Isaiah 53

Isaiah 53:1

Conversion of a Remnant

For the gleaning, which is the remnant of Isa 17:6, there is hope. This connects us again in a direct way to the distant future, the end time. This remnant will be like a man who, after much deviation, turns his gaze again to the LORD (Isaiah 17:7). That will happen in its fullness when the Lord Jesus comes back and they will see Him “whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10). That is repentance.

We see it with the prodigal son who, when he is with the swine in the deepest misery, comes “to his senses” and thinks of his father again (Luke 15:16-18). He turns his back on his life in sin and goes to his father. A real return goes hand in hand with giving up idolatry (Isaiah 17:8). Through the terror and the suffering of war, they will see that idols do not help. These idols are ‘made in Israel’ (Isaiah 2:8) and find their climax in the image of the beast (Revelation 13:14-15).

The contrast between “his Maker” (Isaiah 17:7) and “that which his fingers have made” (Isaiah 17:8) is striking. What the LORD has made, His people, remains; what man has made, his idol, shall perish. He will no longer look to it. How foolish man is to enter into a relationship with a god who is the work of his own hands. In our time we recognize this in modern theology.

Isaiah 53:2

Judgment on the Mass

In these verses we see that while there is hope for a remnant, judgment will come on the apostate mass because they have forgotten the God of their salvation. Their strong cities, which they see as a fortress and in which they feel safe, will not be able to protect them from the enemy (Isaiah 17:9). The cities will be overpowered by the king of the North and the inhabitants will be expelled. The cities will be deserted and become a desolation.

They have planted ”delightful plants” – freely translated as ‘imported cuttings’ (Isaiah 17:10). In a literal sense, this can refer to the transfer of, for example, vines from another country. In a spiritual sense it means that they have adopted the norms and values of heathen peoples and put their trust in them. For their prosperity they have adopted methods (altars) from the surrounding peoples and put their trust in their power, while ignoring God. If God is forgotten, the result is barrenness and fruitlessness. Whoever trusts in a human rock and forgets God as “the rock” of his “refuge”, is deceived. But “those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever” (Psalms 125:1).

The same goes for the results of our work. There may still be so much activity, there will be no lasting fruit if we forget that we depend on Him for all good. If we lose sight of the Source of our strength, the Rock of our refuge or strength, we bring “sickliness and incurable pain” upon ourselves (Isaiah 17:11). In the “incurable pain” we can see the remorse that we did not involve Him in our plans, while we knew well to Whom we had to go. It is the regret afterward of an irreversible decision.

In the future God will have to judge them. That will happen by bringing this “day of sickliness and incurable pain” over His people, which happens when the hostile king of the North enters Israel like a dyke breakthrough. We see that in the following verses.

Isaiah 53:3

Judgment on the Mass

In these verses we see that while there is hope for a remnant, judgment will come on the apostate mass because they have forgotten the God of their salvation. Their strong cities, which they see as a fortress and in which they feel safe, will not be able to protect them from the enemy (Isaiah 17:9). The cities will be overpowered by the king of the North and the inhabitants will be expelled. The cities will be deserted and become a desolation.

They have planted ”delightful plants” – freely translated as ‘imported cuttings’ (Isaiah 17:10). In a literal sense, this can refer to the transfer of, for example, vines from another country. In a spiritual sense it means that they have adopted the norms and values of heathen peoples and put their trust in them. For their prosperity they have adopted methods (altars) from the surrounding peoples and put their trust in their power, while ignoring God. If God is forgotten, the result is barrenness and fruitlessness. Whoever trusts in a human rock and forgets God as “the rock” of his “refuge”, is deceived. But “those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever” (Psalms 125:1).

The same goes for the results of our work. There may still be so much activity, there will be no lasting fruit if we forget that we depend on Him for all good. If we lose sight of the Source of our strength, the Rock of our refuge or strength, we bring “sickliness and incurable pain” upon ourselves (Isaiah 17:11). In the “incurable pain” we can see the remorse that we did not involve Him in our plans, while we knew well to Whom we had to go. It is the regret afterward of an irreversible decision.

In the future God will have to judge them. That will happen by bringing this “day of sickliness and incurable pain” over His people, which happens when the hostile king of the North enters Israel like a dyke breakthrough. We see that in the following verses.

Isaiah 53:4

Judgment on the Mass

In these verses we see that while there is hope for a remnant, judgment will come on the apostate mass because they have forgotten the God of their salvation. Their strong cities, which they see as a fortress and in which they feel safe, will not be able to protect them from the enemy (Isaiah 17:9). The cities will be overpowered by the king of the North and the inhabitants will be expelled. The cities will be deserted and become a desolation.

They have planted ”delightful plants” – freely translated as ‘imported cuttings’ (Isaiah 17:10). In a literal sense, this can refer to the transfer of, for example, vines from another country. In a spiritual sense it means that they have adopted the norms and values of heathen peoples and put their trust in them. For their prosperity they have adopted methods (altars) from the surrounding peoples and put their trust in their power, while ignoring God. If God is forgotten, the result is barrenness and fruitlessness. Whoever trusts in a human rock and forgets God as “the rock” of his “refuge”, is deceived. But “those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever” (Psalms 125:1).

The same goes for the results of our work. There may still be so much activity, there will be no lasting fruit if we forget that we depend on Him for all good. If we lose sight of the Source of our strength, the Rock of our refuge or strength, we bring “sickliness and incurable pain” upon ourselves (Isaiah 17:11). In the “incurable pain” we can see the remorse that we did not involve Him in our plans, while we knew well to Whom we had to go. It is the regret afterward of an irreversible decision.

In the future God will have to judge them. That will happen by bringing this “day of sickliness and incurable pain” over His people, which happens when the hostile king of the North enters Israel like a dyke breakthrough. We see that in the following verses.

Isaiah 53:5

The Fate of the Plunderers

These verses indicate the end time again. “The uproar of many peoples” is presented as “the roaring of the seas” (Isaiah 17:12; cf. Isaiah 57:20; Revelation 17:15). “The rumbling of nations” is presented as “the rumbling of mighty waters”. Here we see how God uses His control over nature to portray His control over history. This is about the “uproar of many peoples” who will fight against Israel, but fundamentally “take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Psalms 2:1-2).

The nullity of all those hostile powers appears when He “rebukes” them (Isaiah 17:13). Then they flee far away as “chaff” that is “chased … in the mountains before the wind” and as “whirling dust before a gale”. When He rises, they disappear.

“At evening time”, at the end of a day of advance, there is horror when the LORD appears and defeats the enemy once and for all (Isaiah 17:14). “Before the morning” dawns of the day on which the enemy wants to attack, “they are no more”. Through a sudden intervention of the LORD the enemy has come to his end (Isaiah 37:36-38). Both in the days of Hezekiah and in the end time, his dream of the dawn of a glorious morning will fade away.

Earlier it is mainly about Assyria itself (Isaiah 14:22-24); here (Isaiah 17:12-14) it is about the alliance of many peoples led by North Arab and islamic (possibly shiite) countries, with behind them the power of Russia (Gog and Magog). It is about the Assyrian armies and their allies plundering and robbing Judah, “us”. Prophetically, we find this event in the book of Daniel (Daniel 11:45a).

When Jerusalem is surrounded by the nations, night threatens to fall over the city. But then the salvation of the LORD will come and “it will come about that at evening time there will be light” (Zechariah 14:7). The night will not fall over the city; the threatening darkness will flee from before Him Whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. Then it will always be light, because the “sun of righteousness” has appeared (Malachi 4:2). This is how it happened in the life of their ancestor Jacob, after he had his time of ‘great tribulation’: “Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel” (Genesis 32:31).

Isaiah 53:6

The Fate of the Plunderers

These verses indicate the end time again. “The uproar of many peoples” is presented as “the roaring of the seas” (Isaiah 17:12; cf. Isaiah 57:20; Revelation 17:15). “The rumbling of nations” is presented as “the rumbling of mighty waters”. Here we see how God uses His control over nature to portray His control over history. This is about the “uproar of many peoples” who will fight against Israel, but fundamentally “take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Psalms 2:1-2).

The nullity of all those hostile powers appears when He “rebukes” them (Isaiah 17:13). Then they flee far away as “chaff” that is “chased … in the mountains before the wind” and as “whirling dust before a gale”. When He rises, they disappear.

“At evening time”, at the end of a day of advance, there is horror when the LORD appears and defeats the enemy once and for all (Isaiah 17:14). “Before the morning” dawns of the day on which the enemy wants to attack, “they are no more”. Through a sudden intervention of the LORD the enemy has come to his end (Isaiah 37:36-38). Both in the days of Hezekiah and in the end time, his dream of the dawn of a glorious morning will fade away.

Earlier it is mainly about Assyria itself (Isaiah 14:22-24); here (Isaiah 17:12-14) it is about the alliance of many peoples led by North Arab and islamic (possibly shiite) countries, with behind them the power of Russia (Gog and Magog). It is about the Assyrian armies and their allies plundering and robbing Judah, “us”. Prophetically, we find this event in the book of Daniel (Daniel 11:45a).

When Jerusalem is surrounded by the nations, night threatens to fall over the city. But then the salvation of the LORD will come and “it will come about that at evening time there will be light” (Zechariah 14:7). The night will not fall over the city; the threatening darkness will flee from before Him Whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. Then it will always be light, because the “sun of righteousness” has appeared (Malachi 4:2). This is how it happened in the life of their ancestor Jacob, after he had his time of ‘great tribulation’: “Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel” (Genesis 32:31).

Isaiah 53:7

The Fate of the Plunderers

These verses indicate the end time again. “The uproar of many peoples” is presented as “the roaring of the seas” (Isaiah 17:12; cf. Isaiah 57:20; Revelation 17:15). “The rumbling of nations” is presented as “the rumbling of mighty waters”. Here we see how God uses His control over nature to portray His control over history. This is about the “uproar of many peoples” who will fight against Israel, but fundamentally “take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Psalms 2:1-2).

The nullity of all those hostile powers appears when He “rebukes” them (Isaiah 17:13). Then they flee far away as “chaff” that is “chased … in the mountains before the wind” and as “whirling dust before a gale”. When He rises, they disappear.

“At evening time”, at the end of a day of advance, there is horror when the LORD appears and defeats the enemy once and for all (Isaiah 17:14). “Before the morning” dawns of the day on which the enemy wants to attack, “they are no more”. Through a sudden intervention of the LORD the enemy has come to his end (Isaiah 37:36-38). Both in the days of Hezekiah and in the end time, his dream of the dawn of a glorious morning will fade away.

Earlier it is mainly about Assyria itself (Isaiah 14:22-24); here (Isaiah 17:12-14) it is about the alliance of many peoples led by North Arab and islamic (possibly shiite) countries, with behind them the power of Russia (Gog and Magog). It is about the Assyrian armies and their allies plundering and robbing Judah, “us”. Prophetically, we find this event in the book of Daniel (Daniel 11:45a).

When Jerusalem is surrounded by the nations, night threatens to fall over the city. But then the salvation of the LORD will come and “it will come about that at evening time there will be light” (Zechariah 14:7). The night will not fall over the city; the threatening darkness will flee from before Him Whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. Then it will always be light, because the “sun of righteousness” has appeared (Malachi 4:2). This is how it happened in the life of their ancestor Jacob, after he had his time of ‘great tribulation’: “Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel” (Genesis 32:31).

Isaiah 53:9

Introduction

This is not a simple chapter. But it does not have to scare us to try to discover the meaning of the prophecy. In any case, it will keep us humble and make us aware that we depend on the enlightenment of God’s Spirit for the explanation.

If we encounter difficulties in the examination of the prophetic word, it may give us an extra incentive to ask the Lord to give us clarity. Then He will always give us clarity as to what extent we can grasp and which is useful for the building up of our life of faith. It is not a question of increasing our intellectual knowledge of future events, but that our hearts will be more directed toward Him. A difficulty in the explanation of prophecy, has that effect when our heart is directed toward Him. At the same time, it will make us cautious to make overly firm claims in certain cases.

This chapter is a continuation of Isaiah 17. It does not begin with the word “burden” (or: oracle) but with the word “alas” which is also mentioned in the previous chapter (Isaiah 17:12), which indicates a continuation. In Isaiah 17 it is about the destruction of Ephraim by the king of the North; in this chapter it is about the destruction of Israel, in this case especially Judah, by the same king of the North. This chapter explains the position of Judah at the time of the attack of the king of the North.

The Land Beyond the Rivers of Cush

Remarkable is that the chapter does not start with a new ‘burden’, but with an “alas” (Isaiah 18:1). An ‘alas’ [in other translations: ‘woe’] is an announcement of a message of judgment. As noted above, this seems to indicate that it is a direct continuation of the previous chapter (Isaiah 17:12-14), where an ‘alas’ (Isaiah 17:12) is pronounced over the raging of the nations.

The first characteristic of the land about which Isaiah is now going to prophesy is found in the indication that it is a land of “whirring wings” or that it is “shadowing with wings” (Darby Translation). A wing refers like shadow to protection (Rth 2:12; Psalms 17:8; Psalms 36:7; Psalms 57:1b). Only this is not the wing or protection of the LORD. It is a mighty land characterized by the sound of flying creatures. Can we think of an air force? The expression whirring wings is also connected to the sound of a locust swarm. Cush is a land where many locust infestations occur.

The description then speaks of a land “which lies beyond the rivers of Cush” (Genesis 10:6; cf. Zephaniah 3:10). This does not only mean Ethiopia. Cush included today’s southern Egypt, Sudan and northern Ethiopia. The land lies “beyond the rivers” (plural). These rivers are the Nile and the Euphrates. The Cushites can also be found in Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates and the Tigris.

It also says that it is a land “beyond” those two rivers. This does not necessarily mean that it is directly across, because ‘beyond’ can also be translated as ‘along’. The Hebrew word me-eber also means ‘to beyond’. Then it can also be further away than just next to it. It is a different land than the lands and peoples spoken of in the prophecies, which are close to Israel. This country must be far away from Israel.

Isaiah 53:10

Envoys to Israel

That land sends “envoys by the sea” – meaning that the land is not nearby – “to a nation tall and smooth” or “a nation scattered and ravaged [or: plucked]” (Isaiah 18:2). This last translation corresponds exactly with the conclusion of the previous chapter. Israel is that scattered and plucked nation. Its enemies have taken it out of its land and plucked it bare. It is a “feared” people, in the sense of marvelous or formidable, because it has a marvelous and formidable God Who has a marvelous plan with His people. The purpose of the envoys seems to be to persuade Judah to make an alliance with him against Assyria.

The envoys, “swift messengers” uses “papyrus vessels” (cf. Job 9:26a). They are “swift” messengers because time is running out for that land. Judah seems to be a good ally, because it has a strong army and a reputation that instils fear. Egypt, Canaan and the surrounding peoples have experienced it in the past. The fact that it must be Judah is also clear from the alternative Darby Translation: “A nation of measure, measure and of treading down.” God has given them His laws, the Torah, with all kinds of measurements.

It is also a people “of treading down” because it has been treaded down many times in its history. It is a land which “the rivers divide” or “the rivers have spoiled”, which means that Israel has been robbed of its freedom many times by lands on its rivers. We can think of Assyria (Isaiah 8:7; Isaiah 17:12).

The faraway land beyond the rivers is making an effort to make an alliance with the Jews and it all seems to succeed. If the historical explanation of this section is difficult, the prophetic explanation seems clearer. A comparison with other parts of the Bible suggests – seen from the perspective of Isaiah – that this distant land may be the future restored Roman Empire, Europe with allies. The prophet Daniel speaks of a firm covenant with the many and the wing of abominations (Daniel 9:27) and the honoring by the antichrist of a god of fortresses, i.e. a strong military power (Daniel 11:38).

Isaiah 53:11

Israel Returned to His Land

After the description in Isaiah 18:1-2 comes the call to “all inhabitants of the world and dwellers on earth” to attentively “see” and “hear” everything that this nation from the distant land does to Israel (Isaiah 18:3). They will succeed in bringing Israel into their land under their own standard or flag. The fact that the standard is raised on the mountains means that the state of Israel is going to occupy a prominent position in the world. We can already see this now.

They will also blow the trumpet of freedom. This happened in 1948 before the eyes of the entire world. This is only a pre-fulfillment to what else is going to happen (Ezekiel 37:1-28). All the dwellers on earth will testify that the future belongs to Israel (cf. Isaiah 11:12).

Isaiah 53:12

The LORD Looks Quietly

Then we read in this verse what the LORD will do during all the activities of the distant people and of His people. He will quietly watch all that hustle and bustle, without interfering. He will keep quiet, it does not have His blessing. These are activities in which He is not involved. That does not mean that everything is outside of Him.

Although He Himself has no active part in it, He allows all these actions to happen. He allows it because it fits into His plan. It happens in His providence. However, in the background He is “like dazzling heat in the sunshine” and “like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest” preparing His people for the blessing of the land.

Prophetically this points at the first phase of Israel’s restoration. Compare the vision of the valley with the bones (Ezekiel 37:1-10). The scattered bones are restored to bodies, but they are still without spirit, not yet alive. Thus Israel is now back in the land, but without spiritual life.

The messengers of the distant land (cf. Isaiah 39:1-8) may be in a hurry, the LORD is not. That is why Israel should not rush to connect with that land, as if it offered them some strength against the advancing enemy. Seeking support from people will always result in disappointment (Isaiah 20:5-6; Psalms 118:8-9). That is what the unbelieving Israel will experience in the end time. It will suffer badly, despite all the covenants and promised help.