Isaiah 53
For many years Isaiah had told the people of Israel of a Holy Servant to be sent by God, to do for them and to obey God; but few believed.
Isaiah asked,
“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”
This Servant would come in weakness, so few saw in Him the strength, or “arm” of the Lord. But He would be dear to God “as a tender plant”; the world would not help Him; He would be “as a root out of a dry ground”; He would take no high place, and display no outward glory; His “beauty” would be a life without sin.
It was shown to Isaiah what people would do to this perfect Servant, as though the things were already done, he wrote:
“He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from Him; He was despised and we esteemed Him not.”
But think what this One had done for them:
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities ... with his stripes we are healed.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquy (sins) of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shears is dumb so He openeth not His mouth.”
This Holy Servant would take the punishment from God for their sins.
Are we also “like sheep”, wanting to go “our own way”: have we not many sins also and cannot bear the punishment of them? Yes, we have, and other scriptures show this Servant suffered for us also.
In later writings we are told of a perfect man, Jesus of Nazareth, whom the prophet John said was the Lamb, of God. Because He Himself said He was from God, He was taken, without fair trial, and nailed to a cross; He did not resist, but was “led as a lamb to the slaughter”. He took patiently the cruel treatment from men, and the judgment against sins from God. They would have “made His grave with the wicked”, but one who loved Him buried Him.
We read here in Isaiah, “He shall see of the travail (great sorrow) of His soul, and shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall. My righteous Servant justify many.” So we believe the scriptures, that God raised Him from the dead, and received Him to Heaven.
While Christ was on earth. He said He must suffer: after He was risen He told those who loved Him that they were “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.” He said,
Let us ask ourselves if we believe this report, and trust the One Who suffered for sins.
ML 01/25/1942