RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-06-15	Who Is The Suffering Servant? (Is.53)
		Isa 53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? Isa 53:2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isa 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Isa 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. The Bible is the only book in the world made up of two distinct volumes. One that predicts what will happen (OT), and the other records that it happened (NT). Probably the most famous Messianic prophecy in the Old Testament concerns the coming of a Jewish Messiah. This of course refers to Isaiah, and particularly chapter 53. This chapter is quoted in the New Testament by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, and Paul. Unbelieving Israel considered the Suffering Servant (Is. 42, 49, 50, 53) to be Israel herself. The “He” in context is the Suffering Servant. To their way of thinking they “suffered for the Lord.” But really, they were in unbelief. Their logic reads Isaiah 52:15 as words of a gentile king who did not realize Israel is the Godly servant of the Lord. Isa 52:15 So shall He sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; For what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider. There are several contradictions if the Suffering Servant is simply Israel. 1. If Israel was godly, they would not be suffering as they were (Le.26, Blessing and Cursing) 2. If Israel was righteous her enemies would fall by the sword (Le.26:7). 3. When Israel suffered at the hands of the nations, it did not bring healing (forgiveness) to the nations, but the Servant will (Is.52:15; 53:5). As Christians we understand the motivation of unbelieving Israel to not apply this to Jesus. But the argument that THEY are the Suffering Servant is denying reality and at best self-serving. It gives them the ability to take their unbelief and by delusion make them look good to the eyes of those around them. The servant will be God (Is.52:13 compared with Is.6:1) Isa 52:13 Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. The words “exalted” [rûm] and “extolled” [nâsâh] are the exact same Hebrew terms used to describe the holy Lord God sitting on His throne (Is.6:1). Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high [rûm] and lifted up [nâsâh], and the train of His robe filled the temple. Though there are many predictions from this text directly fulfilled by Jesus 700 years later, allow me to give just a few. 1. He will heal many (Is.53:4-5); Jesus healed many (Mt.8:16-17) 2. He will come from humble beginnings (Is.53:2); He grew up in poor Nazareth (Mt.2:23). 3. He will be rejected by many (Is.53:1,3); On the cross He was mocked (Mt.27:39-44). 4. He will bear our sins and suffer in our place (Is.53:4-6,11); He bore our sins in His body (1Pe.2:24). 5. He remained silent during His suffering (Is.53:7); Jesus did not defend Himself (Mt.26:62-64). 6. He will die (Is.53:8,12); Jesus died on the cross (Mk.15:37). 7. He will be buried with a rich man (Is.53:9); Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Mt.27:57-60). 8. He will not remain dead but see His seed (Is.53:10-11); Jesus rose 3 days later and lives today with spiritual seed (Mt.28:1-10). There will be a future for national Israel (Je.31; Ek.36; Ro.11; Zc.12, etc.). So, Isaiah (740-680BC) prophesied of Jesus' death (32AD), but also provides the actual words national Israel will speak as they accept Jesus as their Messiah. Re-read Isaiah 53 to see the actual words that will be spoken by Israel in the future when they come to faith. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

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