III. THE VICARIOUS SUFFERING OF THE SAVIOR (52:1-53:12)
A. The Past Care Of The Lord Is Assurance For The Future (52:1-12) - The thoughts of these 12 verses rightly bbelong with chapter 51.
1. Jerusalem is exhorted to awake and put on beautiful garments (52:1-6)
(1) Once again the prophet uses the double imperative, Awake, Awake! The time has come for Zion to arise from her self-inflicted drunkenness and take up her rightful place as queen. She should clothe herself with garments befitting her station, such as a robe that represents either her redeemed children (Isa. 49:18) or her own salvation and righteousness (Isa. 61:10). For Zion to be clothed in this way, the people must first clothe themselves in the beauty of holiness. Jehovah will return to the Holy city when it is properly cleansed. Physical Jerusalem never attained this state of purity even after the return from Babylon. Other prophetic utterances point to spiritual Zion as the subject of this verse ((Ezek. 44:9; Joel 3:17; Zech. 9:8-10). Everyone who enters the spiritual city of God will be circumcised with the circumcision not made with hands (Col. 2:11; Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 6:15). No one else will be admitted.
(2) The prophet now contrasts the status of the two cities, spiritual Jerusalem and physical Babylon. The latter will come down and sit in the dust, while the former will shake off the dust, sit on the throne, and loosen its bonds of captivity. Babylon will be reduced from worldly glory to humility and shame, while Zion will be exalted from shame to divine glory.
(3) Jehovah's people had been taken from Him without a price being paid, therefore He had the right to take them back without payment. Neither Jehovah nor Judah were in Babylon's debt, because Judah's sins were against Jehovah and had nothing to do with Babylon.
(4) Israel had gone down to Egypt as guests but later were made slaves (Gen. 45:16-20; 47:5,6). Assyria had no reason to oppress Israel, yet she was used as an instrument of God's judgment (Isa. 10:5-10) because of her lust of conquest. Jehovah was within His rights to deliver from both of these nations whomever He chose.
(5) By the same reasoning Babylon holds no claim to her captives or the booty gained by the invasion of Judah (Hab. 1:5-11). There is no reason that Jehovah should not deliver His people from captivity. Their sins had brought Israel to Babylon, but it was Babylon's blasphemy that led to Israel's release (Ezek. 36:20,23; Rom. 2:24).
(6) Eventually the Lord's name would become known world-wide. This would occur when Zion was redeemed and clothed in salvation and righteousness. His might, power, wrath, fury, righteousness, justice, love, mercy, fatherhood, and providence will all become known in that day. His people will know that He has spoken and He has kept His word.
2. The day of deliverance is heralded (52:7-12)
(7) Isaiah looks into the future and sees God's promises fulfilled. The feet actually symbolize the messenger (Nah. 1:15). The messenger is seen upon the mountains of the whole world. He proclaims peace between God and His people through redemption. His message contains words of moral good and moral blessing. He brings a message of salvation. While the message contains words concerning the deliverance of the exiles, it is not limited to that event only. Paul applies this same verse to the apostles of the Christian age thereby showing its universal application (Rom. 10:15).
(8) The vision continues with watchmen waiting upon the messenger. These watchmen are entrusted with guarding the city and keeping the people informed. Upon seeing the messenger approaching they burst forth in singing praises to God their Redeemer. These things they will observe closely - eye to eye.
(9) The Lord has fulfilled His promise to restore and raise up the waste places (Isa. 44:26; 51:3); therefore rejoice!
(10) Jehovah responds to the cry of (Isa. 51:9) by baring his holy arm. He has figuratively "rolled up His sleeves" and gone about His work with diligence. His deliverance of physical Zion through Cyrus foreshadows their spiritual deliverance through the Servant. Does all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God mean: 1, everyone in the world has heard of the salvation of the exiles, or 2, they themselves have shared in that salvation? While (1) is the probable meaning let us not rule out (2) completely as that was God's ultimate plan.
(11) Many changes would take place in the 50 to 70 years that Judah was in exile. The people were hesitant to leave and had to be coerced by the prophet's words. Here we see a difference between the Egyptian return and the Babylonian one: the people were to take nothing from the Babylonians as they departed, while they despoiled the Egyptians (Ex. 3:22; 11:2,3; 12:35,36). Isaiah now addresses the priests and Levites: cleanse yourselves, you that bear the vessels of Jehovah. The prophet knew through inspiration that the vessels of the temple taken by Nebuchadnezzar, would be returned by Cyrus (Ezra 1:5-11). The spiritual side of this call to depart extends to the saints in the time of Paul and John (2 Cor. 6:17; Rev. 18:4).
(12) A second difference between the two returns is seen in the fact that they were to depart with haste from Egypt, while their departure from Babylon was to be deliberate. The Pharaoh issued orders for the people to be pursued, while Cyrus issued orders to send them home. Jehovah will watch both the front and the rear of the returning column, surrounding the exiles with His presence and alleviating the need for haste.
Victory Through Vicarious Sufferings (1)
B. The Servant Will Be Wounded For The Transgressors (52:13-53:12) - This is the fourth of the so-called Servaant's Songs and in it Isaiah reaches the pinnacle of his prophecy. The third song (Isa. 50:4-11) pointed out that the Servant would suffer but did not explain why. The Servant will conquer as a sufferer, not a warrior. He will emerge in triumph from His suffering and shame. This song does not include the voice of the Servant, but He is the central figure of both the prophet and Jehovah. The passage deals with the whole of time: past, present, and future. Note the various features of the Servant's character, life, and mission: His exaltation, His acquaintance with grief, His ill treatment and vicarious sufferings, His total submission to the will of His Father, and His victory and reward. On these hang the whole of New Testament preaching and the salvation of all mankind (Hailey).
1. The Servant's destiny (52:13-15) - In these concluding verses of chapter 52 the theme of chapter 53 is presented in reverse order: exaltation followed by suffering.
(13) The Servant will act with divine insight which in turn will affect the desired results. By using the three similar terms (exalted, lifted up, and very high ) the prophet shows a progression indicating the beginning, the continuation, and the climax of His exaltation. The climax was reached when Christ was raised from the dead and set at the right hand of God (Acts 2:32,33; Phil. 2:5-11).
(14) Before He can be exalted He must suffer basely and severely. His suffering and the disfigurement it caused is emphasized. The people will be repelled by what they see, this is not how they envisioned their deliverer. This passage and the one to follow do not deal with the Servant's facial features or stature, but instead His humiliation, suffering, and shame.
(15) People, nations and kings will be astonished, startled and speechless in the presence of the Servant. [TOP OF THIS PAGE]
2. His career (53:1-3)
(1) Who are the proclaimers of this message? According to John (Jn. 12:37-41) and Paul (Rom. 10:16-21) the message is from God through Isaiah, Jesus, and the apostles. The arm of Jehovah represents His power. This is His power to bring salvation to all that believe the message.
(2) Here Jehovah switches to the past tense to show the certainty of the prophecy. It is as if it has already been accomplished. The Servant's growth will be tended by Jehovah. The dry ground is caused by the long neglect suffered by the household of David. Judah would be a political, spiritual, and moral wasteland when the Servant arrived. In this wasteland the Servant would flourish in spite of the circumstances. He will not be an imposing physical specimen, only a carpenter's son from Galilee. His mistreatment at His trial and crucifixion will make Him a repulsive sight.
(3) By the standards of the world He would be nothing; he would be despised. He would be held in contempt (Gen. 25:34). He would be well aware of the spiritual sickness and grief perpetrated among His Father's people. He would take all of this sin and grief upon His own shoulders. Man would not see Him for what He really was, the only true conduit to God the Father.
3. His suffering (53:4-6)
(4) The sicknesses and mental anguish born by the Servant are ours, not His. Yet, because of His suffering, people would think that He was suffering for His own sins. Physical diseases came to this earth through the work of Satan and man's violation of God's laws. But more is involved in the healing work of the Servant than just physical maladies. His healing work must include our spiritual sickness as well (1 Pet. 2:24; Heb. 9:28). The only way the Servant was smitten of God was because God allowed Him to suffer and offered Him up as a sacrifice for man's sins.
(5) This verse suggests His impending crucifixion. Many commentators feel the word pierced (instead of wounded ) would more accurately reflect what is said elsewhere (Ps. 22:16; Jn. 19:34, 37; Zech. 12:10). Our transgressions include our rebellion against God's authority, which caused our separation from Him in the first place. Becoming sin on our behalf caused the Servant to be bruised (or crushed). He took our punishment in our place. This punishment would include eternal separation from God if man was left to bear it himself (2 Thess. 1:9). Jesus was able to bear this punishment without taking up eternity to do it because of His sinless nature (Ps. 22:1; Mt. 27:46; Eph. 2:14-18; 1 Pet. 2:21-25).
(6) All of mankind have strayed from the path of righteousness. In addition to straying as a race of beings, each of us has individually turned from God as well. Iniquity involves rejecting God's ways for man's ways. Each of us is responsible for our own conduct, whether right or wrong.
4. His submission (53:7-9)
(7) This section looks ahead to the Servant's suffering, death, and burial. He was subjected to horrible treatment, yet He suffered it quietly (Mt. 27:1-14; Lk. 23:9).
(8) This verse foreshadows the unfair treatment of the Servant at His trials. His trials were a mockery of justice and from them He was carried away to His death. Pilate would find no crime in Him worthy of death (Jn. 18:38; 19:4, 6), but would deliver Him to His death anyway (Jn 19:16). The nature of His death was violent and few, if any, that witnessed it were aware of its significance at the time.
(9) Because of the manner of His death He would be appointed a criminal's grave by either the Romans or the Jews, but in spite of their customs, he would be buried in the tomb of a rich man (Mt. 27:57-60). Because His life was lived sinlessly, His speech was always pure, and His Divine mission was accomplished, His Father providentially provided Him with the burial He deserved.
5. His reward (53:10-12)
(10) Jehovah was pleased in the fact that Jesus would provide the world with a sacrifice capable of redeeming mankind. The suffering and crucifixion was not an accident or detour in God's plan, but part of His eternal plan (Acts 2:23). All offerings and man-made sacrifices under God's previous systems pointed to the messiah as their culmination (Heb. 9:13,14; 10:10). Three things result from His sacrifice: 1, He will see spiritual Israel reborn (Rom. 2:28,29; Gal. 6:15,16; Phil. 3:3); 2, He will be resurrected and extend His days into infinity (Rev. 1:17-18); 3, He will hold the book of God's plan for the redemption of man (Rev. 5:4-7).
(11) Both Jehovah and the Servant will be satisfied with the results of the Servant's earth-life. The sinner will be justified by his knowledge of the Servant (Isa. 54:13; Jn. 6:44,45; Rom. 10:17). To have our sins born by the Servant, we must come to know Him.
(12) The Servant's conquest over sin and death is also a victory
over the Devil. Satan will not conquer the whole world, but must
divide the spoils with the Servant (see all of these: Lk. 11:21,22,
Mt. 12:29; Jn. 12:31; 14:10; Heb. 2:14,15). The Servant's soul
was poured out deliberately, not by accident, so that He could
make intercession for the transgressors (Lk. 23:34; Heb.
7:25). [TOP OF THIS CHAPTER][TOP OF THIS PAGE]