. THE NATURE OF HIS PRUDENCE. What is prudence? Prudence and wisdom are not one and the same thing. "Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent"—here they are referred to as separate and distinct, though closely related. Prudence is wisdom in action. The prudent are not only the possessors of wisdom. They are those who use that wisdom wisely and well. It is possible to be wise and yet not prudent. In other words, for wisdom to dwell alone. But prudence always dwells with wisdom, as is pointed out in Proverbs 8:12: "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence." Prudence and wisdom are twin sisters. II. THE FACT OF HIS PRUDENCE. Our Blessed Lord Jesus was greater in wisdom and prudence than Solomon. Indeed He was, and is, the source of all wisdom and prudence. The greatest and grandest example is found in Him. This declaration in the Golden Passional is, of course, a prophecy. His own life is its fulfilment. III. THE EXERCISE OF HIS PRUDENCE. A very devoted and eminent preacher of the Gospel of our own time has pointed out how our Lord so wonderfully exercised prudence in His life, and manifested it also in His death. 1. In Not Prematurely Surrendering His Life. Time and again His enemies sought to slay Him, but our Lord and Saviour took every precaution. Till He knew His work was done He would not allow His life to be squandered, 2. His Insight into Character. All who came into touch with Him became conscious of the fact that He knew them through and through, better than they knew themselves. They were aware, time and again, of the fact that He could read their thoughts; and He acted toward all with unerring wisdom. 3. In the Adroitness of His Replies. Christian workers cannot do better as a preparation for missionary work, whether at home or abroad, than to study our Lord's methods with individuals. Both as a preacher and as a teacher He manifested amazing skill—was calm, never flurried, had always an apt reply, ever hitting the nail on the head. Over and over again we simply marvel at His replies. 4. In His Concessions to the Limitations of His Hearers. That He was the All-Wise One, and the All-Knowing One, possessing and exercising in His human life all the attributes of Deity is a fact, yet He never talked or preached above the heads of His hearers. As as example of this He stooped to parabolic teaching, conveying the most abstruse thoughts in simple language. Hence "The common people heard Him gladly," as well as the learned scholars of His time. Many a public teacher is destroyed through lack of prudence. 5. In His Encouragement of all Good Living and Well-intentioned Folk. Time and again, in dealing with individuals, He recognised and complimented them where He could. As for example: "Thou art not far from the kingdom." How encouraging this must have been. "Ye search the Scriptures" (R.V.). There He admitted their diligence in ascertaining the mind and will of God in the written Word. 6. In His Work of Salvation. He ever recognised that man's greatest need is not teaching, but disposition, not merely a code of morals, but a clean heart. Nicodemus right away opened the interview by acknowledging our Lord Jesus as a peerless teacher, assuming that all that was required for the regeneration of mankind was better teaching, but this our Lord at once countered by a firm declaration that man's chief need was a new life. "Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." 7. In His Wondrous Scheme of Redemption. Study Ephesians 1:8. It is in the redemptive work of our Lord that we have the greatest example of His prudence. So marvellous is the scheme that Satan with all his skill has never yet been able to find fault with it, and we may add, he never will. Every Divine attribute is in perfect and harmonious operation in this wondrous plan of salvation. There at the Cross mercy and truth met together, there, righteousness and peace kissed each other. IV. THE REWARD OF HIS PRUDENCE. 1. Exalted to the highest pitch of honour. Study Ephesians 1:21. 2. Extolled. Study Philippians 2:9-11. 3. Glorified. V. THE EXAMPLE OF HIS PRUDENCE. These records of His wonderful prudence are given to us not merely for our admiration, but also for our emulation Heavenly wisdom is exceedingly practical, as is pointed out in James 3:17. Prudence is much to be coveted and desired in our daily lives and service, and "who is sufficient for these things?" Christ is. The marvel of our redemption is that not only did our Lord Jesus suffer on the Cross in our stead, but after we have accepted that great fact and received Him, He comes to dwell within us and to live out His own wondrous life. The Prudent One will be prudence to us. Oh, that He might fill us with His own gracious presence! (Handfuls of Purpose) Isaiah 52:15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. Amplified Version (Classic Edition) - So shall He startle and sprinkle many nations, and kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for that which has not been told them shall they see, and that which they have not heard shall they consider and understand. He will sprinkle: Nu 8:7 Eze 36:25 Mt 28:19 Ac 2:33 Tit 3:5,6 Heb 9:13,14 10:22 Heb 11:28 12:24 1Pe 1:2 Kings will shut their mouths: Isa 49:7,23 Job 29:9,10 40:4 Ps 72:9-11 Mic 7:16,17 Zec 2:13 what they had not heard they will understand: Isa 51:5 55:5 Ro 15:20,21 Ro 16:25,26 Eph 3:5-9 Isaiah 53 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH WILL STARTLE SOVEREIGNS Oswalt writes that "If the common interpretation is correct, this verse compares the astonishment that greeted the Servant’s humiliation with that which will greet His exaltation. In other words, the thought of Isa 52:13 has been resumed. The nations will be just as surprised at the greatness of the end (ED: INTERESTING STATEMENT BUT WHEN IS THE END? SEEMS TO IMPLY THE "SECOND COMING"!) as they were at the smallness of the beginning....In this case, the surpassing greatness of the Servant causes the kings of the earth to shut their mouths (cf Ps 107:42) , that is, they are rendered speechless. Their own greatness is so small that they have nothing to say in his presence and can only fall at his feet (see Isa 49:7). Thus what they have never heard of before is how one who took such a lowly place could ever sit on the very throne of God in the end. (NICOT-Isaiah)(Bolding mine) Thus He will sprinkle (naza) many nations - This is a difficult verse to interpret because the verb naza usually means to sprinkle but it can mean to startle. There is considerable variation on how this verse is interpreted, the NET, NLT, NRS, and NAB translate this as "now He will startle many nations." But even the NIV marginal note on sprinkle has "Or so will many nations be amazed at him (see also Septuagint)." Similarly, the ESV note on "sprinkle" reads "or startle." Probably the most common interpretation of verse 15 is that Messiah will sprinkle the nations, which speaks of His provision of forgiveness as a result of His atoning work on the Cross. This is interesting for "sprinkling" is not typically described for nations but individuals. Thus Peter writes "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood" (1Pe 1:2+) To whom is Peter describing as being sprinkled? Peter says "to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout" nations (or regions)." (1 Pe 1:1+) So the sprinkling of nation is a bit problematic. Then Isaiah records that "Kings will shut their mouths." The explanation by many is that they will respond in this dramatic manner because they will recognize Messiah's atoning work. But has that really been the case in world history? How many kings have shut their mouths because they came to understand Messiah and His work of redemption? Yes, some kings have become believers, but they are a minority. Do they fulfill Isaiah's prophecy? That seems to be a "stretch." And so for these reasons (and several others discussed below) I favor that Isaiah 53:15 speaks of the startled reaction of the nations at Christ's Second Coming when even Kings will be forced to shut their mouths ("seeing is believing") because they will then see Him in His glory and understand that He alone is King of kings. That's exactly what Isaiah says what had not been told them they will see (AT HIS SECOND COMING), And what they had not heard they will understand (AT HIS SECOND COMING). In fairness below are a few examples of interpreting this passage as Messiah sprinkling rather than startling. Perhaps this is a passage where we will just have to agree to disagree. David
Isaías 53
Johnson observes that "There are three leading interpretations of Isaiah 52:13-53:12, and first of all it has been said by some that the servant is the nation Israel. This is the view of many of the later rabbis, both the circumcised rabbis, that is the Jewish rabbis and the uncircumcised rabbis that is (LIBERAL) Gentile students of this great prophecy. But if Israel is intended, then these things must be true. Israel must have been an innocent sufferer. But when one reads the prophecy through, reading passages like Isa 53:8 or Isa 1:4 especially and Isa 42:19 and Isa 42:24, it is quite obvious that Isaiah did not regard the nation as an innocent sufferer. If this is a prophecy of Israel, they must have been a voluntary sufferer also." (AND THEY CLEARLY WERE NOT!) But most of all, this prophecy states that the servant is to make a substitutionary atonement for others. In fact, substitution is set forth many feel twenty-one times in Isa 53:4-8,10-12. And if it is true that the servant is the nation Israel and if there is some conviction with regard to it then why has the synagogue omitted the reading of Isaiah 53 from the Scripture readings? Why has it been called "the torture chamber of the rabbis"? (The Astonishing Messiah) (Bolding mine) F C Jennings - We are now standing on the very threshold of the Holy of Holies of our book, and we do well to fear lest a carnal touch should make its defiling mark on this sanctuary, the walls of which are surely whiter than any fuller on earth could whiten them. Is there not at least one of my readers who will join with me in supplication that the Spirit, whose holiness alone accords with that of this scripture, will guard us from error, lead us into truth, and so take of the things of Christ and show them to us, as to attract our wandering hearts to Him, and bind them there forever. Amen. (Isaiah 52:13-15-53:1-12) What we have here is the very heart of the book of Isaiah - Jehovah saves in the Person of Jesus Christ. Nelson's NKJV Study Bible summarizes the four Servant songs - The first song celebrates the Servant as the One who will establish justice for all (42:4). The second (Isa 49:1-13) highlights the deliverance that the Servant will provide. He will restore Israel and become a “light to the Gentiles.” The third (Isa 50:4-9) emphasizes the God-given wisdom of the Servant. All this culminates in the description of the suffering and death of the Servant in Isaiah 53, the final “Servant Song.” (ED: Isa 52:13-53:12) HCSB Study Bible on the identity of the Servant - A number of songs in the latter half of Isaiah focus on the Servant of the Lord (49:1-6; 50:4-6; 52:13-53:12). The identity of the Servant is much debated, and most modern commentaries give full lists of options. The context of these verses points in the first instance to Israel or Judah filling the role of the Servant. After all, 41:8-9 addresses the nation as the Servant. In answer to the objection that this song's description of the Servant is much too positive to refer to the nation as a whole, it can be conceded that Isaiah spoke of the remnant that would emerge from the purifying fires of judgment. However, even the postexilic survivors did not live up to the hope expressed in these verses. Accordingly, Christian readers recognize that the NT writers (Mt 12:15-21) applied the description of the Servant, both here and in the three other songs, to Jesus Christ (so the HCSB appropriately capitalizes Servant - ED: HCSB is only modern translation that does this.). This chapter's description is the most individualistic of all the Servant Songs in the book of Isaiah, and thus most clearly points to application beyond Israel. Arnold Fruchtenbaum summarizes the four Servant "songs": The first is found in Isaiah 42:1–4, which spelled out the ministry of the Servant at His First Coming. The second passage is found in Isaiah 49:1–13 and contains three main points: First, the Servant came as described in Isaiah 42:1–4 and accomplished His mission with great difficulty because He was rejected by Israel (Is 49:1–4). Secondly, because of His rejection, the Servant will now become a light to the Gentiles (Isa 49:5–7). Thirdly, all Israel will ultimately come to a saving knowledge of this Servant (ED: cf Zech 12:10-14+) and then the final regathering and restoration of Israel will take place. The third Servant passage is found in Isaiah 50:4–9 and deals with the sufferings of the Servant, just short of His coming death. The fourth and most strategic passage is Isaiah 52:13–53:12 because it deals with two things: first, the reason for the sufferings of the Servant, and secondly, the death of the Servant. (The Messianic Bible Study Collection) Moody Bible Commentary - The Jewish interpretation of this Song is significant. In the ancient Rabbinic literature, the Servant was frequently identified as the Messiah (e.g., Targum Jonathan ben Uzziel [written c. AD 100–200] on Isaiah 52:13 states, “Behold, my Servant the Messiah will prosper”; Bab. Sanhedrin 98a). However, the influential medieval Jewish interpreter Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi, AD 1040–1105) identified the Servant as Israel. Today, most Jewish interpreters follow Rashi, as do most critical scholars. The following are six reasons the Servant in the fourth Song cannot be identified as Israel. First, the pronouns of the Song would be inconsistent. In the body (Isa 53:1–9), the people of Israel are speaking and uniformly identify themselves in the first person (we, our, us). They also describe the Servant in the third person (He, Him). Thus, Israel cannot be the Servant. Second, the Servant is said to die for “my people” (Isa 53:8). Isaiah’s people were the people of Israel. Therefore, the Servant cannot be Israel and also die for Israel. Third, the Servant is described as completely innocent (“He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth,” Isa 53:9). Yet, throughout Isaiah, Israel is called guilty (e.g., Isa 1:16–20; 5:7). The nation cannot be the innocent Servant. Fourth, the Servant suffered for the sins of others (Isa 53:6). But the nation of Israel suffered for her own sins (Isa 40:2). Fifth, the Servant was a willing sufferer, rendering “Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10). But Israel did indeed suffer, in fact, twice as much as she deserved (40:2), but never did so willingly. Sixth, the Servant actually died (“cut off out of the land of the living,” Isa 53:8). Certainly many in Israel did die but the nation collectively did not perish. In fact, God promised that the nations could never totally destroy His people (Jr 31:35–37). On the whole, it seems best to maintain the earliest Jewish view that the Servant should be identified as the Messiah. Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My Servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. ESV Isaiah 52:13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. My Servant : Isa 11:2,3 42:1 49:6 53:11 Eze 34:23 Zec 3:8 Php 2:7,8 will prosper, Isa 53:10 Jos 1:7,8 *marg: Jer 23:5 He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted: Isa 9:6,7 Isa 49:6 Ps 2:6-9 Ps 110:1,2 Mt 28:18 John 3:31 5:22,23 Eph 1:20-23 Php 2:9-11 Heb 1:3 Rev 5:6-13 Isaiah 53 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries BEHOLD! THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH GREATLY EXALTED While critics attempt to apply Isaiah 52:13-53:12 to Israel, it clearly is a Messianic prophecy and God is speaking throughout this section. As discussed above, it would be far more appropriate to begin Isaiah 53 at this verse to facilitate continuity of the teaching on the Servant. The fascinating aspect of Isaiah 52:15-53:12 is that it begins with the Triumph of our Lord before it explains the cost He paid to bring about the Triumph. It is alike an old time fairy tale (but of course it is NOT a fairy tale) which ends "and they lived happily ever after." Here Isaiah begins the story of sorrow with a "happily ever after" passage! In a word, the fourth Servant Song begins with what is really the end of the song, the glorification of the Messiah! Charles Ryrie commenting on Isaiah 52:13-53:12 writes that "This is one of the most treasured and important passages in the OT. These verses present the Servant suffering vicariously for men's sins. Traditional Jewish interpretation understood the passage to be speaking of Messiah, as, of course, did the early Christians, who believed Jesus to be that Messiah (Acts 8:35). Not until the twelfth century did the view emerge that the nation Israel is referred to, a view that has since become dominant in Judaism. But the Servant is distinguished from the "people" (Isa 53:8), and He is an innocent victim, something that could not be said of the nation (Isa 53:9)." (Ryrie Study Bible) (Bolding mine) Targum Jonathan to the Prophets - Behold, My servant the Messiah shall prosper; he shall be exalted and great and very powerful. Fruchtenbaum comments - Among the earliest Targums are those of Jonathan ben Uzziel dating from the first century A.D. His Targums on this passage of Isaiah begin with these words: “Behold my servant Messiah shall prosper.…” The Targums of Jonathan ben Uzziel were heavily quoted by the early rabbis and he was certainly considered an authority on the Jewish view of Scripture. He definitely considered the Isaiah passage to speak of Messiah. Jonathan ben Uzziel could hardly be accused of adopting the “Christian interpretation.” Fruchtenbaum adds that "That Jonathan ben Uzziel was not alone in this interpretation becomes clear from a quotation from Rabbi Don Yitzchak Abarbanel from about 1500. While he himself did not accept the view that the Isaiah passage referred to the Messiah, he makes a dramatic admission: The first question is to ascertain to whom (this scripture) refers: for the learned among the Nazarenes expound it of the man who was crucified in Jerusalem at the end of the second temple and who according to them was the Son of God and took flesh in the virgin’s womb as it is stated in their writings. Jonathan ben Uzziel interpreted it in the Targum of the future Messiah; but this is also the opinion of our learned men in the majority of the midrashim (italics added). (Jesus Was A Jew). Fruchtenbaum - In spite of Abarbanel’s personal view regarding this passage, he freely admits that the majority of the rabbis of the Midrashim took the passage to speak of the Messiah. He thus points out that Jonathan ben Uzziel was not alone in his opinion but rather this was the Jewish view of the period of the Targumim and the Midrashim....Among the most famous rabbis of this period was Moses ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or the Rambam. In his writings he, too, makes the Isaiah passage refer to the Messiah: Regarding the mission by which Messiah will present himself, … he will not commend himself to our veneration by reason of his notable extraction; but the marvelous deeds he shall perform will show him to be the anticipated Messiah … Isaiah states, “He grew like a tender plant, and as a root out of dry land,” signifying, that his exact descent will not be known, till his successful career will direct people’s attention to it.… But a noteworthy circumstance will be that crowned heads will stand amazed.… So they will remain in utter silence, as Isaiah predicts, “At him will kings shut their mouths, for what had not been told unto them shall they see, and what they never heard shall they understand.” The Rambam quotes from Isaiah 53:2 and 52:15 respectively and refers these passages to the Messiah’s person. This is his view regarding the entire passage. John Oswalt writes "The basic thrust of these verses (Isa 52:13-15) is clear enough: the nations will be shocked to speechlessness by what they see in God’s Servant, something they had not been prepared for....Most commentators (e.g., Muilenburg) see a comparison between two shocks: the first (Isa 52:14) over the disfigurement of the servant, and the second (Isa 52:15) over his exaltation (resuming Isa 52:13)." (NICOT-Isaiah) James Smith - "BEHOLD." At once our attention is invited and arrested. The "Beholds" of Scripture are all impressive and important, and without exception, challenge and merit our most careful attention. This "Behold" excels all others, for it is the herald drawing attention to the only Begotten of the Father. God the Father is not ashamed to draw attention to His Son. "Hast thou considered My servant Job?" God proudly drew Satan's attention to the patriarch; "there is none like him;" and right nobly did Job bear up under his crushing sorrows. He did not let God down. There yet was sin and also much imperfection in this honoured and much tried servant. The fiery trial brought to the surface the sin of self-righteousness Job never dreamt was present in him. There is no such fear in our examination of the Lord Jesus. No one ever detected a flaw or blemish in His spotless character. The fiery trial only brought out all the clearer His perfections, as the fire from the Altar in Tabernacle and Temple only revealed more than ever the wonderful fragrance of the sacred incense. There are four specially attractive "Beholds" connected with the Lord Jesus, and they wondrously harmonise with the predominant message of the four Gospels. 1. "Behold thy King" (Zech. 9:9), agreeing with the Gospel of Matthew wherein is drawn for us the portrait of the Lord Jesus as the King. 2. "Behold My Servant" (Isaiah 52:13) agreeing with the portrait drawn of our Lord in Mark's Gospel. 3. "Behold the Man" (Zech. 6:12) agreeing with Luke's portrait of the Saviour, wherein the humanity of the Lord is emphasised over and over again. 4. "Behold your God" (Isaiah 40:9) where attention is drawn to the Deity of the Servant, as in John's Gospel. (Handfuls of Purpose) Behold - God is saying to the Jews (we in the Church tend to forget that this prophecy was originally addressed primarily to the nation of Israel!) in essence "Give what follows your full attention." Dear Jewish (and Gentile) reader, take a serious look at My Servant! Read it "actively" (engaging with it), not "passively" (as if uninterested or uninvolved). In fact, before you read further in the notes, read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 asking the Spirit of Truth to open your heart to understand the profound truths in this "mountain top" passage in the Old Testament. It is worth noting that the "First Servant Song" (Isaiah 42:1-4) also begins with "Behold, My Servant." God introduces His Servant with "Behold" again in Zechariah - Behold, I am going to bring in My Servant the Branch." (Zechariah 3:8) Behold, a Man whose name is Branch, (Zechariah 6:12) Behold, your King is coming to you; (Zechariah 9:9) God is not begging Israel to pay attention but He is strongly encouraging them to pay attention. How tragic that God has sent His Chosen People an invitation to receive the Messiah and eternal life but many (if not most) modern Jews and Jewish teachers do not even read or teach this majestic Messianic passage. It is as if most Jews have responded to God's "Invitation" in Isaiah 52:13-53:12 not with a polite "Decline with regrets" but instead actually showing contempt (kataphroneo in present tense = continually) for "the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads (them) to repentance." (Ro 2:4+) As John wrote "He (THE SERVANT OFJEHOVAH) came to His own (THE JEWS), and those who were His own did not receive Him." (John 1:11+) David Thompson on Behold - This is God speaking and God basically says I want you to take a serious look now at My Servant. This is God asking us to take a serious, deep, consecrated look at His special Servant/Savior. This is God’s Servant, this is God’s Messiah, this is God’s Savior and God says take some time right now and take a serious look at what I have to say to you about Him right here and right now. If a person does this, if a person honestly takes a serious look at these 15 verses, there is no other conclusion that you may draw except this is an amazing prediction pertaining to Jesus Christ. (Sermon) Jennings on "Behold" - The Speaker giving this command is evidently God, the very God Who in the opening words of Genesis appears as the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It is He Who here tells us to "behold," that is, to consider with deepest, most concentrated attention One whom He terms His Servant. (Isaiah 52:13-15-53:1-12) Behold (02009) (hinneh) is an interjection meaning behold, look, now; if. "It is used often and expresses strong feelings, surprise, hope, expectation, certainty, thus giving vividness depending on its surrounding context." (Baker) As C H
Isaías 53
Johnson adds "That word sprinkle as you can tell from the way I am rendering it may well be rendered startled and here I think it has that force because of the contrast with Isaiah 52:14 JUST AS many were astonished at Thee, the way that Thou didst look at Thy first coming, SO shalt Thou startle them at Thy second coming. Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him - Startled nations and shut king's mouths signify an awesome event. What would cause this degree of reaction by men who are not easily shaken because they are normally in control (as are kings)? Some have proposed the kings are amazed when they realize Messiah brought atonement and forgiveness of sins. That hardly makes sense, for His proclamation of good news was rejected by the majority of people, including kings. Why would they suddenly have a "change of heart?" That does not make sense. It would be more reasonable to interpret the sudden return of the King of kings as an even which will shut the mouths of kings! Revelation 1:7 describes the global reaction to His return "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen." Alec Motyer comments that "The thought of the Servant’s supreme exaltation (Isa 52:13) is elaborated by this picture of earth’s rulers silent before him.... We must think, therefore, of the kings as overwhelmed by the Servant, but the precise cause of their silence is not explained. The ideas of see and understand/‘discern’ indicate that some truth about the Servant has dawned on them, but how and what we have yet to find out." (The Prophecy of Isaiah - Bolding mine) While I agree with Motyer, he leaves us with really no interpretation of the reason for the shutting of the mouths of kings. As alluded to in the previous paragraph, we know that such a reaction did not occur at His First Coming. The only alternative is that these great men will be startled when they see Him at His Second Coming and the result will be that their mouths are shut! I agree with John MacArthur's comment on shut their mouths - At His exaltation, human leaders in the highest places will be speechless and in awe before the once-despised Servant (cf. Ps 2:1-12). When He takes His throne (ED: In His Messianic Kingdom), they will see the unfolding of power and glory such as they have never heard. Paul applied the principle in this verse to his apostolic mission of preaching the Gospel of Christ where Christ was yet unknown (Ro 15:21+). (Borrow MacArthur Study Bible - see expanded comment below from his sermon on this passage) F Duane Lindsey is correct when he writes that "Only a pre-millennial understanding of Christ’s Second Advent...catches the full significance of the Servant’s exaltation." (The Career of the Servant in Isaiah 52:13-53:12) John MacArthur sums up the world's reaction to the return of Messiah as described by Isaiah in Isaiah 53:15 - "But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory." (Mt 24:29-30+), Messiah will come in that blazing glory....in the book of Revelation people will cry out (ED: "Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they *said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” - Rev 6:15-17+)..."every eye will see Him" (Revelation 1:7+) And why does He pick on the nations and the rulers? Because when He comes to establish His Kingdom, He will literally take over the world. He will replace rulers. Why are the nations in an uproar, Psalm 2? - "Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!” He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” When God installs His King as King of the world, the nations will all see His glorious exaltation.They were stunned at His crucifixion, the ones who saw it. The whole world will be stunned when He returns and appears in glory. The drama that will occur as the sky goes black and as Christ appears in glory will not be lost on anyone. Kings will therefore shut their mouths on account of Him. Those who always have a right to speak will be speechless. The involuntary effect of shock and amazement, extreme astonishment, intense emotion will render them silent. The world will be mute as He comes. Why? “For what they hadn’t been told they will see. What they hadn’t heard, they will understand. The world hasn’t been told about the glorious return of Christ. But when He comes, they will all see it; they will all understand it, and they will be in stunned silence. They’ll have their complete theological education about the Second Coming in a moment. So our Lord’s inhuman disfigurement, astonish the first-century Jews who saw Him. His exaltation will astonish the globe; the whole world will see Him.” (Ibid) David Cooper - In contrast to the astonishment which the spectators experience in looking at Messiah when He is executed, nations, according to Isaiah 52:15, will likewise experience a mighty shock when they see this same One, Who has been executed, seated upon a throne of glory and all nations bowing down in humble submission before Him. The prophet therefore said, " so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which has not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand." The word rendered "sprinkle" in the clause "so shall he sprinkle many nations," also means to startle, which fact is indicated in a footnote of the Revised Version. The primary meaning of this word is "sprinkle." This position no one who knows Hebrew can deny. The term also means, "startle," as our translators have rendered it in the footnote. If the primary meaning of a word does not fit the context, then we are to select that secondary or metaphorical meaning which does satisfy these demands. Since the prophet is drawing a parallel between the amazement of the spectators at the execution of Messiah and the great astonishment of kings when Messiah sits upon His throne of glory, we are forced to accept the meaning "startle" as the correct term expressing the idea of the Hebrew in this connection. We should therefore render the clause, "so shall he startle many nations." (ED: AS DISCUSSED THIS IS EXACTLY HOW THE HEBREW TRANSLATORS OF THE SEPTUAGINT RENDERED "NAZA"! MANY COMMENTATORS GLOSS OVER THIS IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION!) There is a comparatively small group (JEWS IN JERUSALEM) that witness the execution of King Messiah. They are shocked by what they see and what they cannot understand. In contrast with that, when Messiah comes the second time every eye shall see Him and even those who pierced Him shall look upon Him. The nations of the world will be struck with astonishment when they behold Him in His glory: "But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separated the sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25:31,32). The kings of the earth who will not have been told of Messiah in His glory will be shocked by the splendor of that which they visibly and literally see at His Second Coming. In Isaiah 52:13-15 therefore we see the entire redemptive career of King Messiah set forth which, as noted above, consists of His first coming, His rejection, His execution, His burial, His resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the throne of God, His session on the throne with His Father during the present age, and His final return to establish His kingdom upon the earth and to reign here for a thousand years. This passage does not tell that our Lord will reign a thousand years when He returns. This information is found in Revelation 20:1-5, which passage is parallel with this one. (Commentary) (Bolding mine) Allen Ross on nazah - Here the main difficulty is the first verb, translated “startle” here, but “sprinkle” in some Bibles. The latter is the reading in the Vulgate and in Aquila and Theodotian, carrying the sense of purify by his life-blood, that is. But there are several things problematic with that view. The verb nazah is used throughout the Law for “spread, splatter, sprinkle”; but as Delitzsch shows in his commentary it always has the liquid as the object, and never the object of the sprinkling (see Lev. 16:19 and Num. 19:18). Moreover, that rendering is competing against the context which describes the amazement of leaders at the exaltation of the Lord. The reading “startle” is better (but note the Greek which has “many nations shall tremble”). With all due respect to Young’s commentary, I do not think that the Greek translation can be easily discarded. The Hebrew term is difficult. The idea of the word, supported by the cognate in Arabic, is to “leap up”; then in the causative, “cause to leap, spurt, splatter.” So here the idea may simply be “start (or startle) with astonishment.” To see a sprinkling here in order to suggest Gentile conversions and purifications is out of harmony with the stanza, and certainly not well founded with such a problematic verb. (Isaiah 52:13-53:12: The Suffering Servant) Ross in his exposition adds "The exaltation is reported in v. 15. Kings are astonished that he, of all people, should be so exalted. The contrast is staggering—he will startle kings (“startle” is preferable to the translation “sprinkle”). When they see God’s plan work out, when they look on him whom they pierced, they shall see what they had not been told, they shall understand what they had not heard. In that day, they shall realize what the wisdom of God teaches, that the suffering servant will be exalted." (Isaiah 52:13-53:12: The Triumph of the Suffering Servant An Exposition) For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand - This explains why the mouths of kings will be shut! They will finally one day see the One they rejected and ridiculed and reviled. They will then understand that He was indeed Who He had claimed to be, the Savior of the world, and Who His disciples proclaimed over the centuries that precede His Second Coming. But in that day their mouths will be shut because it will be too late to receive Him as Savior! Paul took the truth of this passage and applied it to the present proclamation of the Gospel (to those who had no news and had not heard), but with positive results of acceptance of the Gospel not rejection as with the great and mighty men (kings) of this world. Paul quotes directly from the Septuagint version of Isaiah 52:15 in Romans 15:21+ writing but as it is written, “THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.”
Isaías 53
Johnson - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in her Aurora Leigh, has written a stanza that has always impressed me. “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush a fire with God, and only he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit round and pick blackberries.” That’s what the world’s been doing, and when Jesus of Nazareth, the suffering servant of Jehovah was here, earth was crammed with heaven, but men picked blackberries. That’s what they’re doing in the 20th Century, and oftentimes Christians are mislead too by the blackberry pickers. Earth’s crammed with heaven. Everywhere there is testimony to the fact the Jesus is the suffering servant of Jehovah, and it is through him that life comes, everywhere, but we are blind, and also did you notice, unto whom is the arm of the Lord revealed, revealed. Ah, that’s a work of God to reveal. Belief is the work of man. Reveal is the work of God, and the work of God precedes the work of man. It is God who revels. It is we who believe. God doesn’t believe. Men believe, but men do not reveal. God reveals. (Sermon) Revealed (01540)(galah) means to uncover that which was heretofore hidden (as when God revealed Himself to Jacob at Bethel - Ge 35:7). The Septuagint translates galah with apokalupto which literally means to remove the cover from something so that what was hidden can be seen. For example, Paul explains that "to us God revealed (the things in 1 Cor 2:9) through the Spirit." (1 Cor 2:10+). David Baron comments on revealed writing that "to the second question (To whom has the Arm of the LORD been revealed"), that only such upon whom an operation of divine power has been performed, only those "over" or "upon" whom the Arm of Jehovah has been revealed, could believe it—so marvelous, so utterly incredible to mere human thought and imagination is the wonderful story which, in all its saving power and glory, is now made plain to us. Truly, the message, or "report," of a full and perfect salvation through a suffering Messiah, who through humiliation and death enters into glory, could not have been known or believed, and much less invented, by either Jew or Gentile; but all the more it bears upon it the seal of Divine wisdom and Divine power. "ut just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." (1 Cor 2:9-10) (Isaiah 53 Exposition) Jesus used apokalupto twice in Mt 11:25-27 "At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." Clearly unless this spiritual truth regarding the Arm of the LORD, the Messiah, is not comprehended solely intellectually, but it must be spiritually revealed by God. Edward Young writes that "The revelation of the Lord’s strength and believing what we have proclaimed are two aspects of the same thing. The revelation of God’s arm upon a person is one of power (cf. Jer. 17:5), and hence to believe the report proclaimed is evidence that the Lord’s power has been manifested. It is the arm of the Lord that brought the nation out of Egypt (cf. Isa 51:9–10; 63:12), and this arm of power enables a man to believe. The passage clearly teaches that faith is a gift of God and not a work of man’s unaided power. It also teaches that unless God manifests His power, men will not be converted. We must ever depend upon God to work that His kingdom may be extended." (The Book of Isaiah - Volume 3, Page 341)
Isaías 53
Johnson comments that "That’s the way we (SPEAKING OF THE FUTURE JEWISH REMNANT'S CONFESSION) regarded him. We wouldn’t have anything to do with him because we figured that the curse of God was upon him. Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree, and he hung upon a tree. Smitten (05221) is the verb nakah means to beat, strike or wound. It is used of God striking down all the firstborn in Egypt (Ex 12:12) and God is often the subject of nakah as here in Isa 53:4 (cf 2 Ki 6:18, Dt 28:22, Lev 26:24, 2 Sa 6:7). The word “smitten” means basically to beat someone even to death. The Septuagint translates smitten with the noun plege which describes a sudden hard blow with some instrument (thus producing a stripe or wound). Plege describes the beating of the man who was helped by the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:30), the inflicting of "many blows upon" Paul and Silas in Philippi (Acts 16:23,33) and beatings (2 Cor 6:5, 11:23). Nakah is also used in another prophetic description of Messiah's suffering prior to His Crucifixion, Messiah Himself speaking - "I gave My back to those who strike (nakah; Lxx translates with mastix = whip for scourging) Me (cf Mt 27:26, Mk 15:15, Jn 19:1; as Jesus prophesied = Lk 18:33+), and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting (Mk 15:19, as Jesus prophesied = Lk 18:32+)." (Isa 50:6). Afflicted (06031) is the verb 'anah which means to inflict oppression as did the Egyptians on the Hebrews (Ex 1:11,12). Anah is used again in Isaiah 53:7 describing Messiah as "afflicted yet He did not open His mouth." Let's look at it another way -- What is the Jewish redeemed remnant saying as they look back at Messiah? In simple terms they are saying "we" (when we were still unbelieving) considered this Man Jesus' many blasphemous claims which resulted in God Himself striking, smiting and afflicting His Son! They reason that Jesus received what He deserved for blaspheming God! God killed Him because of His blasphemy (which of course is erroneous). On the other hand God Himself did in fact strike His Son on the Cross, for when Jesus was made sin for us and bore the sin of the world, He incurred the full, unfettered wrath of God on Himself, which is vividly portrayed by the three hours of darkness from 12-3 PM (Lk 23:44+) as Jesus hung on the Cross as the sacrificial offering, the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29, 1 Cor 5:7, cf 1 Pe 1:18-19+). Baron addresses how unbelieving Jews still esteem Jesus as the One stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted - This, alas is what spiritually blinded Israel has thought for all these centuries, and what most of the Jews still do think. Thus our Lord Jesus, the only sinless Man Who trod this earth, is called the Poshe (ED: PROBABLY SHOULD READ "PASHA")—The Transgressor—Who, according to such illustrious exponents of the spirit of Rabbinic Judaism as Moses Maimonides, well deserved the violent death which He suffered; while in the Talmud Jesus of Nazareth is placed in Hell alongside of Titus and Balaam, and as undergoing not only the severest but the most degrading form of punishment! We can well imagine, therefore, the deep contrition and heart brokenness of repentant Israel when their eyes are at last opened by the Spirit of God to the true character of this holy Sufferer, and when they perceive that it was for them and in their stead that He endured it all. "In that day" of weeping and mourning (Zech 12:11+) over Him Whom they have pierced (Zech 12:10+), we can hear, as it were, the sob which will accompany their confession: How base was our ingratitude! How intense was our ignorance! How thick our darkness! How profound our blasphemy against that Holy One, who in His love and compassion condescended to bear our griefs and to be laden with our sorrows! "Yet we regarded Him as plagued, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53 Exposition) S Lewis Johnson adds that "down to this present day, the great majority of Judaism still regards him as under the judgment of God. Talui, "the hanged one," and unfortunately the great majority of the Gentiles do to, if they ever bother to think about him at all." (Sermon) David Thompson: Most people in the world think something about Jesus Christ and about what happened to Jesus Christ. Most people make some kind of mental calculation (SOME ESTIMATION OR ESTEEMING) concerning Jesus Christ. But what most THINK is not sound or right. Instead of esteeming Him and loving Him and believing in Him, MOST have come up with their own pathetic views and philosophies and opinions. In fact, in the history of theology there have been many faulty notions concerning the value of the death of Jesus Christ: 1) Origen (A.D. 185-254) said he thought Christ died to pay a ransom price to Satan to purchase men. 2) Pelagius (A.D. 354-420) said Christ died as a moral example to us all so we will be obedient even to God even when we suffer, to show that God loves us. 3) Faustus Socinus (A.D.1539-1604) said that Christ’s death was so that He might morally influence sinful men to follow Him. 4) Peter Abelard (A.D. 1079-1142) said that Christ’s death was designed to show us God loved us. 5) Thomas Aquinas (A.D. 1225-1274) said that Christ’s death was not required by God to satisfy our sin problem with God, but it did allow a type of satisfaction. In other words, man can in some ways take care of his own sin problem without Christ’s death. 6) Hugo Grotius (A.D. 1583-1645) said Christ’s death demonstrates to all of us that the justice of God demand we suffer. 7) Some invented the idea that Jesus Christ died as a martyr to demonstrate His sincerity to His doctrine. 8) Some said that Christ died so He could identify with any person who dies. O, the Blessèd Promise Only Jesus Feels and Knows Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted When the Burden Bearer Came A Place For Sorrows Read: Isaiah 53:1-12 He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. —Isaiah 53:4 The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1982. In the first 15 years, 54,000 items were left at the Wall. It still takes almost an hour every night, and much longer on Memorial Day, to collect the mementos—a teddy bear, a photo of a soldier’s grandchild, a letter from a daughter who never knew her dad. Every item is labeled and taken to a warehouse. No one knows quite how to deal with it all. “No one ever expected this to happen,” a park ranger says. “It’s so personal. It caught everyone by surprise.” Loss comes to us all, and we often carry our grief for many years. We struggle with our emotions. Is there a place where we can leave our sorrows and find healing for the wounds of life? Isaiah 53 speaks of the Messiah as the One who “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . . . By His stripes we are healed” (vv.4-5). When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin, we also come to know Him as the One who can lift the weight of sadness from our shoulders. We can bring our grief to the Man of sorrows. There is help and healing and closure at the cross for the deepest pain of our hearts. When trials come, and storms arise, When tempests darken earth and skies And everything my spirit tries, I'll hide myself in Jesus. —Anon. Leave your sorrows with the "Man of Sorrows." J H Jowett - “ON HIM!” “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”—Isaiah 53:4, 5, 6. LET me tell a dream which was given by night to one of my dearest friends. He beheld a stupendous range of glorious sun-lit mountains, with their lower slopes enfolded in white mist. “Lord,” he cried, “I pray that I may dwell upon those heights!” “Thou must first descend into the vale,” a voice replied. Into the vale he went. And down there he found himself surrounded with all manner of fierce, ugly, loathsome things. As he looked upon them he saw that they were the incarnations of his own sins! There they were, sins long ago committed, showing their threatening teeth before him! Then he heard some One approaching, and instinctively he knew it was the Lord! And he felt so ashamed that he drew a cloak over his face, and stood in silence. And the Presence came nearer and nearer, until He, too, stood silent. After a while my friend mastered sufficient courage to lift the corner of his cloak and look out upon the Presence: and lo! all the loathsome things were on Him! “The Lord had laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” A Portrait of Jesus Read: Isaiah 53:4-12 We have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 In Portraits of Famous American Women, Robert Henkes writes, “A portrait is not a photograph, nor is it a mirror image.” A portrait goes beyond the outer appearance to probe the emotional depth of the human soul. In a portrait, a true artist tries “to capture what the person is really about.” Over the centuries, many portraits have been painted of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve seen them in a church or museum of art or even have one in your home. Not one of these is a true portrait, of course, because we have no photograph or mirror image of our Lord’s physical appearance. We do, however, have a magnificent word portrait of Him in Isaiah 53. This God-inspired description captures in vivid detail what He is all about: “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering . . . . But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; . . . and by his wounds we are healed” (vv. 4-5 niv). This passage enables us to see love and sorrow, anguish and pain on Jesus’ face. But His lips do not accuse or condemn. He has no sins of His own to grieve; only ours to bear. And deep inside, He knows that “He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied” (v. 11). What a portrait of our Savior! What amazing love You have for us, Jesus! As I think of how awesome You are, I bow in silence before You. Love was when God became a man. Pack Up Your Sorrows Read: Isaiah 53:1-6 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. —Isaiah 53:4 During the turbulent years of the 1960s, popular music in America was a strange mixture of protest and patriotism. Some songs lashed out against war, greed, and injustice in society, while others affirmed duty to country and traditional values. But “Pack Up Your Sorrows,” written by Richard Farina and Pauline Baez Marden, seemed to fit all of the categories with its focus on the quest for personal peace. The refrain said the following: Well, if somehow you could pack up your sorrows, And give them all to me You would lose them, I know how to use them, Give them all to me. Perhaps everyone hoped that someone really could bring them peace. The good news is that there is Someone who can! Isaiah 53 is a prophetic picture of Israel’s promised Messiah. Christians see its fulfillment in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows . . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (vv.4-5). Jesus took our sins and sorrows on Himself so that we could be forgiven and have peace with God. Will you give Him your sorrows today? No sorrow is too heavy for our Savior to bear. J R Miller - "Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." Isaiah 53:4 Whatever the cause of grief may be, there is rich comfort in the remembrance of the sorrows of Christ. It assures us that Christ understands our pain. In the garden he went a stone's cast farther than any of his disciples went. The picture is a parable to us. It is always so. Wherever you bow in the deep shadows of grief, you have but to lift up your eyes, and you will see Jesus in still deeper shadows—a stone's cast beyond you. His sorrow was sorer than yours. There is comfort also in the remembrance that blessing comes out of suffering patiently endured. All the world's peace and hope, and all heaven's joy and glory—are fruits of a great sorrow—the sorrow of Christ. Blessing will come always out of sorrow, if we but accept it submissively and reverently. While we think of the sufferings of Christ, we must remember also that he came from them allunharmed, his life shining in divine radiance, lifted to glory, too, as a fruit of his suffering. This reminds sorrowing believers, that they too shall pass through their time of tribulation, that no scars and no manner of hurt shall be upon their souls because of their sufferings—but that they shall shine in fairer beauty and diviner glory, and shall be lifted up to higher honor, because of what they have suffered with Christ. Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. KJV Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. NLT Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. But He was pierced through Isaiah 53:6-8,11,12; Daniel 9:24; Zech 13:7; Mt 20:28; Ro 3:24-26; 4:25; Ro 5:6-10,15-21; 1 Cor 15:3; 2 Cor 5:21; Eph 5:2; Heb 9:12-15; Heb 10:10,14; 1 Pet 3:18 for our transgressions Isaiah 53:10; Genesis 3:15 The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him 1 Pet 2:24 Isaiah 53 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE GREAT REVERSAL This title is taken from Dr S Lewis Johnson's sermon on Isaiah 53:4-6. Here are his introductory remarks... The passage that we have read for our Scripture reading this morning might well be called The Great Reversal. You will remember that when Jesus was here upon the earth, that Israel, ignorantly and self confidently assumed responsibility for Messiah’s death by shouting, “His blood be upon us, and upon our children.” (Mt 27:25, cf Acts 5:28) Israel of the future (diagram), according to our text, then enlightened shall humbly accept guilt by crying out, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace, was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.” Now, that surely is the great reversal. His blood be upon us and upon our children.” And then Israel of the future, “But He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.” The passage is also one of the greatest of the Old Testament passages on the atonement, and it illustrates that whatever theory we may hold of the atonement, it must include the idea of substitution. For that is one of the great ideas of this section...In one the expositions of Isaiah chapter 53, I ran across a statement by Professor Edward Young, and he said this, “So prominent is the idea of substitution that one scholar, by no means a conservative felt compelled to write, substitutionary suffering is expressed in this divine oracle, in not less than five sentences. It is as though God could not do enough to make this clear.” (The Great Reversal) But He - Most versions begin with this term of contrast, so it begs the question, what is being contrasted? In Isa 53:4 the NET has "WE thought he was being punished, attacked by God, and afflicted for something he had done." "We" (the believing remnant) in our former blindness and ignorance regarded Him as plagued and smitten of God for His own sin and guilt. Instead of the Suffering Servant suffering for His Own sin, the contrasting truth is that He was suffering for "our transgressions." The Jews thought He was guilty, but it was they (and we) who were guilty. The redeemed remnant will see this truth clearly in that future day of salvation for the nation of Israel. Their contrasting attitude toward Messiah's sacrificial work reminds me of Paul's words on the Old Rugged Cross. For the word of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power (dunamis) of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18) Moyter observes that the "HE is again emphatic, so as to bring the Servant sharply before us—‘He (and no other)’. (TOTC-Isaiah) He was pierced through for (because of) our transgressions (rebellious deeds) - KJV has "He was wounded" but pierced through is a better translation for it accurately predicts the five piercings He received on the Cross when He was crucified. Ps 22:16 = "For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.", Lk 24:39-40+ See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. Jn 19:31-36, 37 - 34But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, “NOT A BONE OF HIM SHALL BE BROKEN.” 37) And again another Scripture says, “THEY SHALL LOOK ON HIM WHOM THEY PIERCED.” Recalls the hymn "Rock of Ages" = "Rock of ages cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee. Let the water and the blood from Thy ribbon side, which flowed. Be of sin the double cure. Save from wrath, and make me pure"). This detail underscores the prophetic accuracy of the Word of God, for the normal Jewish practice for blasphemy (of which they accused Jesus) was stoning (Lev 24:14+, Nu 15:35, 36), not crucifixion which alone would fulfill this prophecy (cf Jn 12:32,33, Jn 18:31, 32). If they wanted to further humiliate the victim, they could publicly expose the corpse (Dt. 21:22-23), a practice that Peter related to the Crucifixion (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 1 Peter 2:24). Pierced (wounded) (02490) (chalal) in this context means to pierce or wound (cf Job 26:13, Ps 109:22, Isa 51:9, 53:5, Ezek 28:9, 32:26). Pierced through" usually meant being pierced fatally. Two other means (play the pipe - Ps 87:7) and profane (Da 11:31, Ex 31:14, Lev 18:21, et al) are not in play in this passage. The Septuagint translates chalal with the verb traumatizo (English - traumatize, trauma, traumatic; used only in Lk 20:12, Acts 19:16 in NT) which means to wound. Jesus was "traumatized" for us! Motyer on pierced (chalal) - Pierced: as in Isa 51:9; when they called on the Arm of the Lord who dealt the monster Rahab a death blow, they did not know they were calling the Arm to his own death. (Ibid) Delitzsch adds that "Pierced through" and "crushed" describe extreme distress resulting in death (cf. Isa 51:9 piercing the dragon; Job 26:13 pierced the fleeing serpent; Ps. 109:22; Lam. 3:34). The Hebrew words behind these terms are the strongest ones in that language for violent and excruciating death."
Isaías 53
Johnson - healing is in the atonement because it is by virtue of that which Jesus Christ did when he died on the cross that I’m to have a resurrection body, like his own glorious body, but Paul tells us that we do not expect to have that healing now. It comes at the resurrection, so healing is in the atonement for sin, suffering, ill. (Sermon) We are healed (07495)(rapha/rophe) means to be made healthy, to be cured. Sin gave us a mortal blow, but the scourging of our Suffering Servant reversed the curse and gave us an eternal cure. Rapha/rophe has the basic idea of restoring something to its original condition, its original wholeness. Adam originally was perfect ("whole") but his sin left a "hole" ("God shaped vacuum") in his soul (and our soul, cf Ro 5:12+, cf 1 Cor 15:22), one which the Redeemer will repair to its original wholeness for all who by faith receive the miraculous, regenerating treatment from the Great Physician. In fact, all who receive Messiah's "healing" touch shall be healed even more than Adam even in his original sinless condition (when apparently he walked with God in the Garden in perfect fellowship - cf Ge 3:8+), for John says "We know that when He (MESSIAH) appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." (1 Jn 3:2+, cf 1 Cor 15:42-45, 51, 52, 53, 54). Glorified in immortal, imperishable bodies and forever like our Suffering Servant! Hallelujah! S Lewis Johnson has an interesting comment that may catch you a bit off guard -- “With his stripes we are healed.” Did you notice it says, “With his stripes we are healed.” NOT with his stripes, PLUS our faith. Not with his stripes PLUS our repentance, with his stripes we are healed. Men are not saved because of their faith. Men are saved because of Jesus Christ and His saving work. It is our Lord Who saves us, not our faith. It is not our repentance that saves us. It is our Lord’s work. That is the saving work that becomes ours through the instrumentality of faith. Becomes our through the instrumentality of a God produced faith and repentance, but the salvation is of the Lord, it is of the Lord from beginning to end. It is his salvation. “With his stripes we are healed.” Not with our faith, with his stripes. (The Vicarious Messiah) David Thompson addresses the question "Is physical healing promised in the Atonement?" writing that "It is true that Jesus Christ, while on earth, did physically heal people, but that is not what this text in Isaiah is talking about. This text is talking about Him being lifted up on the cross so that He could remove the sorrow and sadness from us that has been brought on by the disease of sin. He saw all of the consequences of sin and He went to the cross to settle the sin issue. This is precisely how the Apostle Peter interpreted this text when he said, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross … for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24-25). As John Calvin said, this is not talking about the fact that Jesus Christ was appointed to be the physician of bodies, but the Great Physician of souls (Isaiah, p. 115)." D A Carson on physical versus spiritual healing - All blessings and all benefits that God’s children experience come through the atoning work of Christ; Are there times when God heals His children in temporal sense? Yes What is purchased for us in the cross is not temporal healing but the ultimate healing of the body = resurrection and glorification of the body. Physical healing is not the main focus of the text or even central to our redemption; you don’t need to experience physical healing to be saved. We cannot and should not demand temporal healing as if it were our right due to the atonement. Still we pray for healing God uses sickness as a sanctifying influence in our lives (cf. David Brainerd who died at 29). Talking about a far greater healing than God helping you to get over whooping cough. Sickness won’t send you to hell but your sins will. (Quoted by Paul Apple in Jehovah is Salvation - 1130 pages) Spurgeon echoes the remarks of Johnson - "‘With his stripes we are healed.’ Will you notice that fact? The healing of a sinner does not lie in himself, nor in what he is, nor in what he feels, nor in what he does, nor in what he vows, nor in what he promises. It is not in himself at all; but there, at Gabbatha, where the pavement is stained with the blood of the Son of God, and there, at Golgotha, where the place of a skull beholds the agonies of Christ. It is in his stripes that the healing lies. I beseech thee, do not scourge thyself: ‘With his stripes we are healed.’” David Baron - Peace and healing—two most blessed results which accrue to us from the vicarious suffering and atoning death of our Saviour. Peace with God because of His justifying grace on the ground of what Messiah bore and did for us; and peace in our own conscience, which can never be at peace until sin is expiated—and "healing." (Isaiah 53 Exposition) Jehovah lifted up His rod; O Christ, it fell on Thee! Thou wast sore stricken of Thy God; There’s not one stroke for me. Thy tears, Thy blood, beneath it flowed; Thy bruising healeth me. -- A R Cousins Jack Arnold on miraculous healing today - This raises the question, “Does Christ heal today?” The answer is obviously, “Yes.” The evidence is overwhelming that Christ does heal today. There are many recorded instances of sudden, complete and permanent healings which came to Christians and there is no known medical explanation for the cure. If we say there is no supernatural healing today, we are adopting a very unscientific attitude, for the facts prove otherwise. God does heal today through believing prayer of Christians individually and collectively and through the prayers of the elders of the church. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him” (James 5:14-15). God, however, is not obligated to heal everyone or anyone. God heals whom and when and where He will. He is sovereign. He sometimes heals miraculously but most of the time He heals through the use of medicine and skillful doctors. There have been many good and sincere Christian ministers who were sincerely wrong in their theology about healing. Every Christian and every Christian minister has blind spots and holds to some wrong theology. No one man has all the truth but obviously some men have more truth than others. Men such as the late S. D. Gordon, a Presbyterian, and A. B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian Missionary Alliance Church, taught that healing is in the atonement of Christ. They based their thinking on two verses. “Surely our griefs (sickness) He Himself bore, And our sorrows (pains) He carried . . . And by His scourging we are healed” (Isa. 53:4-5+). “And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled saying, ‘HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES, AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES’” (Mt. 8:16-17). Gotquestions has a succinct explanation referencing also 1 Peter 2:24 which Arnold for some reason does not mention - Isaiah 53:5+, which is then quoted in 1 Peter 2:24, is a key verse on healing, but it is often misunderstood and misapplied. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” The word translated “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical healing. However, the contexts (ED: Context should always be kept "king" to avoid the trap of misinterpretation and then as with Gordon and Simpson misapplication) of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that it is speaking of spiritual healing. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The verse is talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and disease. Therefore, being “healed” in both these verses is speaking of being forgiven and saved, not physically healed. (See also What does it mean that “by His stripes we are healed”?)
Isaías 53
Johnson - You know, a sheep has a wonderful way of finding the way to get away from the Lord or it’s master, it’s shepherd. The sheep will wonder over to the fence, and find a way through that fence when no one else could possibly see it, and it will get outside, and it will never be able to find it’s way back. It’s amazing about sheep, and I’ve noticed that about Christians too. They can find ways to get away from the Lord, and it seems also that they can never find their way back, and so he has to go out as the Great Shepherd and bring us back. “ (The Vicarious Messiah) Jewish believer David Baron - "Any one taking a view of the state of the Jewish nation, both spiritual and temporal, since they rejected their Messiah," writes a Hebrew Christian brother, "cannot fail to be struck with the graphic description in this concise inspired sentence. 'We have each one of us turned to his own way,' We have all gone in the path which we chose. There was no union in the service of God; no common bond to unite us; we have not entered into the thoughts of God, nor endeavoured to follow His ways, but we went on the broad way of our own. We were like sheep which are scattered; which have no shepherd, which wander where they please, with no one to collect, defend, or guide them. One would wander in one direction, and another in another; and of course solitary and unprotected, they would be exposed to the more danger. Such has been the state of the Jewish nation since they have rejected the Lord of Glory; they have been sifted among all nations like as corn is sifted, and everywhere they turn to their own way; they have neither king, nor prince, nor sacrifice, nor Ephod." Disunion among themselves as well as corporate wandering from God has marked their history in dispersion. (Isaiah 53 Exposition)
Isaías 53
Johnson has a good word on pleased to crush explaining that “if not carefully interpreted might imply that the Father was cruel and the servant’s death repulsive to one’s moral sensibilities. The Hebrew word translated pleased is not a word suggesting pleasure in the sense of human enjoyment. It’s a word of purpose; it says that God purposed the servant’s death, a death making possible an offering for sin or divine forgiveness. His death is no mere martyr’s death; it was an expiatory sacrifice, a satisfaction to the law of God. (The Righteous Servant Bruised by Exalted) Thompson - When Jesus Christ died, it wasn’t a normal death. We have records of martyrs who died joyously. Many martyrs sang hymns on their way to their own death, and we have accounts of many who said that God stood by them and with them every step of the way. According to Eusebius, when Polycarp was about to be burned at the stake, he prayed a prayer that actually thanked God that he was considered worthy enough to be martyred. Then many eyewitnesses said that when the flames were first lit, the fire was like a wall around Polycarp and his body wasn’t even burning and, finally, someone came with a spear and killed Polycarp (Eusebius, The History of the Church, p. 173). (Exposition) Pleased means Jehovah delighted or took pleasure in His Son's willing sacrifice. It was the Father's will (ESV = "it was the will of the LORD") for His Servant to suffer and die (Mt 26:39; Lk 22:42; Jn 12:27; Ac 2:23). It was through His Servant's suffering that He accomplished His will. It would easy to misread what this verse is saying - clearly the Father did not enjoy seeing His Son suffer, but He was pleased because the Servants sufferings accomplished the greatest good, provision of redemption for sinful mankind. Thompson on pleased - “please” is a word that means God found favor and delight in this plan because this became a solution as to how God could be just and still justify sinners. Baron on pleased - "Not only did the Lord bruise Him, but it was the 'good pleasure of His will' to do so. He who has no pleasure in the death of the wicked was pleased to put His righteous Servant to grief not, of course, because the death agony was a pleasure to look upon, but as means to the fulfilment of a great purpose. (Isaiah 53 Exposition) Riddle - It "pleased the Lord" to bruise (crush) His sinless, spotless Son! Clearly, the word "pleased" is not used in its accepted sense today, but to denote the "good pleasure of His will" (Eph 1:5). This describes "the determinate counsel of Jehovah in causing man's sin to be subservient to the actings of His grace, in the suffering of His sinless Servant on the cross" (W. E. Vine). It must be stressed again that His sufferings here were divinely-inflicted. It was God's love for poor sinful man that caused Him to "bruise" His Son. (What the Bible Teaches – Isaiah) Parunak: He is faced with the moral dilemma of undeserved suffering that the Lord not only tolerates, but actually takes pleasure in bringing about! How can this paradox be resolved? Lord, I’m confused. Here is a righteous man, suffering at the hands of wicked men, yet suffering patiently. He is not guilty. They are. And you, who should defend the righteous and punish the wicked, not only allow this to happen, but are bringing it about! How can this make any sense? Hmm—it would make sense, if you were trying to provide a guilt-offering. That would then bring great blessing to your Servant, in compensation for the suffering he has borne. . .The rest of this paragraph consists of the consequences that will result if the Lord provides the Servant’s soul as the reparation offering that his people need to make amends for their offenses against the Lord. (Isaiah 53 Commentary Notes) David Thompson - The will of God for Jesus Christ was filled with sorrow and grief. The will of God meant that He would come to this earth and be mocked, brutalized, and executed. God’s will meant that Jesus Christ would physically die in the prime of His life. It meant that He wouldn’t appear to be successful at all. It meant He would be deprived of a good long life. It meant that He would be very lonely, even deprived of most normal family and friends. It also meant He would be deprived of justice. But in spite of how nightmarish His assignment was, the one thing Jesus Christ could say that none of us will ever be able to say is, “I always did My Father’s will.” (Isaiah 53:10-12 Commentary) Him of course is the Servant of Jehovah, Who has come to accomplish His Father's will (Mt 26:42, Mark 14:36). And in this context Who does the crushing? Clearly it is Jehovah, God the Father Who crushes His Own, only Son! We sometimes think the Jews and Romans killed Jesus, and on one hand there is truth in that line of reasoning, but the more complete truth is that God the Father put His Son to death as a sacrifice for sin! To crush speaks of the crushing blow (broken in pieces) that fell on Jesus on the Cross when He was made sin for us and suffered the full force of the blow from the hand of His Father as God poured out the full force of His unfettered wrath on His sinless Son Who bore our sin! Isaiah 53:5+ uses the same word (daka) describing how Jehovah's Servant was "crushed for our iniquities." The same idea is conveyed in this passage. The Servant was crushed by His Father just as in Isaiah 53:5. This is amazing - that the Father would love us so much He would willingly give His Son as a sacrifice, even crushing His Son, and that the Son would love us so much that He would willingly become the sacrificial Lamb. (cf Ro 5:8+) Amazing Grace indeed! As John
Isaías 53
Johnson - Many Bible teachers think the trespass offering represents typically what Adam did to the race in the fall and what Christ did in repairing the trespass. Adam robbed God of the obedience he deserved from men and men of the life that they might have had if Adam had not fallen. So Christ’s offering, being a trespass offering restored that which Adam lost. He offered God representative obedience for God’s people, he made restitution of life for them, and he added a fifth part ("add to it a fifth part of it" - Lev 5:16+). That is he not only gave God’s people life, physical life that Adam had lost, he gave them eternal life, it was a fifth part. Paul’s statement in Romans 5:20+ may allude to it where Paul writes, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” As a result of the death of Christ, we have more then Adam ever lost. (The Righteous Servant Bruised by Exalted) Guilt Offering (0817) (asam) is also called guilt, reparation, trespass or compensation offering, and emphasizes the fact that the rights of both God and man had been violated, and that both sacrifice (to God) and restitution (to fellowman) were necessary. The guilt offering was commanded in instances when another party had suffered some deprivation. Franz Delitzsch gives a nice summary of the five major offerings in Leviticus - "Every species of sacrifice had its own primary idea. The fundamental idea of the 'olah (burnt offering) was oblatio, or the offering of worship; that of the sh'lamin (peace offering) conciliatio,or the knitting of fellowship; that of the minchah (meat offering) donatio, or sanctifying consecration; that of the chattath (sin offering) expiatio, or atonement; that of the asham (trespass offering) mulkta (satisfactio), or a compensatory payment. The self sacrifice of the Servant of Jehovah may be presented under all these points of view. It is the complete antitype, the truth, the object, and the end of all the sacrifices" (Franz Delitzsch). (Related Resource - see Chart at top of this page for Summary of the Five Offerings). Baron on the guilt offering - just as the word טּוֹאתָה חַ chattath, which is used for "sin offering," "denotes first the sin, then the punishment of the sin, and the expiation of the sin, and hence the sacrifice which cancels the sin; so asham signifies first the guilt or debt, then the compensation or penance, and hence the sacrifice which discharges the debt or guilt and sets the man free." There was much in common between the trespass offering and the "sin offering." Both are called kodesh kadashim, "most holy," (Lev 6:17, Lev 14:13) and as regards the manner in which the sacrifice was to be slain, and as to which portions were to be burnt on the altar, and what parts assigned to the priests, there was "one law for them both."4 Yet there were differences between the chattath (sin offering) and asham(trespass offering), and in their moral and typical significance each one of the sacrifices set forth a distinctive aspect of the great work of atonement which was to be accomplished by the Messiah5 and the blessed results accruing therefrom to sinful men. On the whole, it is correct to say with Dr. Culross, that while the sin offering looked to the sinful state of the offerer, the trespass offering was appointed to meet actual transgressions, the fruit of the sinful state. The sin offering set forth propitiation, the trespass offering set forth satisfaction. It was brought by the transgressor "to make amends for the harm that he hath done." "It symbolized rights violated and compensation rendered, debt contracted and satisfaction made." But whether it be a sin offering or a trespass offering it had to be slain, and its blood shed before it could become a sacrifice. (Isaiah 53 Exposition) Related Resources: What is a trespass offering / guilt offering? What is a burnt offering? What is a sin offering? What is a peace offering? What is a grain offering? What is a free will offering / freewill offering? What was the firstfruits offering? Should Christians give a firstfruits offering today? What is a wave offering? What is a heave offering? The NET Bible reading is considerably different from the others and is rendered "once restitution is made" - The NET Note explains "The meaning of this line is uncertain. It reads literally, “if you/she makes, a reparation offering, his life.” The verb תָּשִׂים (tasim) could be second masculine singular, in which case it would have to be addressed to the servant or to God. However, the servant is only addressed once in this servant song (see Isa 52:14a), and God either speaks or is spoken about in this servant song; he is never addressed. Furthermore, the idea of God himself making a reparation offering is odd. If the verb is taken as third feminine singular, then the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) at the end of the line is the likely subject. In this case one can take the suffixed form of the noun as equivalent to a pronoun and translate, “if he [literally, “his life”] makes a reparation offering.” FIRST BLESSED REWARD FOR JEHOVAH'S SUFFERING SERVANT God's pattern is ever first the cross, then the crown. First the suffering then the exaltation. He will see His offspring ("He will see descendants" = NET) - I am 71 yo and have grandchildren but the chances that I will see my great-grandchildren (my "offspring") are very low (all 8 grandchildren are less than 10 yo). Why? Because I will probably fall asleep in Jesus. This verse says Jesus will see His offspring, even though He died. How is that possible? What is the clear implication? The preceding passages clearly describe Messiah's death as a "guilt offering" but for Him to see His offspring implies He had to come to life after death or to be resurrected from the dead. This progeny is not natural progeny for of course He had no earthly children, but they are supernatural progeny, which is millions upon millions of souls, both Jew and Gentile, who placed their faith and eternal fate in the hands of Messiah. Messiah's "bringing many sons to glory" (Heb 2:10+), was surely the reward, the joy set before Him (Heb 12:2+). Let us not miss this miraculous paradox - out of His one temporal death, comes countless eternal lives! The Hebrew verb see is in "the imperfect tense meaning that Jesus Christ would continually be able to see His offspring come into His family because of His sacrifice. He would see millions and millions of people come into the family of God. Who of us does not want to see our offspring? Not only do most grandparents want to see their offspring, but they want you to see them too. They pull out their pictures and take you on a journey so you can see their pedigree. What is actually amazing is that the thing that would enable Him to see His offspring would be His death. This is such an odd thing because most people who die cannot see their offspring. But in this case, His death would lead to Him seeing all of His offspring." (Thompson) Offspring is zera (Lxx = sperma) which is literally a seed. Zera is used in the protoevangelium in Genesis 3:15+ to describe the enmity between Satan's "seed" and the woman's "seed," the coming Messiah. Zera is also used in the Abrahamic Covenant, Paul explaining "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed (sperma) (zera used in Ge 12:7; 13:15; 17:7; 24:7). He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed (sperma),” that is, Christ." (Gal 3:16+). David prophesies of this great reward of a future offspring, His disciples Messiah "purchased for God with (His) blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Rev 5:9+) Posterity (zera = seed) will serve Him; It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation. (Ps 22:30) ESV Study note on His offspring - Those who strayed like sheep (Isa. 53:6) return as children. Motyer adds on His offspring "we strayed as sheep, we return as sons. The Servant’s work is successful in ‘bringing many sons to glory’ (Heb. 2:10) (TOTC-Isaiah) And who are His offspring, His "descendants"? These are those Jews and Gentiles who were saved by believing in His substitutionary sacrifice. In Isaiah 53 the offspring who are speaking are the redeemed remnant of Jews in the last days. There are some who say that God is finished with Israel and that Israel (including OT promises given to the literal nation) been replaced by the Church (Replacement Theology). However they are sadly, tragically wrong in such an aberrant, non-Scriptural interpretation. In fact even renowned reformers like John Calvin held the belief that God was not finished with Israel writing "When the Gentiles shall come in, the Jews also shall return from their defection to the obedience of faith and thus shall be completed the salvation of the whole Israel of God, in such a way that the Jews shall obtain the first place according to His eternal purpose. He loved that nation and this He confirms by the remarkable declaration and the grace of divine calling cannot be made void.” In the notes on Romans 11 in the Geneva Bible (influenced by Calvin and puritans) we read "The blindness of the Jews is neither so universal that the Lord has no elect in that nation, neither will it be continual for there will be a time in which they also as the prophets have foretold will effectually embrace that which they now so stubbornly for the most part reject and refuse.” Puritan John Owen said “Days of prayer and humiliation are kept in Scotland. One particular object being that the promised conversion of God’s ancient people of the Jews may be hastened.” Puritan Thomas Boston, wrote, “There is a day coming when there shall be a national conversion of the Jews. The now blinded and rejected Jews shall at length be converted into the faith of Christ.” John