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Full Color Gospel Brochure, Large Print, 14-Point Type
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It is commonly reported that chapter 53 is routinely skipped when the book of Isaiah is read in many synagogues. Here is a simple way to share with a Jewish friend what he or she has missed.
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Dear Jewish Friend,
It is said that Jewish people read from The Tanakh in the synagogue every Sabbath. The book of the prophet Isaiah is a significant part of the Tanakh; but it is also said that when the book of Isaiah is read in the synagogue, chapter 53 is often deliberately ignored, omitted, and passed over! Why? Here, is that missing chapter. Please read it reverently.
Isaiah 53
Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 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.
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: The chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and 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 iniquity 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 shearers is dumb, so He openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was He stricken. And He made His grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death; because He had done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth.
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out his soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It is understood that the prophet Isaiah was speaking for God; but of Whom is the prophet Isaiah speaking here? And who are the transgressors? This chapter comes between two other very remarkable chapters: Isaiah chapter 52 provides an insightful introduction to chapter 53, and chapter 54 affirms Israel’s future hope in her Redeemer. But, whom does Isaiah 53 describe?
It seems that it is because some are unwilling to carefully consider this question that the reading of this chapter has been so often forbidden. But it is part of God’s Holy Word. “… that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Deuteronomy 8:3. Notice that God says “every word.”
The mystery of the identity of the Person described in Isaiah 53 is an ancient one. The following revealing account from the Book of Acts, chapter eight, is almost 2000 years old:
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.” And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, “Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.” And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, “Understandest thou what thou readest?” And he said, “How can I, except some man should guide me?” And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
The place of the scripture which he read was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before His shearer, so opened He not his mouth: In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His gen-eration? For His life is taken from the earth.”
And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, “I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. Acts 8:26-35
To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whoso-ever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. Acts 10:43.
Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38-39.