As I mentioned above, the last three verses of chapter 52 fit with the theme of chapter 53 better than they fit with chapter 52. The ESV and HCSB have a subtitle above chapter 52:13 referring to the suffering Servant, which is the theme of chapter 53. John Gill agrees with me on this - he was a pretty good nut.
Isaiah 52:13-15 (HCSB) See, My
Servant will act wisely; He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted. 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—so He will
sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him, For they
will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had
not heard.
The Servant will act wisely -
none as wise as Christ Jesus; His wisdom is spoken of in Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes. Just as the serpent was raised up in the wilderness, so will the
Son of man be lifted up and glorified by the Father. In spite of how God views
His Son, man was appalled at His appearance - so marred by the creature was the
Creator that He no longer appeared as a man. A couple of chapters back we read
of how part of this took place: Isaiah 50:6 "I gave My back to those who
beat Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face
from scorn and spitting." In his
excellent book, The Simple Gospel,
Jon Caldwell has a chapter on the Shroud of Turin in which he comments on this
verse: "The Hebrew word למרטים (L’Maratiym), which is translated “plucked
off the hair,” literally means “to make bald.” Jesus Christ didn’t just have a
tuft of His beard pulled out; His entire beard was plucked from His face!"
Jewish men weren't supposed to even trim their beards. To be bald-faced was a
mark of shame and/or mourning. See Isaiah 151-2 for Hebrew shaving their head
and beards in mourning; see Jeremiah 48:37 for Gentiles being shaved head and
face as a sign of defeat. Jesus appeared as one defeated, mourning His
circumstance. We know His vision was fixed on the glory that awaited Him beyond
the cross as He entrusted Himself to the trustworthy Judge.
And so even though He appeared to
be shamefully defeated, He would sprinkle many nations - as the Hebrews would sprinkle
blood on the altar (Lev 4:6, 17) or water on an unclean person to cleanse him (Numbers
19:18-21), yet with a more sure sacrifice that would ensure the redemption of
every chosen one.
Kings will be silent, they will
see what had not been told to them, they will understand that which they had
not heard. Because of their response, we
see these "kings" as representative of Gentiles who, as Paul
mentioned, did not have the oracle of God - the advantage was to the Jews (Romans
3:1-2). But when Christ came, He was displayed to all and His disciples went
forth with His gospel and these "wise men" had their minds and hearts
opened to comprehend that which had been a mystery prior to the fullness of
time. Now the high and mighty men are low and humble, see Him as He is - God in
human flesh, beaten and tortured by those He created, suffering the wrath of God
for those He came to save. How can we not be in awe of Him!
Isaiah 53:1 (HCSB) Who has believed what we have heard? And
who has the arm of the LORD been revealed to?
This question reveals what we
read about everywhere: only a remnant will be saved. As man sees it, not many
hear and believe. Isaiah was told he would preach to a people that would not
understand or see rightly. So WHO would believe what Isaiah had heard, to whom
has He revealed His strong arm of salvation? We've read much in Isaiah about
the strong arm of God; it was His arm that brought Israel out of Egypt in
victory; Mary's song in Luke 1 testifies "He has done a mighty deed with His
arm; He has scattered the proud because of the thoughts of their hearts." Whether
it's salvation or judgment, the strong arm of the Lord prevails over the hearts
and souls of every man.
Isaiah 53:2-3 (HCSB) He grew up
before Him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have
an impressive form or majesty that we should look at Him, no appearance that we
should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who
knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was
despised, and we didn’t value Him.
Recall that Isaiah lived and
wrote more than 700 years before Christ; long before the Romans had invented
crucifixion as the most cruel way possible to kill a man. Jesus the man grew up
as a human, learned obedience; was brought out of Egypt to live in the
backwater town of Nazareth. As a child and young man, Jesus was nothing to look
at - reminiscent of David in comparison to his brothers. When those who
despised Him rejected Him and demanded He be crucified, claiming they had no
king but Caesar, that His blood be on them AND their children (Matt 27:25) - He
was beaten, scourged, mocked, and hung on the tree. While every man who was
crucified suffered, Jesus was not merely a man and His suffering was vastly
worse than those on either side of Him. As Isaiah 50:6 portrayed, He was beaten
so badly He was difficult to look upon. Thousands who in Jerusalem for the Jewish
rites came by to see the site - and they mocked Him and shouted for Him to save
Himself if He was God, proving He was right when said Satan was their father. They
said the same thing he has spoken to Jesus. Only a few saw Him for what He is -
the Roman centurion, who had seen the horrible butchery of war was struck with
true awe as he beheld the Son of God. Saints - are you still in awe of Who He
is? Let us encourage one another to see Him rightly and behold Him in His majesty,
for a savior that does not inspire such a response is not a Savior.
Isaiah 53:4-6 (HCSB) Yet He
Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded
Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of
our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace
was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we
all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity
of us all.
Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
'Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, 'tis He, 'tis He!
'Tis the long-expected prophet,
David's Son, yet David's Lord;
By His Son, God now has spoken
Tis the true and
faithful Word.
Great hymns and spiritual songs
will point us to the biblical Christ, reveal natural man's true condition, and humble
the child of God. When God in human flesh submitted Himself to the varied
punishments meted out by man, this was to show man something of the suffering He
would undergo. But the deepest stroke that pierced him was the stroke that
Justice gave. And man looked upon the Lam of God as He hung on judgment's tree
and most saw Him as deserving it.
But, Isaiah reminds us, He was pierced
for OUR transgressions - He had none of His own! He who had NO SIN was MADE SIN
so we might become the righteousness of God! The punishment He received brought
us peace with God - for no sinful creature can approach Him. None but those
clothed in the righteousness of Christ can approach, can have peace with the Father.
Because the Son was stricken, smitten, and afflicted for us! The healing He
provides is the glorious truth of our sin being put away. A pox on all who
claim He suffered to cure ailments of the flesh! Eternal life if the healing He
brings!
To whom did He give this healing?
Not to the self-righteous (as if there were any!) but to the wretched! Like
stupid sheep we wandered, seeking our own way. The only way we could be made
right with God is for God to be punished in our place.
Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed,
See who bears the awful load;
'Tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed,
Son of Man and Son of
God.
Isaiah 53:7-9 (HCSB) He was
oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the
slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, He did not open His
mouth. He was taken away because of oppression and judgment; and who considered
His fate? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was struck because
of my people’s rebellion. They made His grave with the wicked and with a rich
man at His death, although He had done no violence and had not spoken
deceitfully.
Read 1 Peter 2:18ff to see the Apostle's
treatment of this passage, applying it to the Christian life. The suffering of Christ
is not merely and account of His death, it stands as the historical PROOF of God's
redeeming love for His own and justice for the rebels.
How quick are we to defend
ourselves when someone maligns us? We often deserve to be maligned and are
overly self-defensive. The Creator being maligned by the creature! And He did
not defend Himself, did not seek to avoid OUR punishment. Most people then -
and now - fail to comprehend the necessity of the crucifixion; by human wisdom,
it was "cosmic child abuse" (Sarah Young uses this term in her
heretical book, The Shack).
Cut off from the land of the
living - this term "cut off" refers to covenantal punishment, being
separated from the community. Jesus died, didn't swoon, was not death only to His
human nature. Jesus, the God-man, died - was cut off from the land of the
living. This was because His people - recall that phrase? - had rebelled
against His rule. We, like the rest, were children of wrath until His Spirit gave
us life.
The Lord of glory was laid in a
tomb as if He were nothing more than a dead man. Yet it was a rich man (a king
who was made to see Him rightly?) that gave Him the tomb. All of this took
place - the trial, the mocking, the scourging, the crucifixion, the wrath of God
- even though He had done no violence, had spoken no deceit. These two things
are the hallmark of rebels; they oppress the poor and deceive many in the
marketplace. Things the Hebrew nation was noted for.
Isaiah 53:10-12 (HCSB) Yet the LORD
was pleased to crush Him severely. When You make Him a restitution offering, He
will see ⌊His⌋ seed, He will prolong His days,
and by His hand, the LORD’s pleasure will be accomplished. He
will see ⌊it⌋ out of His anguish, and He will
be satisfied with His knowledge. My righteous Servant will justify many, and He
will carry their iniquities. Therefore I will give Him the many as a portion,
and He will receive the mighty as spoil, because He submitted Himself to death,
and was counted among the rebels; yet He bore the sin of many and interceded
for the rebels.
But because God set His redeeming
love on His chosen ones, it PLEASED HIM to punish Jesus for our sins. It was,
as the HCSB put it, SEVERE. God the Father made Him the Son a restitution offering
to buy back His chosen ones. The Son was one with the Father before the cross
and would be greatly glorified to be reunited with Him AFTER His work was
accomplished (Heb 12:2).
From before time, the Godhead
knew who the saints would be, the Son knew His seed - a large number of people
from every nation, tribe, and language. Though low in the grave He lay, up from
the grave He arose to an indestructible, eternal life - all according to the Father's
will and for His glory, which He will not share with another. There is no doubt
we benefit greatly from the entire plan of redemption as it applied to us. But
do not lose sight of this fact: the first and primary reason for all of creation
and whatever end each bit of it faces is to bring GLORY to the Father, GLORY to
the Son, Glory to the Spirit - three in one! (tip of the hat to Shai Linne)
The Son would see all this afore (recall
Heb 12:2) and be satisfied in doing the Father's will (He came for this purpose
- John 6:38). The righteous, obedient Servant HAS justified many, He carried
their sins to the cross (Col 2:14), and He was given the many - the justified
ones - as a portion, a reward, a spoil.
Consider this, saints: Jesus the
good shepherd was sent to seek and save that which was lost. He will bring every
lost sheep into the sheepfold of God the Father - an offering to Him. And the Father
gives back to the Son all those He purchased from hell as a reward for His
faithful obedience! He submitted Himself to death, even death on the cross;
earning that which was His from before time - the glory He had before the world
existed (John 17:4-5).
The Son was counted among the
rebels - scourged, beaten, and crucified; in so doing He bore the sin of many -
His people - and interceded for the rebels that were chosen.
Dear brothers and sisters, I have
no words to describe the horror of our sins, the heinous price paid by the Lord
Jesus to buy us off sin's slave market. How often I fail to consider these
things as I go through one mundane day after another. YET - these things Isaiah
recorded ARE TRUE and were written for our instruction. Let us lay them up in
our hearts and mediate thereupon, encouraging one another to look unto Christ
daily and not think of sin lightly. We have a sure foundation, a secure refuge
from the storm in Christ Jesus.
Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost;
Christ's the Rock of our salvation,
His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on him their hope have built.