Isaiah 53
OGCEXAMINATION Chapter S FORTY-NINE THROUGH FIFTY-THREE
DEFINITION
(Define the following words or phrases as they were discussed in the comments.)
Israel
cup of staggering
acceptable time
sprinkle man nations
Sinim
griefs and sorrows
graven on palms
wounded
face like flint
pleased, pleasure
monster
bruised
MEMORIZATION
Surely he hath _____ our griefs, and carried our _____; yet we did esteem him _____, smitten of God, an _____ But he was _____ for our transgressions, he was _____ for our iniquities; the chastisement of our _____ was upon him; and with his stripes we are _____. All we like sheep have gone _____; we have turned every one to his own _____; and Jehovah hath laid on him the _____ of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
EXPLANATION
Explain the prediction that the Messiah would experience frustration.
Explain how the Messiah was to become a covenant.
Explain why the Servant (Messiah) was to be as one who was taught.
Explain how O.T. people could have God’s law on their heart.
Explain how the cup of staggering was taken out of Jerusalem’s hand.
Explain how Christ bore our griefs and sorrows in His death.
Explain why Isaiah 53 does not teach divine healing for today.
Explain why the Messiah would be satisfied with the travail of His soul.
Explain why the majority of the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Servant.
APPLICATION
(In its context every scripture has one meaningthe author’s intended meaning. How may the following be applied in the believer’s life?)
Is there an application for overcoming frustration in our own human experience from the Messiah’s overcoming?
How may we apply the proofs we have that God bared His holy arm in Jesus Christ?
Does the humiliating entrance and exit of the Messiah in history apply to modern man’s relation to God?
Does the personal refusal of Christ to defend Himself at His illegal trial and death mean Christians must never defend themselves? Why?
How can modern men accept and apply the death of a Jewish man (Jesus) nearly 2000 years ago for the atonement of their personal sins?
Are there any definitive manifestations of God’s love in this section that may contradict the allegation that the God of the O.T. is only a God of wrath?
Are there any teachings in this section which may be applied to the idea that there is salvation for the world only in Jesus Christ?
SPECIAL STUDY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD AS MANIFESTED BY THE PROPHETS
by John Butterman INTRODUCTION
I.
God is Righteous in Judging His People
God is the judge over all the earth
a.
From the beginning in the Hebrew community the judges were acting on behalf of God (Deuteronomy 1:17)
b.
It was unthinkable that he would act unfairly (Genesis 18:25)
God is the fountain of justice
a.
Everything he does may be relied upon as just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Zephaniah 3:5)
b.
God’s equity as judge will be seen most clearly in the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Romans 2:5)
c.
Man’s righteousness is defined in terms of God’s judgment
God is impartial in his dealings
a.
The prophet Amos called for a similar righteousness in men (Amos 5:15; Amos 5:24)
b.
Inflicting retribution is an element of the righteousness of God (Isaiah 61:2)
c.
If in a world of unrighteousness, righteousness is to be established, God himself must become the indicator and protector of the oppressed.
d.
God’s righteousness is manifested in his defense of those who have no helper (Psalms 10:14; Psalms 72:12)
II.
God is Righteous in Protecting His People
In his rescue of them from Egypt
a.
The victories which accomplished this are described as the righteous acts of God (Judges 5:11; 1 Samuel 12:7)
b.
The pharaoh himself acknowledged that the ten plagues were evidence of God’s righteousness (Exodus 9:27)
In his redemption of his people from exile
a.
God showed his righteousness by this deliverance
b.
This righteousness is closely associated with salvation (Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 46:13; Isaiah 51:5-6)
In his redemption of his people from sin
a.
The messianic king is just and having salvation (Zechariah 9:9)
b.
The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes; in it is revealed the righteousness of God
MAIN THOUGHTS
I.
The Prophets Revealed the Righteousness of God
Man has no righteousness of his own
a.
It hurts to be told that man’s righteousness is but a filthy rag in God’s sight
b.
How futile to try to establish our own righteousness by our own works (Isaiah 64:4)
c.
The human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9) and therefore cannot produce righteousness acceptable to God
d.
The garment of our own self-righteousness is our pride (Isaiah 64:9)
e.
Man must turn from his own self-righteousness to Christ who was made unto us righteousness (Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 45:24; Isaiah 46:12-13; Isaiah 54:17)
God provided for man what he could not do for himself
a.
A way to return to Zion
(1)
He will come and save you (Isaiah 35:4)
(2)
There shall be streams in the desert (Isaiah 35:6)
(3)
The highway shall be called the Holy Way (Isaiah 35:8)
(4)
The ransomed of the Lord shall return (Isaiah 35:10)
b.
A river shall flow from the sanctuary
(1)
Everything will live where the river goes (Ezekiel 47:9)
(2)
This river will enable trees to grow with fruit for food and leaves for healing (Ezekiel 47:12)
c.
A fountain shall be opened
(1)
To cleanse the inhabitants from sin (Ezekiel 13:1)
(2)
To cleanse them from all uncleanness
d.
A well of salvation will be opened
(1)
To draw the water of life from
(2)
To proclaim that his name is exalted
The prophets revealed the righteous One
a.
His revealed birth
(1)
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
(2)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (Isaiah 9:6)
b.
His revealed ministry
(1)
Beyond Jordan, in Galilee. the light shined (Isaiah 9:1-2)
(2)
The Lord shall suddenly come to his temple (Malachi 3:1)
(3)
Sent to the lost sheep of Israel (Ezekiel 37:11; Jeremiah 50:6)
(4)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Isaiah 61:1)
(5)
The eyes of the blind shall be opened (Isaiah 42:7)
c.
His revealed death
(1)
They weighed my price thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12)
(2)
He opened not his mouth (Isaiah 53:7)
(3)
They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod (Micah 5:1)
(4)
He was wounded for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:5)
(5)
He was numbered with the transgressors (Isaiah 53:9)
(6)
He made intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12)
(7)
They shall look upon me whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10)
(8)
It shall come to pass on that day, that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth on a clear day (Amos 8:9)
(9)
He would make his grave with the rich (Isaiah 53:9)
(10)
He gave his back to smiters (Isaiah 50:6)
(11)
He poured out his soul unto death (Isaiah 53:12)
d.
His revealed resurrection
(1)
Thy dead men shall live together. they shall arise (Ezekiel 37:7-10)
(2)
Those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake (Daniel 12:2)
(3)
In the third day he shall raise us up, and we shall live in his sight (Hosea 6:2)
(4)
I will ransom them from the power of the grave (Hosea 13:14)
II.
The Christ Brought the Righteousness of God
Unrighteous man is totally incapable of making himself righteous enough to be accepted by God
Jesus brought righteousness to man
a.
By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many (Isaiah 53:11)
b.
The righteousness is of me, saith the Lord (Isaiah 54:17)
c.
Unto the Son, God said. a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom (Hebrews 1:8)
d.
To declare his righteousness. that he might be just (right) and the justifier (the one who puts right) of him which believeth in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26)
e.
He (Jesus) is righteous (1 John 2:29)
Jesus was qualified to become our righteousness
a.
Because he was just and right in all his ways and witness, ever obedient to his righteous Father
b.
Because he was never crooked in his dealings with others
c.
Because his life was never out of the least fraction from the plumbline of truth and morality
Jesus brought the justice of God
a.
Of the increase of his government and peace. upon the throne of David. to establish it. with justice (Isaiah 9:7)
b.
Behold thy king comes. he is just (Zechariah 9:9)
c.
I judge and my judgment is just (John 5:30)
d.
Peter claims him to be just:
(1)
You denied the Holy One and the Just (Acts 3:14)
(2)
Christ. the just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18)
III.
The Believers are Constituted the Righteousness of God
The sinner through believing is constituted the righteousness of God
a.
The devil cannot call in question the fact that God is just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus (Zechariah 3:2)
b.
So we can rest secure and serene in the confidence that
(1)
Christ is our peacewho can disturb it?
(2)
Christ is our hopewho can destroy it?
(3)
Christ is our righteousnesswho can tarnish it?
Man’s righteousness came by someone not something
a.
Even him who possessed Lordship (Mark 12:36-37)
b.
Righteousness is not earned, it is imputed to man
c.
Daniel speaks of the wise turning many to righteousness (Daniel 12:3), which means they are brought to God who alone can justify them
d.
Such righteousness is said to be reckoned or imputed, and put to the account of a guilty sinner accepting God’s terms of salvation, Isaiah 55:1 ff.
e.
It is reckoned unto man on the ground of Christ’s finished work
Divine righteousness can only become ours by faith in Christ
a.
By his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11)
b.
In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The Lord is our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:7)
c.
The righteousness of God by faith (Romans 3:26; Romans 4:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
CONCLUSION
I.
God’s Righteousness is Shown in His Saving of His People
The prophets revealed it
In Christ he is now doing it
His people are no longer a restricted race but include all who believe (Romans 2:28-29)
As many as call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joe 2:32; Acts 2:38-39)
II.
God’s Righteousness Declares Righteous Those Who Believe in Jesus
God justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22)
It is the righteousness of God that is imparted to man, not man’s own self-righteousness that he is to seek after (Philippians 3:9)
III.
God’s Righteousness of His People is Based on Redemption Brought by Christ
Men are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption (Romans 3:24)
It is a righteousness through forgiveness, based on the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7; 1 John 1:9)
God put Christ forward as an expiation by his blood to be received by faith (Romans 3:25)
This was to show God’s passing over sins aforetime (Romans 3:24)
It was to prove in the present time that He himself is righteous and that he justifies him who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26)
IV.
God’s Righteousness Provides Manifold Blessings
The righteous are blessed with prosperity: Say you to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doing (Isaiah 3:10)
The righteous are surrounded by divine favor: For thou, Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor will thou compass him as with a shield (Psalms 5:12)
The righteous experience deliverance from affliction: Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all (Psalms 34:19)
The righteous enjoy peace, quietness, and assurance: And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17)
V.
God’s Righteousness Provides Hope in His Glory.
The time is coming when the heavens will delcare his righteousness.
When the Sun of Righteousness appears with healing in his wings (Malachi 4:2) accompanied by all the heavenly saints, what a glorious consummation that will be of his work on our behalf.
The ultimate blessing of righteousness by faith is eternity with Him who is our righteousness. This is the glad hope of the righteous (Malachi 3:17-18).
Hope of righteousness is the sight of the righteous One himself, who promised to return for his own (John 14:3).
**SPECIAL STUDY
PEOPLE OF THE PROPHETIC PROMISES**
by Fred Long
I.
Pre-Assyrian Prophets
A.
Obadiah 1.
Obadiah 1:15-21 The Kingdom shall be Jehovah’S
a.
Who: House of Jacob means God’s covenant people (Acts 15:13-18; Acts 13:29-37).
b.
When: Christian age, when Gentiles were added to kingdom (Acts 15:13-18).
c.
Where: Mt. Zion is the Church (Hebrews 12:18-29).
B.
Joel 1.
Joe 2:28-32 Promise of Holy Spirit
a.
Who: Twelve Apostles (Acts 2:14-21)
b.
When: Day of PentecostChristian age (Luke 1:68-75)
c.
Where: In Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22)
Joe 2:30 to Joe 3:3 Great and Terrible Day of the Lord
a.
Who: Children of promise (Romans 9:6)
b.
When: Second coming of Christ (Matthew 24:29)
c.
Where: Valley of Jehoshaphatsymbolic of Last Judgment
Joe 3:17-21 Jerusalem shall be holy
a.
Who: Jerusalemsymbol of Church, Christians
b.
When: Messianic age (Hebrews 6:17-20)
c.
Where: Zion, Jerusalem is the Church (covenant people)
C.
Jonah 1.
Jonah 1:17 Jonahsymbol of Christ’s death (Luke 11:30)
a.
Who: Christ (Matthew 12:40-41, Matthew 16:4)
b.
When: Messianic age
c.
Where: Jerusalem (literal), Nineveh is type of Gentiles
D.
Amos 1.
Amos 9:11-15 Raise up the Booth of David
a.
Who: Gentiles (Acts 15:14-18)
b.
When: Messianic age
c.
Where: Church
E.
Hosea 1.
Hosea 1:10-11 Great shall be Day of Jezreel
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 9:24-26; 1 Peter 2:9-10)
b.
When: Messianic age (John 10)
Hosea 2:21-23 Pity on Not Pitied
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 9:25-26)
b.
When: Messianic age
Hosea 3:4-5 Israel shall return and seek Lord
a.
Who: IsraelChurch (Hebrews 12:22)
b.
When: In latter days (Messianic)
II.
Assyrian Prophets
A.
Isaiah 1.
Isaiah 2:1-4 Mt. of the house of the Lord established as highest
a.
Who: Covenant people (Luke 24:47)
b.
When: Messianic age (Hebrews 12:22-23; Colossians 1:23)
c.
Where: Jerusalem (Church) (Romans 10:18)
Isaiah 6:9-10 Jews reject the Gospel
a.
Who: Jews (Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (parables) (Luke 8:10; John 12:40) (Romans 11:8)
Isaiah 9:1-2 Gentiles of Zebulun and Naphtali see Great Light
a.
Who: Gentiles (Matthew 4:13-17)
b.
When: Jesus traveled to Zebulun and Naphtali (Luke 1:32)
Isaiah 10:21-23 Only remnant of Jacob will return
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 9:27-28)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Church
Isaiah 11:1-6 Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
a.
Who: Christ (Acts 13:23)
b.
When: Messianic age (Romans 15:12; Romans 12:12)
Isaiah 29:13; Isaiah 29:18-19 Deaf shall hear, Blind shall see
a.
Who: Hypocrisy of Jews (Matthew 11:5; Matthew 15:8-9)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (Mark 7:22)
Isaiah 35:8-10 Highway called the Holy Way
a.
Who: Covenant people (Matthew 13:14)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Zionsymbol of Church
Isaiah 42:1-4 My Servant Brings Justice to the Nations
a.
Who: Gentiles (Matthew 11:4-5; Matthew 12:18-20; Matthew 3:16-17)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (Matthew 17:5)
49:6 Light to the Nations
a.
Who: Gentiles (Luke 2:32)
b.
When: Christian age (Acts 13:47; Acts 26:23)
c.
Where: Ends of the earth
Isaiah 54:1; Isaiah 54:13 Children of the desolate
a.
Who: Gentiles (Galatians 4:27)
b.
When: Christian age (John 6:45)
Isaiah 55:3 Everlasting Covenant
a.
Who: Covenant People (Christians) (Romans 10:5; Acts 13:34)
b.
When: Christian age (Luke 22:37)
Isaiah 56:8 I will gather others
a.
Who: Gentiles (John 10:16)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry
Isaiah 61:1-2 Day of Vengeance
a.
Who: Jesus (Luke 4:18; Matthew 5:4)
b.
When: Jesus-’ ministry (read in synagogue) (Mark 4:17-21; Luke 21:21-28)
c.
Where: Nazareth
Isaiah 65:1-2 Jews rebellious
a.
Who: Jews (Romans 10:20-21)
b.
When: Messianic age
B.
Micah 1. Isaiah 4:1-6 Mountain of the House of the Lord (Isaiah 2:2-4)
a.
Who: Covenant people (Luke 24:47)
b.
When: Messianic age (Hebrews 12:22; Colossians 1:23)
c.
Where: Jerusalem (Church) (Romans 10:18; Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15)
C.
Nahum
III.
Chaldean Prophets
A.
Zephaniah 1.
Zephaniah 2:7 Seacoast shall become possession of remnant of the house of Judah (Luke 1:68)
a.
Who: Covenant people (remnant of Judah)
b.
When: Birth of Christ
c.
Where: Bethlehem
B.
Habakkuk 1.
Habakkuk 1:5 Unbelief of Jews
a.
Who: Jews (Acts 13:41)
b.
When: Christian Age
Habakkuk 2:4 Righteous shall live by Faith
a.
Who: Gentiles (Hebrews 10:38-39)
b.
When: Christian age (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11)
C.
Jeremiah (and Lamentations)
Jeremiah 3:14-18 Jerusalem called Throne of the Lord
a.
Who: All nations
b.
When: Christian age (Acts 20:28)
c.
Where: Jerusalem and Zionsymbol of Church
Jeremiah 6:10 Jews reject the Gospel
a.
Who: Jews (Acts 7:51)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Jerusalem
Jeremiah 9:25 Punishment of uncircumcised in heart
a.
Who: Jews (outwardly) (Romans 2:8-9; Romans 2:28)
b.
When: Christian age
Jeremiah 17:25 Jerusalem inhabited forever
a.
Who: Covenant people (Christians) (Luke 1:32)
b.
When: Christian age (Hebrews 12:22)
c.
Where: The heavenly Jerusalem (Church)
Jeremiah 31:1 All Israel will be saved
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 11:26-28)
b.
When: Christian age
Jeremiah 31:31-34 Promise of a New Covenant
a.
Who: Covenant people (Gentiles) (John 6:45)
b.
When: Christian age (Hebrews 8:8-12; Romans 11:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:9)
Jeremiah 33:16-18 Judah will be saved
a.
Who: Covenant people (Hebrews 13:15; Philippians 3:9)
b.
When: Christian age (Luke 1:32-33)
IV.
Exilic Prophets
A.
Ezekiel 1.
Ezekiel 39:29 Promise of Holy Spirit
a.
When: Pentecost (Acts 2:17)
Ezekiel 47:21-23 Aliens shall be allotted an inheritance
a.
Who: Gentiles (Romans 10:12)
b.
When: Christian age (Ephesians 2:12-14; Ephesians 3:6)
c.
Where: In the Church (Colossians 3:11)
B.
Daniel 1.
Daniel 2:44-45 God’s Kingdom set upnever be destroyed
a.
Who: Christians (1 Corinthians 15:24)
b.
When: During Roman Empire (Iron Kingdom)
c.
Where: Heavenly Kingdom
Daniel 9:24-27 Promise of Coming Kingdom
a.
Who: Covenant people (Christians) (Matthew 9:12; Luke 19:43)
b.
When: After seventy weeks of yearsChristian age
c.
Where: Jerusalem (heavenly)Church (Matthew 24:15; Luke 21:20)
V.
Post-Exilic Prophets
A.
Haggai 1.
Haggai 2:6-7 I will shake the heavens and the earth
a.
Who: New Covenant people (Hebrews 12:26)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Heavenly KingdomChurch
B.
Zechariah 1.
Zechariah 13:1 Fountain opened for the House of David
a.
Who: Covenant people (Hebrews 9:14)
b.
When: Christian age
c.
Where: Jerusalem (heavenly)Church
C.
Malachi 1.
Malachi 4:5-6 Return of Elijah the Prophet
a.
Who: John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14)
b.
When: Before Jesus-’ ministry (Mark 9:11)
c.
Where: Israel (literal) (Luke 1:17)
VI.
New Testament scriptures that show the Gentiles taking part in prophetic promises:
**SPECIAL STUDY
THE WORD OF GOD, THE ILLUMINATING AGENCY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONVERSION**
by Paul T. Butler INTRODUCTION
I.
QUALIFICATIONS
A.
We believe the Scriptures plainly teach that the spoken and written Word of God (the Bible) is the only illuminating agency of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of sinners.
B.
This is contrary to the creeds of most major Protestant religious bodies today. They say, in essence:
Man, the sinner, has a mind biased and prejudiced by sin and he cannot, therefore, understand the spiritual truths of the Bible until.
The Holy Spirit acts, directly, irresistibly and apart from the written or spoken Word of God, regenerating man’s mind in order that man can understand the written truths in the Bible. only then will man be able to believe in Christ and become a Christian.
This is individually and subjectively experienced and one cannot be assured of his salvation until he is able to relate such an experience.
Those who have never had such an experience, so far as we are able to tell now, are not elected to salvation.
C.
By our statement in A. above we do not intend to exclude the providential actions of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit may act in providence to bring a Christian and non-Christian together for the purpose of allowing the non-Christian to hear the message of Christ (e.g., Philip and the Ethopian eunuch; Peter and Cornelius, etc.)
But in the final analysis, it is the written or spoken Word of God into the sinner’s mind and upon his heart that converts and leads him to become a Christian.
II.
WHAT WE ARE NOT DISCUSSING IN THIS STUDY
A.
We do not wish to discuss here, to any length, at least, the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the miraculous way the apostles were immersed in the Holy Spirit.
B.
We do not wish to discuss here the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit by which certain people spoke in tongues, prophesied, healed, etc.
C.
We do not wish to discuss whether or not people have had particular religious experiences.
That people have had subjective religious experiences is difficult to disproveat least to the one who claims such an experience.
But whether or not we are to follow what we think those subjective experiences teach, in order to the assurance of salvation, is quite another thing and is contrary to Biblical teaching.
III.
ASSUMPTIONS WE MAKE
A.
That the Bible is the infallible, inerrant, inspired Word of God and the ultimate and final authority in matters of faith and practice.
B.
That we learn all we need to learn on this particular subject from the New Testament.
DISCUSSION
I.
JESUS TAUGHT THAT THE WORD OF GOD
(WRITTEN AND SPOKEN) ILLUMINATES THE MIND OF MAN UNTO CONVERSION
A.
Matthew 11:25-30. only the Son can reveal the Father. we must take the Son’s yoke upon us and learn of Him.
B.
Matthew 7:24-27. the wise man is the one who hears the words of Christ and does them.
C.
Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-15. the seed of the kingdom is the word of God sown on the hearts of men. This word must be held fast in honest and good hearts to bear fruit.
D.
Matthew 4:4. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
E.
Matthew 28:18-20. the great commission is to teach, baptize and teach all that Jesus commanded the 12 disciples.
F.
Luke 10:21-28. Jesus told a lawyer to do what he read in the Law in order to inherit eternal life.
G.
Luke 10:38-42. Mary chose the good portion for she sat at Jesus-’ feet and listened to His teaching.
H.
Luke 11:27-28. Jesus said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it.
I.
Luke 16:19-31. the rich man in Hades was told it would do no good for him to go back from the dead and warn his brothers. They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
J.
Luke 24:13-35. Jesus took special time and effort beginning with Moses and all the prophets. interpreting, for some despondent disciples all the scriptures said concerning Himself.
K.
John 1:1-18. Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God, exegeted God to man; exegesato is the Greek word in John 1:18, from which we get exegesis, but it is translated declared.
L.
John 5:24. whoever hears the word of Christ and believes God, who sent Him, has eternal life.
M.
John 5:25. whoever hears the voice of the Son of God, will live.
N.
John 6:63. except men eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood they have no life in them. THIS IS TO BE DONE BY HEARING AND DOING THE WORDS JESUS SPOKE, FOR His words are spirit and life.
O.
John 6:44-45. No one comes unto Christ. unless they learn from the Father.
P.
John 6:69. Peter declared that Jesus has the words of eternal life.
Q.
John 8:31-32. only those who continue in His word are His disciples and in doing so they will be made free for it is the truth that makes free. and only by continuing in His word do we know the truth!
R.
John 10. the sheep follow the good Shepherd only because they know the difference between His voice (word) and the voice of the hireling.
S.
John 11. the spoken word of Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
T.
John 12:44-50. the words Jesus spoke will judge men at the last day, and the commandment which the Father gave Him to speak is eternal life.
U.
John 13:12-17. Jesus gave the disciples an example of humble and loving service to one another and then said If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
V.
John 14:23. Jesus made the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit specifically conditioned upon keeping His commandments. It must, therefore, be possible for a sinner to come to believe in, and begin to obey Christ before the Holy Spirit abides in him. in other words the sinner is converted by knowing, believing and obeying the Word, which is the agency of the Holy Spirit in the sinner’s conversion.
W.
John 15:3. the disciples were cleansed by the word which Christ had already spoken unto them.
X.
John 15:1-11. our abiding in Him and His abiding in us is conditioned upon our abiding in His word. it is not irresistible.
Y.
John 16:1-15. the Holy Spirit was sent to guide the apostles into all truth, etc., and thus, through their preaching to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.
Z.
John 17:1-26. eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. this the disciples had because they accepted the words which Jesus was commissioned to give them from the Father. through His words spoken they had joy. They were sanctified in His word which is truth. Jesus even prayed for all who should subsequently believe in Him through the preached word of the apostles (John 17:20). AA. John 18:37. Jesus said. I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. BB. John 20:30-31. the gospels were written that men might believe and have eternal life.
II.
THE ACTS TEACH THAT THE WORD OF GOD (WRITTEN AND SPOKEN) ILLUMINATES THE MIND OF MAN UNTO CONVERSION
A.
Acts 2:37-38. when the multitude heard the preaching of Jesus they were convinced and obeyed. there is no notice that the Holy Spirit illumined their hearts apart from the preaching of the inspired word.
B.
Acts 4:4. many who heard the preaching of Peter in Acts 3, believed and became Christians.
C.
Acts 5:32. the Holy Spirit is given only to those who obey Christ. how can one obey Christ unless he has heard the commandment of Christ and understood the commandment?
D.
Acts 8:34-40. Philip preached unto the eunuch Jesus and then the man obeyed.
E.
Acts 10:22. Cornelius was directed by an angel of the Lord to send for Peter so that Peter might preach to him the gospel in order that Cornelius might hear and believe. cf. Acts 10:33; Acts 11:14.
F.
Acts 17:29-31. Paul said men should understand that God is going to judge the world and that He wants them to repent simply from knowing the fact that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.
G.
Acts 20:18-35. Paul charged the elders of Ephesus to feed the flock of God on the word of God as he himself had done. and Paul commended them to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
H.
Acts 26:24-29. Paul presented the facts concerning Jesus and appealed to the writings of the prophets in hope that Agrippa might become a Christian.
I.
Acts 28:23-28. Paul expounded the facts concerning Jesus all day to a group of Jews, trying to convince them about the kingdom of God, etc. some were convinced, some were not.
III.
THE EPISTLES TEACH THAT THE WORD OF GOD (WRITTEN AND SPOKEN) ILLUMINES THE MIND OF MAN UNTO CONVERSION
A.
Romans 1:16-17. the gospel is the power of God unto salvation.
B.
Romans 6:17-18. men are set free from sin by obedience from the heart to the standard of teaching of the apostles.
C.
Romans 8:6. to set the mind on the Spirit. is life. the Spirit is revealed in the Word.
D.
Romans 8:13-14. it is by the Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body and it is by the Spirit we are led. the Spirit only does that by revealing His will to us in the Scriptures.
E.
Romans 10:8-17. the word of faith which is in their hearts is the word which the apostles preached. all who call upon the Lord will be saved, BUT THEY CANNOT CALL UPON HIM IF THEY HAVE NOT HEARD HIS WORD, BECAUSE FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD!!!
F.
Romans 12:1-2. we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind in order that we may prove what is the acceptable will of God.
G.
Romans 15:18. Paul would win obedience to Christ from the Gentiles by preaching to them the word of Christ.
H.
Romans 16:25-27. Paul said that the preaching of Jesus Christ was. to bring about the obedience of faith.
I.
1 Corinthians 2:1-14. Paul said that the Spirit of Christ had been given to the apostles. and this Spirit was imparted to the Corinthians in words.
J.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2. the preached gospel was what the Corinthians received, that in which they stood fast, that by which they were saved.
K.
2 Corinthians 1:20. all the promises of God find their Yea in Jesus Christ objectively revealed. not subjectively.
L.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5. the preaching of the word of God has divine power and is able to destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God and bring every thought into captivity unto Christ!!!
M.
Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:2; Galatians 3:26-27. The Spirit of Christ lives in men and is put on by men through the hearing of faith. and faith comes by hearing!
N.
Ephesians 3:17. Christ dwells in us through faith, and faith comes by hearing.
O.
Ephesians 1:9-14. those who have heard the word of truth, the gospel, have made known to them the mystery of His will and have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
P.
Ephesians 3:8-19. Paul was made a minister to the Gentiles to preach to them the unsearchable riches of Christ and make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God. that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.
Q.
Ephesians 4:11-16. the various offices of ministry (including evangelists) were given to the church to edify the church and bring the church to a mature knowledge of Christ.
R.
Ephesians 5:17-18. Paul connects being filled with the Spirit directly to first understanding what the will of the Lord is.
S.
Philippians 4:8-9. Paul said that true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious things were revealed to Christians by the preaching and Christian living of the apostles.
T.
Colossians 1:27-28. Paul proclaimed and taught Christ to every man in all wisdom so that Christ might dwell in men and they might have the hope of glory.
U.
Colossians 3:16. Christians are to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly.
V.
1 Thessalonians 2:13. Paul said the Christians there received their preaching as the word of God and that this word was at work in them.
W.
2 Thessalonians 1:8. Paul said God would bring vengeance upon all who do not obey the gospel … an objective standard!
X.
2 Thessalonians 2:14. Paul said that men were called by God through the preaching of the gospel.
Y.
1 Timothy 4:11-16. Paul told Timothy that by holding to that which he had been taught he would save both himself and his hearers.
Z.
2 Timothy 2:9. Paul speaks of the word of God as not being able to be fettered.
AA.
2 Timothy 3:16. The scripture is able to completely equip the man of God for every good work.
BB.
Titus 1:1-3. Paul said the faith of the elect was furthered by the preaching of the word.
CC.
Titus 2:11-15. Paul said the grace of God. trains us. and we should thus declare it.
DD.
Hebrews 4:12-13. the word of God is living and active. pierces even to the division of the soul and spirit. and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart.
EE.
James 1:18. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth … Here the word of truth is specifically said to be the agent of the Holy Spirit in the new birth.
FF.
1 Peter 1:22-25. You have been born anew … through the living and abiding word of God. that word is the good news which was preached to you. This they did by obedience to the truth: IT CANNOT BE ANY PLAINER THAN THIS THAT THE SPIRIT WORKS THROUGH THE WORD IN REGENERATION.
GG.
2 Peter 1:3-4. it is through a knowledge of Jesus Christ and through His precious and exceeding great promises that we become partakers of the divine nature.
HH.
1 John 2:3-6. we are sure we are in Him only when we know and keep His commandments.
II.
1 John 3:24. we abide in Him and He abides in us when we keep His commandments.
JJ. 1 John 4:1-6. whoever knows the Spirit of God listens to apostolic teachings and this is the only way man may know the difference between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
KK.
2 John 1:9-10. anyone who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. he who abides in this doctrine has both the Father and the Son.
IV.
LOGIC TEACHES THAT WE MUST DEPEND UPON THE SPIRIT TO BRING US TO CONVERSION THROUGH OUR RESPONSE TO HIS OBJECTIVE REVELATION OF HIMSELF IN HIS WORD!
A.
Alexander Campbell, in The Christian System moral facts are those which either exhibit, develop, or form moral character. all the works and words of God are moral facts and truths.
The work of redemption is a system of works or deeds on the part of God and Christ which constitutes the most splendid series of moral facts which man or angel ever saw.
When these moral facts are brought into immediate contact with the mind of man, they delineate the image of God upon the human soul.
Testimony is but the channel through which these facts draw the image of God on the heart and character of man.
The love of God in the death of Jesus never drew a tear of gratitude or joy from any eye, or excited a grateful emotion in any heart among the nations of our race to whom the testimony never came. No TESTIMONY, NO FAITH!
The quality or value of faith is found in the quality or value of the testimony. If the testimony be valid, OBJECTIVE, and authoritative, our faith is strong and operative. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater.
The power of faith is also found in the power or moral meaning of the testimony, or of the facts which the testimony represents. If by faith I am filled with joy, or sorrow, that joy or sorrow is in the facts contained in the testimony. or in the relation of those facts to me. And, if faith purifies the heart. this power is in the facts believed.
It is neither the faculty of perception, nor the manner of perception, but the things perceived, that excited us to action. It is not the exercise of reflection, but the thing reflected upon, It is not reason itself, nor the exercise of reason, but the thing reasoned upon which affords pleasure or painwhich excites to actionwhich cheers, allures, consoles us.
Even in our volition this is true. It is not choosing, nor refusing; hating, loving, fearing, desiring, nor hoping; IT IS NOT THE NATURE OF ANY POWER, FACULTY, OR CAPACITY OF OUR BEING, NOR THE SIMPLE EXERCISE OF THEM, BUT THE object or things UPON WHICH THEY ARE EXERCISED, WHICH INDUCE US TO ACTION, OR INFLUENCE OUR BEHAVIOR!
AND SO MY FRIEND WE ARE PURIFIED BY OUR OBEDIENCE TO THE OBJECTIVE TRUTH. THE REVEALED, WRITTEN AND SPOKEN TESTIMONY ABOUT THE PERSON AND PROMISES OF JESUS CHRIST BECOME THE OBJECTIVE AGENT WHICH MOVES US. WITHOUT AN OBJECT (JESUS) AND AN OBJECTIVE REVELATION OF HIM WE WOULD BE LEFT ONLY TO LISTEN AND FOLLOW THE DECEITFUL WHISPERINGS OF OUR WICKED HEARTSSEE POINT #V ON PAGE 254.
B.
In the religious world today we have many groups, teaching about as many contradictory dogmas, most claiming to be led now or having been led in the past by special direct revelations of the Holy Spirit apart from the received Bible. IF THE HOLY SPIRIT OPERATES ON THE MINDS OF MEN APART FROM AN OBJECTIVE STANDARD (THE WORD), HOW DO WE KNOW WHICH IS CORRECT?
We appeal to such scriptures as Galatians 1:8-9; 1 John 4:1-6 and assert that there is only one leading of the Holy Spirit today and that is in the infallible, inerrant, objective standard called the Bible, and that only!
Don DeWelt says in his book, The Power of the Holy Spirit, Vol. I, pg. 31, commenting on Romans 8:16. the Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God.. The Bible does not say that the Holy Spirit bears witness to our spirit, thus making it a subjective experience within the Christian. The text does say the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit, thus making it an objective experience without or apart from the Christian. The witness of the Holy Spirit is the New Testament. This is His testimony as to how to become a Christian or child of God, and also how to remain faithful as God’s child. We know within ourselves if we have done what the Spirit has said to do in order to become a child of God. We then become a child of God, our spirits have agreed with the testimony of the Holy Spirit. when we have done what we are commanded to do in the New Testament. (cf. John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13).
V.
THE SCRIPTURES TEACH US THAT WE WILL BE DECEIVED BY LISTENING TO THE SUBJECTIVE WHISPERINGS OF OUR HEART.
A.
Proverbs 16:2. all the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. (cf. also Isaiah 21:2)
B.
Jeremiah 17:9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it? I the Lord search the mind and try the heart.
C.
Hebrews 3:13. warns that Christians must continually exhort one another (from the written word) lest their hearts be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
D.
Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14); quote scripture (Matthew 4:5-6); perform lying wonders (Revelation 13:11-18); and he is able to enter the mind of man by the power of thought. he is a spirit of disobedience, etc.
E.
Some examples of people who thought they were doing God’s service when following the subjective feelings of their hearts:
The disciples, led by Judas, thought that Mary wasted the ointment by pouring it upon Jesus and it could have been sold and given to the poor (Matthew 26:9; Mark 14:5; John 12:5). THEY HAD TO HAVE AN OBJECTIVE REVEALED TO THEM IN THE WORDS OF JESUS TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THEIR CROOKED SUBJECTIVE THINKING.
Peter thought that defending the life of Jesus against His enemies was the proper thing to do, but it was Satan whispering to Peter (Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:32-33).
Paul said, I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. even to the persecution and killing of Christians (Acts 22:4; Acts 26:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6; 1 Timothy 1:13). he lived in all good conscience in so doing. IT TOOK AN OBJECTIVE REVELATION TO PAUL TO STRAIGHTEN OUT HIS THINKING.
Isaiah 53:1-3
- ATONE, CHAPTER 53 a. SHUNNED
TEXT: Isaiah 53:1-3
1
Who had believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?
2
For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.
QUERIES
a.
What message was not believed?
b.
What is the dry ground from which He grew?
c.
Why was the Servant a man of sorrows?
PARAPHRASE
But when the Suffering Servant comes, who will have believed this message of the exaltation of the Servant from such a state of deep degradation? who will have recognized in this the victorious, powerful arm of Jehovah? It was the plan of God that His Servant take the form of man and grow up like a fragile, green plant sprouting from dry and sterile ground. In our eyes there was nothing in Him to make Him attractive as king or Messiah. We saw nothing in Him that made us want Him or want to follow Him as our leader. In fact, we despised Him and rejected Him; He suffered the sorrow of rejection and grief of our unbelief as well as our physical persecutions. We went out of our way to shun Him and ignore Him.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 53:1 UNBELIEVING: Chapter 53 is still in the predictive present tense. It is as if the Servant has come, been rejected, slaughtered and the people of Israel are looking at it all in retrospect! The overall reaction of the nation to Jesus-’ claims to be the Messiah was scoffing, mockery, rejection and persecution. He gained a few disciples, but at the arrest in Gethsemane, they all forsook Him and fled (Mark 14:50). The nation, as a whole, could not believe that Jehovah was at work revealing His Arm in the itinerant Galilean carpenter’s son. It was especially difficult for any who had been attracted to Him during His life to believe that He was God’s Servant when they gathered at Golgotha and saw His humiliating death, (cf. Luke 24:13-27). The believing, penitent Jews after their baptism (Acts 2:37, etc.) still marvelled than they could have been so unbelieving. They are represented here by the prophet as continually marvelling as they reflect on their blindness. Twice in the N.T. this very verse of Isaiah’s prophecy is quoted as Jesus (John 12:38) and Paul (Romans 10:16) express shock that the Jews did not believe when Jehovah’s Servant came to them.
Is there any question as to the identity of this Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53? Servant of Jehovah, -ebed Yahweh in Hebrew is prophesied at least 20 times in Isaiah Chapter s 40-53. Sometimes it refers to Cyrus, king of Persia; sometimes it refers to the nation of Israel (Isaiah 41:8; Isaiah 42:19); but most often it refers to the Messiah (Isaiah 42:1-7; Isaiah 49:1-9; Isaiah 50:4-9; Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12; Isaiah 61:1-3). The Servant is the same person (not nation) previously described in Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 9:6 ff; Isaiah 11:1-5. He is also the Branch of Isa 4:2; Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 53:2; Jeremiah 23:5 ff; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12 ff. The inspired authors of the New Testament specifically confirm the following prophecies of the Servant are fulfilled in Jesus Christ; Isaiah 42:1-4 fulfilled in Matthew 12:18-21; Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12 fulfilled (or quoted) in Matthew 8:17; Luke 22:37; John 12:38; Acts 8:32 ff; Romans 10:16. The Servant’s mission can only be fulfilled by Christ:
Birth (Isaiah 49:1; Isaiah 53:2; Luke 1:31-35)
Anointing (Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 48:16; Isaiah 59:21; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 3:16; Luke 4:18 ff)
Ministry (Isaiah 49:8-13; Acts 10:36-43)
Rejection (Isaiah 49:4-7; Isaiah 53:1-3; Acts 3:13-18)
Obedience (Isaiah 40:4-7; Philippians 2:5-11)
New Covenant (Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 55:3; Matthew 26:26-29)
Vicarious death (Isaiah 53:4-12; 1 Peter 2:22-25)
Resurrection (Isaiah 53:10-12; Acts 2:24-36)
Salvation Offered (Isaiah 49:8; Isaiah 61:2; Luke 24:46-49)
Mission to Gentiles (Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 42:6 ff; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 49:12; Isaiah 60:3; Isaiah 60:9; Matthew 28:18-20)
Glorification and Intercession Isaiah 49:3; Isaiah 53:12; Acts 2:33-36; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 7:24 ff)
Jesus came to serve. (Matthew 20:28; John 12:13-20, etc.)
Isaiah 53:2-3 UNCIVIL: What Jew in his right mind would ever have dreamed or imagined rejecting his Messiah or Jehovah’s Servant in such an odious way as Isaiah predicts? Only the most shameful incivility prompts men to deliberately hide from another human being. Yet these verses vividly portray the scandalous hatred the Jews will manifest toward the Incarnate Servant. It is the life-story of the Servant from the cradle to the grave. The Servant’s entry into this world was so inglorious; born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), of poor parentage, in a stable. When He grew up as a lad in Nazareth He was just like any other lad according to all outward appearances (Luke 2:51-52) (with the one exception of confounding the scholars at Jerusalem, Luke 2:41-50).
He grew up before him. means the Servant grew up in the eyes of Jehovah, or, by the foreordained plan of God, as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. Jehovah sent His Servant to the world through the Jews, despised and harassed people by the Roman world of Christ’s day. He grew up in Nazareth which was in Galilee (which means, circuit of the Gentiles). Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46) was the attitude toward that infamous village. That the Servant of Jehovah, the Messiah, should come from a carpenter’s family would be unthinkable to Jewish theology. A tender, green plant in dry parched ground is regarded with skepticism as to its origin and its survival. So Christ was looked upon.
Among all ancient peoples (even as among some modern advertisers) ideal physique, refined facial features, etc., were considered necessary prerequisites of future greatness, along with right parents, right birthplace, right schools, etc. These verses are not intended to describe Christ’s facial features or His physique. They are simply predicting that men would judge Him by that inauspicious human appearance and completely reject Him because of their presuppositions. When Jesus was only a baby, Simeon the aged prophet took Him in his arms and predicted He was the consolation of Israel and a light unto the Gentiles but that He would become a sign that is spoken against, (cf. Luke 2:22-35). When He was arrested and mocked and tortured by the Sanhedrin, Pilate and Herod, there was no form or comeliness in Him that any of the nation desired Him to be king. Why would God plan it that His Servant come into the world in such untoward surroundings? In order to put men into the refiner’s fire. All who beheld His glory through eyes of faith and saw beyond the humiliation of the incarnation that He was the Son of God became sons of God. All who were blinded by their own carnal standards of comeliness and judged Jesus by them became sons of disobedience. God wanted to get at the heart of man, for that is what He judges, not outward appearances.
Jesus was seldom treated with indifference. When He spoke or acted, people either clamored after Him or plotted against Him. But even most of the clamoring of the multitudes was only superficial. It was motivated by fleshly hunger for more bread and fish or for instantaneous healing of sicknesses. The Sadducees and Pharisees hated the Servant and plotted His death because He stripped away their facade of orthodoxy and exposed their immoral and rebellious hearts. And, in the end, these pretentious theologians and greedy legalists seduced the carnal-minded multitudes to clamor for His crucifixion! He was despised and rejected of men; forsaken and shunned. The two Hebrew words makeoyoth and kholiy are literally, pain and sickness, but are translated, sorrows and grief. When people saw that His earthly life was characterized by trouble, pain, rejection, sorrow, poverty, humiliation, absolute honesty and purity, few wanted to have anything to do with Him. Misunderstood by alleven His select disciples and His own human familyHe was a man of sorrows (see comments on Isaiah 49:4). How could Jesus have been a man of sorrows and yet speak so much of his joy? Because the object of His joy was beyond this world! (Hebrews 12:1 ff). All men who live godly in this world will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12; John 15:18 ff; John 16:33), but they may also have joy if the object of their joy is beyond this world (John 4:34; John 15:11; John 17:13, etc.).
What people turned away from the Servant of the Lord for when He was in human form on the earth they still turn away from Him for todayHis substitutionary atonement. Some are superficially in agreement with what they think is His pacifistic humanitarianism or His socialistic human-rights stance, but they absolutely will not surrender to the truth that Jesus had to die for their sin. This is what was so unacceptable to the self-righteous Pharisees of Jesus-’ day. It remains a threat to the self-righteousness of men today!
QUIZ
How extensive was the unbelief predicted by Isaiah?
Who, alone, could fulfill the predictions of the Suffering Servant?
Would it have been a normal thing for the Jews to reject their Messiah?
Why did they reject the Servant-Messiah when He came?
Why did God foreordain such an inauspicious incarnation for His Servant?
What was the fundamental issue over which people turned away from Jesus?
Isaiah 53:4-9
b.SUFFERS
TEXT: Isaiah 53:4-9
4
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
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.
6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7
He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
8
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
9
And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
QUERIES
a.
How did He bear our griefs and sorrows?
b.
How did Jehovah lay on Him the iniquity of us all?
c.
Did any of His generation consider that he was cut off. for the stroke that was due them?
PARAPHRASE
And yet, it was the suffering that should have been ours He suffered; it was our pain He bore. All the time we were thinking that His suffering and humiliation was a sign that He was a blasphemer and God was punishing Him! But He was not a sinnerwe were, and it was because of our sins He was wounded and because of our evil that He was willing to be scourged and crucified. Because of His substitutionary punishment for our sins we are vicariously justified and cleansed of iniquity and declared at peace with God. We are the ones who strayed away from The Shepherd. We are the ones who acted like dumb sheep wandering into unsafe and self-destructive pathways. We are the guilty ones, but God laid on Him the guilt of everyone of us. He was treated unjustly and cruelly, but he endured it willingly and without retaliation; He was innocent, and like an innocent lamb that is sacrificially slaughtered, He surrendered to death for us. Like a sheep that submits to being sheared without fighting back, so He did not resist His persecutors. He was tried, sentenced and led away to be crucified when He was completely innocent, and no one cared or understood that He was suffering the penalty that should have been every man’S. Paradoxically, He was buried like a criminal but in a rich man’s grave. He had done no wrong and had never spoken falsehood.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 53:4-6 ATONING GRACE: Unusual pain, sorrow and grief was equated with unusual guilt in the ancient world. Job’s three friends told Job his calamities were punishment from God for his sinfulness. The man born blind was stigmatized as a sinner both by the disciples of Jesus and the Pharisees (cf. John 9:1 ff). Jesus corrected this concept in Luke 13 by saying that those upon whom the tower of Siloam fell were not worse sinners than others but that all calamities were warnings to the world to repent. And the Jews rationalized their prejudice against Jesus by mocking Him as a criminal at His crucifixion. Rather than admit their own ideas about God’s Messiah were contrary to the Old Testament, they accused Jesus of blasphemy and pointed to His violation of their traditions and His humble life-style as proof that God was punishing Him for being such a sinner.
But there was nothing wrong with Him. We (all mankind) were the guilty ones. The rejection, misunderstanding, poverty, humiliation, slander He endured should have been ours. He was finally forsaken by God, suffered the second death (Matthew 27:46) and was made to be sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). He bore our sins on the tree (2 Peter 2:22-22). The Righteous died for the unrighteous (2 Peter 3:18). Christ did not deserve any of what He suffered. He was hated without cause (John 15:24-25). The great capsulation of the atonement is Romans 3:21-26. The real suffering of the Servant was spiritual, not physical. Many men have suffered physically (perhaps even more torture than crucifixion), but He was innocent, without sin, and actually became sin and suffered spiritual separation (death) from the Father for those who actually deserved it. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew verb meholal translated wounded means literally pierced, perforated, a precise prophecy of the piercing of Christ’s body by the Roman soldier (John 19:34-37).
Do verses four and five indicate that the atonement of Christ also provided miraculous healing of physical sicknesses for all mankind? Some modern faith-healers contend that all men who believe in the atonement of Christ may expect God to heal their bodies. T. J. McCrossan in his Bodily Healing and the Atonement, pg. 16, says, Again all Christians should expect God to heal their bodies today, because Christ died to atone for our sickness as well as for our sins. Warren C. Roark, compiler of Divine Healing, pub. The Warner Press, Anderson, Ind., 1945, records a statement by a modern advocate of this view, E. E. Byers, pg. 58, God. in the atonement. made provision for the healing of man’s mortal body so long as he lived in this world. Although honest exegesis must admit that the Hebrew words makeoyoth and kholiy may literally mean pain and sickness, one must understand they may also be figuratively translated griefs and sorrows. The following considerations make it clear that Isaiah’s prophecy of the atonement by the Suffering Servant did not mean to include physical healing for all believers:
The context (all important in proper exegesis) indicates the subject is sin, spiritual sickness, not physical sickness. If the atonement made provision for the healing of man’s mortal body so long as he lived. he would live forever in this world! Death is the cumulative effect of one physical malady or another.
In Matthew 8:16-17 a portion of Isaiah’s prophecy is quoted in connection with Christ’s healing of some physical sicknesses. However, it is highly significant that verse five was not quoted by Matthew (with his stripes we are] healed). Furthermore, Jesus was fulfilling verse four three years before the atonement was made. Verse four was fulfilled in His divine ministry of healing, and not when He hung on the cross. Matthew was simply claiming, therefore, that Christ in performing miracles of healing, was fulfilling what Isaiah prophesied of His healing ministry and not His atonement.
There is no statement in the whole Bible suggesting that Christ bore our sicknesses in his own body on the tree, or that he was made to be sick, diseased, or possessed with infirmity for us.
The New Testament plainly shows that not all of the healings of Jesus demanded faith in Him. Thus, the efficacy of His atonement could not apply to the healing.
The New Testament plainly shows that many people with faith in the atonement of Christ were not healed of their sicknesses, including the great apostle Paul!
Some questions on healing in the atonement:
a.
If the atonement provides for physical healing, why does not one receive healing at conversionthe place where the efficacy of the atonement is applied?
b.
If the atonement provides for physical healing, why do not all believers receive healing? (cf. Paul’s thorn in the flesh 2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
c.
Why is there as large a percentage of sickness among believers as there is among unbelievers?
d.
Why did Paul prescribe a medical treatment to Timothy for his oft infirmities? (1 Timothy 5:23)
e.
Why are there so many failures among faithful, honest, believing people who so earnestly and diligently seek healing?
**Case
References
Nature of Malady
Nature of Cure
Comment**
Nobleman’s son
Sick at the point of death
Healed the same hour
Father believed, but not the son
Impotent man
Infirm 30 years; couldn-’t walk
Made whole at once
No faith, except to walk
Demoniac in the Capernaum Synagogue
Possessed spirit of unclean demon
Instantly delivered
No faith indicated
Peter’s wife’S mother
Matthew 8:14-15 Mark 1:29-31 Luke 4:38-39
Possessed of a great fever
Fever left her immediately
No faith required
Many in Capernaum
Matthew 8:16-17 Mark 1:32-34 Luke 4:40-41
Demoniacs, sick, diseased
Instantly healed
No faith indicated
Leper
Matthew 8:1-4 Mark 1:40-45 Luke 5:12-16
Full of leprosy
Heal at once
Had faith; not required
Palsied man
Matthew 9:1-8 Mark 2:1-12 Luke 5:17-26
Palsied, could not walk
Instantly healed
Faith of others
Man with withered hand
Matthew 12:9-14 Mark 3:1-6 Luke 6:6-11
Hand deformed
Instantly healed
No faith required but to extend hand
Many in Galilee
Matthew 4:23-24 Mark 3:7-12 Luke 6:17-19
All manner of sickness
Instantly healed
No faith indicated
Multitudes
Not stated
Healed all
No faith
Blind and dumb demoniac
Matthew 12:22-24 Luke 11:14-15
Possessed a devil; blind and dumb
Healed at once
No faith required
Centurion’S servant
Palsied, tormented, and nearly dead
Made whole instantly
No faith of servant
Widow’s son of Nain
Dead
Instantly sat up and spoke
No faith possible
Demoniac
Dumb and demoniac
Instantly delivered
No faith evident
Two demoniacs at Gadara
Matthew 8:28-34 Mark 5:1-20 Luke 8:26-40
Possessed legion of devils. Fierce, couldn-’t be bound
Devils instantly cast out
No faith evident
The daughter of Jairus
Matthew 9:18-25 Mark 5:34-43 Luke 8:43-48
Dead
Made alive at once
No faith possible
Woman with the issue of blood
Matthew 9:20-22 Mark 5:25-34 Luke 8:43-48
Afflicted 12 years Grew worse, suffered much
Made whole at once
Faith present, but not required
Two blind men
Blind
Eyes opened immediately
Faith required
Healing of many
Diseased
Made perfectly whole
No faith required
Daughter of Syrophonecian woman
Demoniac
Made whole instantly
No faith of daughter, but of mother
Many near Galilee
Lame, blind dumb, maimed
Healed at once
No faith indicated
Deaf and dumb man
Deaf with impediment of speech
Healed at once
No faith indicated
Blind man at Bethsaida
Blind
Saw at once
No faith indicated
Demoniac child
Lunatic, sore vexed; fell in fire and water
Cured that hour
Faith of the father, but not of child
Blind man
Blind from his birth
Saw at once
No faith required but to wash
Woman with infirmity
Bowed for 18 years
Immediately made straight
No faith required
Man with dropsy
Dropsy
Healed at once
No faith required
Lazarus
Dead
Made alive immediately
No faith possible
Ten lepers
Leprosy
Healed at once
No faith required
Two blind men
Matthew 20:29-34 Mark 10:46-52 Luke 18:35-43
Blind
Saw immediately
No faith required, but present
Servant of Malchus
Matthew 26:47-56 Mark 14:43-52 Luke 22:47-53 John 18:2-12
Ear severed
Ear replaced immediately
No faith required or indicated
Verse six plainly states the healing we receive from His stripes is the healing from sin. Sin is going astray (cf. Romans 3:10-20). Sin is spiritual, psychological, mental sickness that needs healing. Paul calls sin insanity (1 Corinthians 15:34). Sin is spiritual disorientation. Man was not spiritually created for sinit is against his spiritual nature. Spiritually, psychologically, emotionally and mentally man deteriorates when he sins. He begins to die, morally and spiritually when he begins to sin. Sin even causes some physical illnesses. Originally, of course, it caused all human illness and death as a constant reminder to man that he was not made for sin (cf. Romans 1:27men receive in their physical and psychological selves the due penalty for their sins). Jesus came and died and was raised to make us whole. Upon Him was the chastisement that allowed us to regain our innocence (our healing from sin). He takes the guilt and frees us from the deception of Satan’s lies that we may come to our right minds (1 Corinthians 15:34). We still must suffer physical illnesses and death because of Adam’s sin, but no longer do we have to suffer spiritual illness and death! Sin is soul-sickness. It fractures, incapacitates, ineverates and destroys the personhood of man. Forgiveness through Christ’s atonement heals and saves us and restores us to the wholeness for which God created us.
Isaiah 53:7-9 ACOUIESCENT GOODNESS: The Lord’s servant was utterly innocent and totally submissive. He said nothing to answer the charges of the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:63); He said nothing to answer the charges of Pilate (Matthew 27:14); He did not answer Herod’s questions (Luke 23:9). Pilate declared Him innocent; the Sanhedrin could bring no true accusation against Him (John 18:19-24). Why did Jesus not argue His case? Would it have persuaded the Jews not to crucify Him even if He had? Jesus-’ mission as a lamb to be slaughtered was unique! He was the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29)! He was the only Person ever with that mission. His death was preordained. He was the Lamb, foreordained from the foundation of the earth to be slain (cf. 1 Peter 1:20; Revelation 13:8; Acts 2:23). He willingly gave up His life, no one took it from Him (cf. John 10:17-18; John 19:11; Hebrews 10:1-10; etc.). We are not obligated to follow His acquiescent surrender to be illegally executed without reasonable defense. We cannot die for the same reason He died! We should never, of course, take the law into our own hands resisting evil. We must, if the occasion arises, suffer unjust trial and death without personally and individually using force to overthrow crooked judges. But that does not mean we cannot use peaceful, rational means to insist that justice be done. The apostle Paul insisted on correcting injustices (cf. Acts 16:35-39; Acts 25:8-12, etc.); he also wrote that Christians should appeal to their civil governments to uphold justice (Romans 13:1-7).
The Servant was cut off from life in this world (cf. our comments on Daniel 9:24-27 where the same phrase cut off is used in connection with the atoning death of the Messiah). And although there were a few plain announcements from Christ Himself that He was to die for the ransom of man’s sins (cf. John 1:29; Matthew 20:28; Matthew 26:26-29; John 14:1-31; John 16:10; John 17:11), and many Old Testament types and prophecies (Luke 24:25-49), none of His contemporaries (not even His own disciples) would accept the doctrine that the Messiah was to die as a substitutionary sacrifice for man’s sins. The O.T. has at least four plain prophecies that the Messiah will die (Isaiah 53:1-12; Daniel 9:24-27; Zechariah 12:10 to Zechariah 13:1; Psalms 22:1-31). Still, even those honest, courageous, Jewish fishermen and tax-collectors who confessed that He was the Son of the Living God, refused to accept the predictions of Jesus Himself that He was to die as a ransom (Matthew 16:21-23; Matthew 26:30-35; Mark 8:31-33; Mark 14:26-31; Luke 9:43-45; Luke 24:13 ff; John 12:27-36 [the crowd said, We have heard from the law that the Christ remains foreverdoes not die]; John 8:32-36). Isaiah graphically foretells that the Messiah would be slain as if He were a wicked persona criminaland yet, paradoxically, He would be buried in a rich man’s grave. History records the exact fulfillment of this! Jesus was sentenced as a blasphemer by the Jews, a seditionist by the Romans and executed on a criminal’s cross between two thieves. But He was buried in the rock-hewn tomb of the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea.
It is rather astounding that not one of Jesus-’ own generation comprehended that He was to die an atoning death. Especially since a few of them confessed that He was who He claimed to be, The Son of the Living God. The prophet, overwhelmed by the importance of the substitutionary atonement involved, falls back once more upon it as the only explanation of an outcome so strange. It was the Messiah’s own people who had all the revelations of it in their Law and Prophets, and yet they are the ones who, at first totally rejected it; and ever since only a very small minority of Jews will accept it.
QUIZ
Why did the Jews esteem Jesus as smitten of God?
Why do we say that the real suffering of the Messiah was spiritual?
Do verses four-five indicate Jesus-’ atoning death also provided physical healing to all believers? Why not?
How is sin sickness?
Are we to follow Christ’s example of acquiescing to death if illegally prosecuted and sentenced? Give examples.
How plainly does the O.T. and Christ Himself predict His atoning death?
Isaiah 53:10-12
c. SUCCEEDS
TEXT: Isaiah 53:10-12
10
Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand.
11
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.
12
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
QUERIES
a.
Why did it please Jehovah to bruise Christ?
b.
How would the Servant be satisfied with His travail?
c.
What portion did the Servant receive?
PARAPHRASE
Although it was God’s purpose for the good of man to allow His Servant to be pierced to death and to suffer, when the Servant’s death has become expiation for sin, then He will produce a multitude of spiritual descendants. He will then live forever and God’s purpose for the good of man will have succeeded because of Him. And when He sees that God’s plan has succeeded, He will rejoice with satisfaction. And because He knows and fulfills perfectly Jehovah’s plan of salvation, He shall be able to impart righteousness and justification to many people through His atoning sacrifice. On account of His absolute victory over sin and death, He will be rewarded with a glory commensurate with His victory! He will be the greatest among the great. He is the greatest of all because He was servant of all pouring out His life unto death, allowing Himself, though He was sinless, to be made sin for others, putting His sinless innocence down as an offering on behalf of evil and wicked mankind.
COMMENTS
Isaiah 53:10 PERPETUITY: The Hebrew word khaphetz means, delighted or desired and indicates that the death of the Messiah involved more than a sterile, unfeeling, deterministic plan of an unfeeling God. It is incomprehensible to the finite mind of sinful man how God could delight in the death of His Son, but He did. The Hebrew word translated bruise is heheliy and means to make painful. The Isaiah Scroll from Qumran has the word vyhllhv which means that he might pierce him (see comments on Isaiah 53:5).
These verses are some of the strongest of the Old Testament on the resurrection or immortality of the Servant-Messiah. The Servant dies, but He also lives on, succeeds and carries out the work of atonement, redemption, justification, sanctification and intercession that the Father has entrusted to Him, just as it was predicted He would do (Luke 24:25 ff). Other O.T. prophecies of the resurrection of the Messiah:
Acts 13:34 (The enduring throne promised to David’s Messiah-Son presupposed victory over death.)
Genesis 22 (Abraham and Isaac; Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham, on Mt. Moriah, participated in a dramatic typical event portraying Calvary and the Empty Tomb. Perhaps Jesus was alluding to this when He said, Abraham rejoiced to see my day. and was glad. John 8:56
Psalms 118:22 (The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner).
There is no doubt that Isaiah 53 is Messianic and that it is predicting His atoning death and resurrection. Philip, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, interpreted it thusly, Acts 8:26-40.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is a well established fact of history:
Proof of the Resurrection of Christ:
The historical records, by competent, credible, honest, numerous eyewitnesses say the tomb was empty. There is no historical testimony or evidence to the contrary. The only explanation is Matthew 28:11-15, soldiers were paid to say His disciples stole the body while the soldiers were asleep. How absurdly incredible!
Credible, competent, honest eyewitnesses testify they saw Jesus after his death, alive, talking to them, eating fish with them, even saw the nail prints in His hands.
The conversion of the enemies of Christianity can only be accounted for by the historical factuality of the resurrection of Christ (Saul of Tarsus; great company of the priests; even some of Caesar’s own household).
The Catacombs of Rome depict the resurrection of Jesus and testify to the belief in it by first century saints.
The existence of the church and its ordinances testifies to the resurrection. The fact of the New Testament itself is inexplicable apart from it.
It is not a question of could the resurrection occur or not. It is a question of did it occur or notnot a philosophical question, but a historical, scientific question!
Merrill C. Tenney says, The event is fixed in history, the dynamic is potent for eternity. Unbelievers say Christ was not raised from the deadI say prove it! All the reliable evidence we have says He was!
The church began in the city where Jesus-’ burial was known, among those who could have refuted the testimony of Peter (Acts 2) and proved it false. All they would have to have done was produce the body of Jesus! But 3000 testify that He had arisen and Peter was telling the truth.
There are Imperatives to the Resurrection.
There is power in it. The power of Christianity is not in the esthetic value of great cathedrals, somber ritual and tradition, nor emotionalism but in the historical fact of the resurrection of Christ.
a.
Gives hope that is living (1 Peter 1:3)
b.
Brings joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 John 1:1-4)
c.
Sanctifies and purifies (1 John 3:3; Acts 17:32)
d.
Gives power to evangelism (Acts 4:33)
e.
Gives stedfastness (1 Corinthians 15:58)
There is only one alternative to the resurrection. That is a life of eating, drinking, for tomorrow we die (1 Corinthians 15:12-19; 1 Corinthians 15:32).
But, if Christ is raised from the dead, and we shall be also, then:
a.
The Bible is God’s Word!
b.
Heaven and Hell are real places!
c.
Man will live forever, one place or the other!
d.
A man’s sins may really be forgiven!
e.
The plan of salvation in the N.T. is the only valid one!
f.
Christ is coming again!
g.
There is only one church, the universal body of Christ which consists of all who believe in Christ, are repenting of their sins and have been immersed in water in obedience to His command!
h.
No one will be saved who is not a member of that church!
The resurrection of Christ makes all the above imperative! There is no middle ground on any of that because His resurrection establishes beyond any question His deity and His authority!
The Servant shall produce seed or descendants. He shall have a family, but it will be a spiritual family (cf. Romans 9:8; Galatians 3:15-20; Galatians 3:23-29). So, it is in being lifted up He will draw men unto Him (cf. John 3:14-15; John 8:28; John 12:32). He shall fall into the ground like a grain of wheat and die, and then bear much fruit (John 12:23-26). And the khephetz (delight) of Jehovah shall succeed through His efforts. The delight of Jehovah is, of course, His eternal plan for the redemption of man! What wonder, what unsearchable grace, that Jehovah’s delight should be the salvation and regeneration of a planet full of wicked rebels. But more wonderful, His Son should come to this planet in the form of a man and willingly submit to humiliating death allowing Himself, though absolutely innocent, to become sin on man’s behalf!
Isaiah 53:11 PLEASURE: The Servant will have travail of. soul (cf. Isaiah 49:4 ff). But He will be satisfied. For the joyous reward that was set before Him, He could endure the cross (cf. Hebrews 12:2). He will look back from His enthronement at the right hand of the Father and see that He has succeeded in accomplishing the once-for-all-time redemption and regeneration of the Father’s creation (man and cosmos). As Young points out, the suffix on the Hebrew word beda-’etto is difficult of interpretation. Is the suffix subjective or objectivethat is, is Isaiah speaking of the knowledge that the servant himself possesses or of knowledge of the servant on the part of others? We think the context is emphasizing the successfulness of the Servant Himself and that it is through His own incarnation (human experience) that He performs His work of justification. It was through the experience of obedience as a Son that He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (cf. Hebrews 5:7-9; Philippians 2:5-11). The righteous servant (tzaddiyk -aveddiy) will make many righteous (yatzeddiyk). He makes it possible for us to become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). This was the grace that was to be ours which the prophets prophesied (cf. 1 Peter 1:10-12). He bore our iniquities and became a curse for us (cf. Galatians 3:13).
Isaiah 53:12 PORTION: On account of the Servant’s victory over sin, Satan and death, Jehovah will exalt Him above every other man. The exaltation of the Servant of Jehovah is clearly predicted by the prophet earlier (Isaiah 49:7; Isaiah 52:15). When the Servant made purification for sins, he was enthroned at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3-4). When He ascended, He took captivity captive (Ephesians 4:8) and dispensed His gifts according to His will and purpose for the ongoing of the kingdom of God here on earth. The Servant whom the Jews crucified, God made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The reason for this exaltation is summarized in the statement, because he poured out his soul unto death. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing (Revelation 5:12).
A whole volume could justifiably be written on this chapter alone. Perhaps the most intriguing question about Isaiah 53 is: If the New Testament is so clear about its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, why do the majority of Jews not see and understand it? A few references to The Servant of Jehovah in Jewish literature, both ancient and modern, may provide a partial answer to this question:
Jewish Apocrypha and The Suffering Servant concept:
The apocalyptic literature of the Jewish Apocrypha are such books as I Enoch, The Sibylline Oracles, The Testaments of the XII Patriarchs, the Psalms of Solomon, II Esdras, II Baruch and others. They were written in the years 165 B.C.100 A.D. In a book entitled, The Method and Message of Jewish Apocalyptic, by D. S. Russell, pub. Westminster, we learn, There is no serious evidence of the bringing together of the concepts of the Suffering Servant and the Davidic Messiah before the Christian era. Mr. Russell continues, The Targum (Jewish Targums are rabbinical interpretations of the O.T.) on Isaiah 53 has often been alluded to, but it cannot be the Suffering Servant Isaiah predicted. The Messiah presented in this Targum is one who will triumph over the heathen and all the enemies of God’s people! The suffering he has to endure is minimal and devoid of all vicariousness. In fact, it is hardly suffering at all, for it consists simply in the exposure of himself to those dangers he will have to face in the coming struggle with the heathen before his final victory is assured. There is no mention of an atoning deathno reference to a suffering and dying Messiah.
II Esdras and II Baruch (cir. 90 A.D.) use the word servant to describe the Messiah from the seed of David. However, there is no suggestion of a suffering Messiah, or an atoning death. He is not killed by enemies or diseasehe simply ceases to exist. The reference to his death is with the same casualness as any human death. He establishes his kingdom, dies, and presumably will rise with other humans at the general resurrection of the people of God.
Modern Jews:
A Jewish woman doctor, recounting her conversion to Christ in a book called Pursued:
While recuperating from illness she began reading a Bible. She read Isaiah 53. She was forced to acknowledge it must be talking about the Messiah. But then she said she refused to accept the consequences of that passage for her Messiah. Suddenly she realized that she was reading from the KJV, A Protestant Bible! Of course, it was slanted to sound that way. I went to sleep that night, confident I had caught the gentiles at a not-too-clever trick.
But then she read it in a Jewish Bible and it was basically the same message!
Chapter s 52-53 (of Isaiah) and other Chapter s contain the prophecies concerning the -suffering servant-’ which the Christian church later interpreted as referring to Jesus, but which, in Jewish tradition, refer to the people of Israel, pg. 151 from, The International Jewish Encyclopedia, by Rabbi ben Isaacson and Deborah Wigoder, compiled and produced in Israel for Prentice-Hall.
History of the Jew, by Heindrich Graetz, pub. The Jewish Pub. Soc. of America, 1893, in chapter entitled Messianic Expectations and Origins of Christianity, indicates the idea of a suffering Messiah was completely foreign to Jewish thinking.
It is not difficult now to understand the rebuke Peter had for Jesus (Matthew 16:22) when Jesus predicted His death!
Non-Messianic Interpretations:
a.
Most prevalent among Jewish writers is that Isaiah 53 means the nation of Israel. Some say empirical Israel; some say ideal Israel; some say the pious remnant of the true Israel.
b.
Isaiah 53 means the prophetical orderi.e. the collective body of the prophets. as the sacrificial victim taking upon itself the sins of the people.
c.
Isaiah 53 means an individual (Hezekiah, Isaiah, Josiah, but most frequently, Jeremiah), but a human individual. Some said, an unknown sufferer (sounds like the apostles first answer to Jesus at Cesarea Philippi, Matthew 16).
Aaron Kligerman, in his book, Old Testament Messianic Prophecy, pub. Zondervan, paperback, thinks there were some Jewish interpretations which believed the Suffering Servant was to be the Messiah. He refers to Yalkut and Rambam which are Talmudic and Midrashic literature of the days of Maimonides (cir. 1135-1204 A.D.). These are so obscure, however, they are not worth considering as having direct reference to the Messiah as an individual. They could be understood in any of the categories listed above. Furthermore, they are of such late date they are probably concessions to Christian interpretations of Isaiah 53.
Jews are not alone in disavowing the biblical doctrine of the substitutionary atonement. Bishop G. Bromley Oxnam, former head of the World Council of Churches says in his book, A Testament of the Faith, pg. 144, Boston, 1958;
We hear much of the substitutionary theory of the atonement. This theory to me is immoral. If Jesus paid it all, or if He is the substitute for me, or if He is the sacrifice for all the sin of the world, then why discuss forgiveness? The books are closed. Another has paid the debt, borne the penalty. I owe nothing. I am absolved. I cannot see forgiveness as predicted upon the act of some one else. It is my sin. I must atone.
It is not trite to repeat that Philip, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, applied Isaiah 53 to the atoning death and justifying resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is difficult to see how one may claim to be a disciple of Jesus and contradict this doctrine!
QUIZ
How do these verses teach the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Is the resurrection of Christ historically valid?
What knowledge of Himself was involved in the Servant’s justifying work?
Why do you think the Jews will not accept Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of Isaiah 53?