Chs. 52 & 53

52:13-15

53:1-3

53:4-6

53:7-9

53:10-12

Recap

A. Find Out:

1. What will happen to the servant? v.13

2. Yet how will many feel about him? v.14a

3. Why? v.14b,c

4. Yet what will he do? v.15a

5. How will leaders respond? v.15b

6. Why? v.15c,d

B. Think:

1. What is being said that is good about the servant's activity?

2. Yet what about it is disturbing?

3. How do you think that applied to Jesus?

C. Comment:

     We come to the “fourth servant song”, the greatest of them. The fact that the Lord has been speaking about his salvation suggests that the servant will be the one bringing it, as this passage follows straight on.

     The servant will act wisely or prosper, or do well, is how the prophecy begins. That is encouraging. Presumably because of that he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Again, at first sight, all very encouraging. Then come disturbing words: many will be appalled at the sight of him and his body will be disfigured and marred. What is this?

    The original readers must have been totally confused at this point. How can he be lifted up and exalted on one hand and disfigured on the other? From our position in history of course, we can see how this perfectly applied to Jesus who was lifted up on the Cross with a beaten and bruised body that was further broken by the process of the crucifixion, this Jesus who rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is now exalted at his Father's right hand.

     This, and this alone, is how God's salvation comes to all believers across the world, Jew and Gentile. Through this work will sinners be cleansed, through this work, as the Spirit of God reveals it, so will even the mouths of great leaders be stopped as they seem to understand and marvel at the incredible love of God exhibited in this way.

D. Application:

1. The Cross is the critical summit of God's plans. Receive it.

2. Salvation flows from the Cross alone. Rejoice in it!

Chapter: Isaiah 53

Passage: Isaiah 53:1-3

A. Find Out:

1. What 2 questions are asked first? v.1

2. What 2 things are we told about his growth? v.2a,b

3. What are we told about his appearance? v.2c,d

4. How did people respond to him? v.3a

5. How was he further described? v.2b

6. Again, how did people respond to him? v.2c,d

B. Think:

1. What do you think the ANSWERS to the questions in v.1 are?

2. What does the picture at the beginning of v.2 convey?

3. What do the rest of the verses tell us about him?

C. Comment:

       The servant song continues. The answers to verse one are “No one” and “Israel” and the implication is that of all people Israel should have know, should have understood the servant – but didn't!

     The descriptions of the servant start with his early days. The picture is of him growing in a dry (spiritually) environment. Israel at the time of Jesus was very needy. Yet he is described as a “tender” shoot, implying that he did not reflect the dryness in his nature but was alive, gentle and humble in his spirit. A modern parallel might be to say he was like a first snowdrop in winter.

      But then the description indicates that outwardly there was nothing special about him. Men are attracted to handsome super-heroes but Jesus wasn't like that. Outward looks shouldn't be the things that attract us. Thus many wrote him off. Humanly he wasn't a man of presence. The end result was that he was despised and rejected, especially by the spiritual leaders and rulers of the day. The Jewish leaders specifically rejected Jesus and the Gentile rulers couldn't be bothered to help him. Thus he was rejected and died on a Cross in shame. This was the way of the servant, perfectly fulfilled in Jesus. What was on the inside was beautiful while the outside was ordinary. And mankind looked on the outside and rejected him!

D. Application:

1. Look on the inside of people, not the outside. Be wise.

2. God looks on the inside (1 Sam 16:7).   Be warned.

Chapter: Isaiah 53

Passage: Isaiah 53:4-6  

A. Find Out:

1. What did the servant do? v.4a,b

2. Yet how was he perceived? v.4c,d

3. What was dome to him to take our what? v.5a,b

4. What did he bring us in return? v.5c,d

5. How are we described? v.6a,b

6. But what has God done? v.6c

B. Think:

1. How was Jesus misjudged?

2. He died to take what of ours?

3. He died to bring us what?

C. Comment:

     This most amazing of the servant songs continues to describe what can only be seen as the work of Jesus Christ. In no one else can the fulfilment of these prophetic words be seen. This is all about Jesus!

     The view of Jesus by those who should have been in the know at the time, was that his death on the Cross was right, he was taking punishment that he deserved, this was God's punishment. In reality he was taking our punishment. All the things that limit us and make us less than the godly and righteous people God designed us to be, were put on him. He took ALL of that!

     Because of the things we do where we ‘fall off the rails' (transgressions), because of our blatant wrongs (iniquities), Jesus died. In dying he took ALL of these things on himself. He was standing in for us, taking our punishment, bringing healing to our lives. Every single one of us is like a sheep that has wandered away from its shepherd, we had wandered away from God and were doing our own thing. We deserved punishment but instead Jesus took it.

     This is the staggering truth of the Gospel – we sinned and deserved punishment, but Jesus Christ came and took it for us. Instead of punishment he brought us peace and blessing. All we have to do is believe it and receive it. This is the wonder of the servant.

D. Application:

1. Jesus died to take your sin. Thank him for that.

2. Jesus came to bring us Sonship. Receive it and rejoice.

Chapter: Isaiah 53

Passage: Isaiah 53:7-9     

A. Find Out:

B. Think:

1. What do these verses tell us about the cause of the servant's death?

2. How do those things correspond with Jesus?

3. What are we told about the death? Ditto Jesus?

C. Comment:

     In verses 1-3 the prophet notes the ordinary appearance of the servant and his rejection. In verses 4 -6 he speaks of his punishment-taking role. In these verses he speaks about the actual death.

     First he speaks about the servant's submissive attitude to this death. It was all wrong but the servant remains quiet. In fact he is compared to a lamb going unknowingly to the slaughter.   Jesus of course was God's lamb (see Jn 1:29 ).

     Next he speaks about the nature of his arrest. Those who took him were oppressors and wrongly judged him. There was nothing right about the way he was taken. The way Jesus was taken by both Jewish and Roman leaders was utterly wrong!

     Finally he speaks about the nature of the death. He is lined up with the wicked; it is a death of criminals and he will die alongside criminals, just as Jesus in fact did. But then comes what seems a contradiction, because he will also be aligned with the rich. How can that be? Well of course Jesus was taken and buried in the tomb of a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea (see Mt 27:57-60).

D. Application:

1. God knows and plans the future perfectly. Rest in that knowledge.

2. Jesus died at God express planning – for you. Rejoice in that.

Chapter: Isaiah 53

Passage: Isaiah 53 :10-12

A. Find Out:

B. Think:

1. What words are there about suffering in these verses?

2. Yet what indications are there of something better afterwards?

3. What is the goal of this suffering in these verses?

C. Comment:

     These verses are incredible. Let's consider them in the order of the three questions above. First let's be quite clear about the suffering that is spoken about at every turn. In verse 10 – crush, suffer. In verse 11 – suffering of his soul. In verse 12 – poured out his life. Yes it is quite clear that part of the plan for the servant is death! Purposeful death!

     Next, see the hints of something following that death. Verse 10 – he will see the fruit of his work, and his days will be long and he will prosper. Verse 11 – after the suffering he will see life. In retrospect we can clearly see this all referring to the death and resurrection of Jesus, but for those at the time this must have appeared confusing.

     Finally the reason for all this. Verse 10 – to make his life a guilt offering. Verse 11 – to justify many and bear their iniquities. Verse 12 – bore the sin of many. The purpose of all this is to carry the sin of the world!

D. Application:

1. Praise God for the wonder of His plan fulfilled through Jesus.

2. Thank Him that you are part of that plan today.

RECAP - "The Suffering Servant" - Isaiah Chapter 52 & 53

SUMMARY :  

In this fourth group of 5 studies we have seen :

    - the servant will be exalted (v.13)

    - yet he will be disfigured (v.14)

    - he was ordinary and actually despised (v.1-3)

    - he took our transgressions & iniquities (v.4-6)

    - he took the injustice silently (v.7)

    - he was unjustly taken and put to death (v,.8,9)

    - it was all for God's purpose, a guilt offering (v.10)

    - and he will justify many (v.11)

    - and achieve greatness through weakness (v.12)

 

COMMENT :

     Nowhere else in Scripture is there such a devastating description of Jesus' work on the Cross as in the verses we have been looking at, and all the most astonishing in that it was spoken possibly 700 years before Christ actually came! For the ‘scholars' of that time it must have been absolutely confusing – one who is exalted yet despised, one who seems to go through the most terrible of experiences, such unjust experiences, yet one who will silence kings! This is our Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Redeemer of the World. Worship him!

LESSONS?

1. Transgressions are our careless falling away. We're still guilty.

2. Iniquities are our purposeful wrong. We are definitely guilty.

3. Jesus came to bear our sin, our guilt and our punishment.

4. Jesus was guiltless, but nevertheless did all this.

5. The result is that we are justified in God's sight.

PRAY :

     Thank the Lord for the wonder of this salvation that is spelled out so vividly in these verses. Read them again and then pray.

PART 5 : "The heritage of the servants of the Lord"

     In this final Part we will see further comforting words that come from the Lord, apparently to Israel, possibly to the wider people of God throughout the world. The Lord's intent for His people is good!