Isaiah 53

Well...I wrote this for one of my final projects for Old Testament 2. Its a "sermon," hehe-or my attempt that is. It is a little lengthy, so I am not going to be offended if you stop halfway through :) Since I did spend a little time on it, I thought I'd share. Blessings! :)

Introduction:
Have you ever wondered: why did God choose to send Jesus into the world as He did? As a normal man, who looked like one of us? He could have chosen to reveal Himself in ANY way that He wanted! He is God after all. Instead of bringing Him into the world in majesty, in a way that would awe everyone and cause every head to turn, he chose to bring Him into this world in a shabby appearance. Not only this, but He also chose a life for Him that was full of much sorrow, grief, persecution and rejection. And after all of this, He died, on a cross, as an innocent man.

Background:
Isaiah 52: 13-Isaiah 53: 12 is one of the clearest prophesies of Jesus Christ that is revealed in the Old Testament. It is the last of the four Servant Songs. The three preceding this one seem to build up to the final climatic song, in which Christ is portrayed accurately as the one who bore our grievances and carried our sorrows; as the one who was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The author of the book of Isaiah is most popularly believed to be the prophet Isaiah himself. He was speaking this prophesy to the Israelites who were currently in exile.

Body:
1. The Servant will be exalted
Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
(Isaiah 52:13 ESV)

This Servant Song begins by describing a picture of exaltation that is important for readers to keep in mind as they read the rest that follows as Isaiah describes the coming Messiah. As we study Christ’s suffering, persecution and humility, it is important for us to first place Christ in our minds as the One who will be lifted high and exalted; His suffering, sorrows and grievances were purposeful. Despite appearances at times, the Servant will ultimately be exalted.

This can apply to us as we storm through the trials of life, remembering that if we have given our lives to Christ, we will one day be in glory with Him. We cannot look for endurance and hope from what is straight in front of us or beside us as we journey through our lives. Hope comes only from lifting our eyes up and keeping them focused on pressing on towards the goal, as Paul speaks of in Philippians 3, “

…straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

2. Prior to the Servant’s exaltation is His humiliation
[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—
[15] so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
(Isaiah 52:14-15 ESV)

Keeping this exaltation in mind, the prophecy goes on to describe the appearance of this servant. He did not come in an elaborate appearance, one in which people marveled at. Instead, the text says that his appearance was marred, or disfigured, hardly recognizable. When I think of the word marred, I think of a before and after image of a beautiful car that has been in a very bad accident. A car that is no longer recognizable. A car that as you look at it and imagine the intensity of the crash, it makes you cringe. (Show image)

Verse 15 had such applicable meaning to the readers of its time, but this meaning is impossible for any modern-day American to catch or understand without understanding Old Testament customs. Leviticus 4:17 explains this act. “Sprinkle” identifies the Old Testament custom of a priest dipping his finger in blood and sprinkling the blood before the veil of the sanctuary and on the horns of the altar. This symbolized cleansing from sin. After we know this, the term “sprinkle” becomes much greater to us, as we read that the Messiah will sprinkle, or cleanse from their sin, many nations. His crucifixion did this. His marred appearance on the cross and the persecution he faced led up to this. Since we normally interpret a line of Hebrew poetry as synonymous with or contrasting to the line that follows, we can assume that this sprinkling is closely related to the kings shutting their mouths and honoring the Servant.

3. The Servant knows our sufferings, sorrows and grievances
[1] Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
[2] For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
[3] He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
(Isaiah 53:1-3 ESV)

Verse one seems to be placing Jesus in the role of the “arm of the Lord.” Arm is a figure of speech that usually refers to a great conquering military power. This term gives Christ power and strength, as the “arm of the Lord” brought deliverance to the Israelites at the time of the exodus from Egypt and also defeated the mighty nation of Babylon. Verse one also reminds us that belief and trust in God are always at the heart of an individual’s relationship with Him. Just as we now, as post-Christ believers, must put our faith in Jesus who cleansed us of our sin, these Israelites had to also put their faith in the coming Christ. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for them to put their faith in what had not yet happened? I am reminded of Hebrews 11:1-2, which says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.” Living by faith is what the Christian life is rooted in.

Verses 2-3 describe an individual that does not sound like someone who came directly from a holy God. He looked very different than most people would have expected him to look. There was nothing majestic about his appearance; nothing about him physically that would have attracted followers. During this certain day in time, most monarchs dressed in elaborate clothes and rode spectacular, well-groomed horses. Jesus was the exact opposite of this.

I don’t think we can ever fully grasp the intensity of verse 3. “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Jesus Christ did not live a luxurious life. He went through real-life trials and knew well real-life sorrows. Recall Jesus’ experience in Gethsemane. Jesus told him disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

I believe our culture has such a skewed view about what our lives as Christians are going to look like. Jesus, this individual whose life was marked with much suffering and sorrow is the author and perfecter of our faith, the one whom we are to model our lives after. Hebrews 12:1b-2 reads, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Life as a Christian is going to be hard. Life as a true follower of Christ is often going to be lonely. You are going to face persecution. Everyone is not going to look at you with awe. If they do, I would strongly suggest you take a step back and compare your life to the teachings of Christ.

This is one of the hardest things for me as a Christian. I am such a people pleaser by nature and it deeply bothers me internally when I know that someone else is unhappy with me, disapproves of a decision I have made, or simply doesn’t agree with my viewpoint. I am not quite sure where this comes from in my life, but I know that as a Christ follower, these insecurities in my life are constantly going to face battle. I must consciously decide that my walk with and obedience to Christ is more important than getting the approval of another human being.

4. His suffering was for us
[4] Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
[5] But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
[6] All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:4-6 ESV)

This portion of Scripture begins to put purpose behind the Servant’s suffering. The coming Servant (Jesus Christ) will suffer and die as a substitute for those who have sinned. This is the heart of the gospel. He suffered in His life and death for our sake. Why did he do this, one might ask? Verse 6 provides an answer to this question. Sheep, by nature, are wanderers. This is why they need a shepherd, to watch over them and rescue them as they wander away from the group. The author is comparing us to these sheep. It is significant that the author uses the term sheep to describe the human race, because not only were these animals wanderers, but they also were the primary animal of sacrifice. Isaiah seems to be using this analogy to explain that Jesus is our sacrifice, his death bringing us healing, forgiveness and peace for our sin.

Every single one of us is guilty of sin. None of us are able to live up God’s standard, as it is stated in the Word. All of our sin is considered equal in the eyes of God, because every sin, no matter how great or small it seems to be in our eyes, is less than perfect. We are not able to save ourselves. Before Jesus came, God’s people would regularly make sacrifices for themselves, often sacrificing the blood of animals. Jesus’ once and for all death on the cross did away with the need for these sacrifices. He paid the price for all those who believe in Him as Christ the Lord at one time.

I cannot express how important it is for us to get into the habit of preaching the gospel to ourselves, daily. We cannot earn our own salvation or God’s grace by human effort. It is a gift that was given to us that we must accept. I am eternally grateful that God brought a woman into my life during my Senior year of college named Jen Pinkner who began discipling me and talking to me about the truth of the Gospel. We read a book together called The Discipline of Grace that has had such an impact on my relationship with the Lord and the way I view myself. Author Jerry Bridges quotes, “To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you continually face up to your own sinfulness and then flee to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you appropriate, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God’s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you.”

5. He chose to suffer for us without complaint
[7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
[8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
[9] And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
(Isaiah 53:7-9 ESV)

This portion of the Servant Song has three main points. The first is, like a lamb, he was submissive to death without a complaint. He never once tried to argue with his persecutors or place blame on someone else. He did not get angry that this unjust act was being done to him. Matthew 27: 11-14 tells the account of Jesus standing before Pilate as he is questioning Jesus about being the King of the Jews. Verse 13-14 reads, “Then Pilate said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many thing they testify against you?’ But he gave no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.”

Secondly, the Servant was taken away from community and cut off from the land because of others’ sins. This was not because of anything that he did himself. Lastly, he died and was buried with the guilty, although He was innocent.

It tells such a testimony that our Savior chose to die for us and take on our guilt himself. He knew what He was walking into before He was crucified. When he was in Gethsemane, he knew what was coming. But because of His great love for us, he chose to do it. And without complaint.

6. It was God’s will for Christ to die for our sins.
[10] Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
[11] Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
[12] Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
(Isaiah 53:10-12 ESV)


At the conclusion of this Servant Song, we are brought back to the theme that we began with in 52:13, with the exaltation of the Servant. The major theme that we will see throughout all of God’s Word is His ultimate Sovereignty. No matter what happens in this world, no matter what happen in our lives, God is always sovereign. Verse 10 tells us that although the Servant who came to save man was persecuted, rejected and killed by man, it was God’s will (therefore it brought God glory) for men to crush him. These verses demonstrate that the death of Jesus was not a tragic mistake; his death will justify many and will bring the Servant honor.

Conclusion
We can gain such deeper knowledge of Christ and appreciation for what He has done for us as we not only read the accounts of Him in the Gospels, but also read the prophesies about Him in the Old Testament. As we see that from the beginning God had a plan to bring restoration to humankind through Himself, we are able to get such a clearer picture of the Sovereignty of God and His ultimate plan. I hope that this study of Isaiah 52:12- 53:13 gives you a clearer picture of the wrath that Jesus Christ took on behalf of you and spurs you on towards studying His word deeper to know Him more fully.

The Central Message

Although my plan when I started a blog was to regularly keep blogging, I am back, almost one year later at the same place I started this. Still fighting to preach the gospel to myself daily. Although I think the Lord is constantly trying to teach us new lessons everyday, this is the central one He always wants us to come back to:

As a child of God, made new in His image-we have a NEW identity in Him, the old is gone, the new has come. And the new has come for good. We were all born as sinners, and I don’t believe anyone could argue against that. It doesn’t take a genius to look around the world and see that it is full of brokenness, due to human sin. We can look inside of our own hearts and see the brokenness, the pride, the selfishness, and evil. But, as Jesus becomes our Lord and Savior, He saves us from ourselves. He gives us a NEW heart, new desires and cleanses us-from the inside out. He took on our sins, every single one of them, and died for them. Romans 3:21-26.

I believe the reason I wrestle so much with this statement is because when I look at myself, with my own eyes, I see what I should be and what I could be but what I am not. I still see all my shortcomings, my failures, my pride, my lust, my greed, my insecurity, and the list goes on and on. On my own, I do not see myself as God sees me. But this is where the renewing of my mind must come in: we must pray to see ourselves as God sees us. And I don’t mean the kind of measly prayer, hoping, but not really believing that God will show us this. We must pray with ACTION-preaching to ourselves what the God-breathed scripture (2 Timothy 3:16; Matthew 5:17-18) says about us, as children of God. It says we are free from the chains of sin, it says we are pure, it says we are counted righteous through Christ, it says we are blameless, it says we can have confidence in Christ in us.

My daily struggle with preaching truth to myself daily comes with my own feelings and thoughts and sometimes even others feelings and thoughts telling me different things about myself. Telling me I am not good enough, telling me I need to try harder, urging me to focus on my failures and “do better”, “get it together.” And isn’t this what culture tells us? Our culture is saturated with counter-gospel messages. Beckoning me to find my identity in anything besides Jesus. For my current life, that would be: my career, my relationship status, my looks, my social circle, my achievements, etc.

I am learning that the fight of faith that we must prepare for is often putting off those feelings and thoughts that tell us our identity, righteousness and status is found in anything besides Jesus Christ. He died for this very reason. Me putting my worth and self-attempted righteousness in anything but Him is calling His death invalid, not enough, and therefore saying to God, my Creator and Maker, You aren’t big enough, powerful enough or graceful enough to cover my dirt. And although this is the way I feel so often, this is not truth. I must will myself to rest in the truth of the gospel. So, from one child of God to the next-I pray that you do this same! :)

The Gospel

The truth of the gospel sets us free. Free from striving, free from guilt, free from our chains. The gospel begins with the truth that every single one of us are needy and desperate for a Savior, because no one is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). No one can work for the love of God, nothing we could ever do could be looked at by the Father as good because our works are filthy rags in front of Him. When this stands alone, I feel pretty defeated, pretty helpless. But this is where the hope comes through Jesus Christ. Jesus, complete in His deity and in His flesh, came to the world to live a sinless life and die on the cross, as the atoning sacrifice for our past, present and future sins. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are saved-made new. We are justified freely by His grace (Romans 3:24) and this is a gift that only the Father can give. It is nothing we have done, but only by the love, grace and mercy of God that we can have a relationship with Him. Once we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, there is no longer any condemnation for us. NONE. This is the hardest concept for me to grasp, because when we become Christians and live out the journeys of our lives, we continue to mess up over and over again. In my flesh, I feel guilt for my failings and feel like I have to work my way back to the love of God. But once we have crossed over from death to life, He has granted us unmeasurable love, unmeasurable grace and unmeasurable spiritual blessings. He is bigger than our failings, bigger than our weaknesses. The gospel brings me back to complete dependance upon Him. When I am weak, He is strong. He wants me to rely and rest solely on Him. And for me and my go-getter self, I will usually only do that when I am broken down and on my knees. So continuously, He will lead me to this point. But I can have hope when I am on my knees-because Jesus Christ already paid the price for MY sin. His love and His grace are big enough for my sinful self, wandering heart and selfish deeds. Praise be to Him.