Isaiah 53:10-12
Alternative devotions for Monday 28th December
Review
These powerful three verses conclude this amazing chapter of Isaiah, they are only a short section of the prophecy, but they contribute a great deal to its theme. Towards the end of yesterday’s passage, we learn that the Servant was to suffer the penalty of death, but in these three verses we discover that God intends this death to be redemptive. Unbelievably, all this is indeed God’s will (53:10), and the Servant’s death will bring about the righteousness of ‘many’ (53:11). For this reason, and because the Servant has done this great work for many people, He will have a high place in heaven (53:12).
All this is highly emotional. For the Jewish people who first heard this, much would have seemed incomprehensible. However, they would have perceived that this was a parable of how the Lord brings good out of suffering, and this in itself would have helped them come to terms with the terrible experience of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Exile in Babylon. Yet these words spoke of a time yet to come when God’s Servant would come, a ‘Messiah’ who would bring a more complete redemption.
When the Messiah did indeed come, He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies; but unfortunately, the people of Israel did not recognise Him because they had become comfortable and self reliant. It was only after Jesus died that people were able to look back and perceive that He had indeed been misunderstood and yet loved those who insulted Him, to the point that He was eventually bound, tried, and killed on a Cross; just for doing God’s will. Any Christian in the early years of the church who read these words ‘He was despised, rejected by men ... He bore the punishment that brought us peace ... led like a lamb for slaughter ... He poured out His soul to death ... and bore the sins of many’ (53:3,4,7,12) knew that this described what Jesus had done. Salvation had been won through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet we are still faced with the question of why God allowed His servant to suffer and die; for this is what the whole of chapter 53 says, especially here. ‘He poured out His soul even to death’ (53:12) is no opaque prophesy; the Servant will die for the ‘sake of the sins of many’ (53:12). If we try to understand this by abstract Western philosophy, we will fail. We must appreciate the simple ancient theory of sacrifice, in which one life is lost but gives life to others. It seems odd to us, but we only have to look at the origins of most of the food we eat (being dead vegetable or animal products), to realise that the ancients did indeed have a point about life and death. To them it was simple, the greater the sacrifice, the greater the power; and what greater sacrifice than God’s own Son. Only this could offer salvation.
The whole of chapter 53 is a paradox, because much of this is alluded to but not spelt out. However, if we imagine Isaiah seeing this in a vision, then we might understand that he could only reveal and write down what he could see and comprehend at the time; it is not a theological treatise. Today, we read all of Isaiah 53 knowing that the suffering of the Servant is suffering to death, and this is deeply emotional. In death, the Servant specifically identifies with those who rebel against God, whether they are the people of Israel or the people of the world. In this way, the Servant dealt with the awful sin and rebellion by which his own people had rejected their God for centuries. However, Isaiah also knew that he prophesied about something far more. Out of the experience of the Exile, God had shown Him a vision of the divine answer to the problem of human sin in general (6:9-13). It must have moved Him deeply.
10 Yet the Lord intended
to crush Him and make Him suffer.
For if His soul becomes a sin offering,
He will see His descendants,
and will prolong His days:
moreover, the Lord’s intentions
will prosper in His hand.
11 After the suffering of His soul,
He will see light and be satisfied;
By this fact my righteous Servant
will make many righteous,
and He will bear the weight of their sins.
12 So I will give Him a share of many things,
He will receive the greater portion of the spoil;
because He poured out His soul even to death,
He was numbered with the rebels;
He, Himself, bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the rebels.
© All text and pictures on this page copyright Paul H Ashby 2009 - all rights reserved
Lord God, You have given us the priceless gift of Your Son Jesus Christ, and through Him, You have shown us Your character of love, forgiveness, kindness, and peace. Our world thinks little of these qualities, but the baby from Bethlehem shows that they are the most precious of gifts. Thank You Lord God, for revealing them to us in Your infant son. AMEN
O Lord my God, take my life;
And make it useful in Your Kingdom.
Take what I think is wonderful,
And reveal its worth by Your bright light.
Take what I think is useless,
And transform it into what is valuable.
Take my gifts and graces,
And apply them to Your greater purposes.
Take my sins and transgressions,
And exercise Your judgement over them.
Take all I seek to do with my time,
And redeem it by Your glorious presence.
Take all I fail to do each day
And encourage me to trust in Your wisdom.
O Lord my God, take my life;
And by Your Holy Spirit, make me anew.
Prayer ideas
Pray for the people to whom you have given gifts or presents this Christmas time
On-going prayers
- Pray for major industrial nations Pray today for Saudi Arabia, and other nearby Arab countries that have economies driven by oil.
- Pray for those who are homeless this Christmas time
- Pray for Christians celebrating Christmas in Muslim lands
