The Appeased Wrath of God

In Christian circles there is often a misguided notion that Christ coming was strictly in order to defeat Satan. Think old people’s facebook posts.

Another caricature of Christianity that exists, is thinking of God as love and nothing else. Or if God is loving, he is accepting of all of humanity. God doesn’t necessarily care about what I do or how I live.

Both of these ideas are wrong as they over emphasize 1 side of the coin.

God is both loving and fearfully wrathful. If you lose either of these things you end up worshipping something beside the God of the Bible.

This is where the true heart of Christianity shines, for with this knowledge of God we are brought to the necessity of atonement, and there are few passages that clearly portray this theme than the closing of Isaiah 53.

Isaiah 53:10-12

In this first verse the meaning and purpose of the Work accomplished by the servant’s is described.

V. 10a: Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

How can this be? If God is strictly a God of love, how can he take pleasure in the destruction of “His Righteous One?”

Why would God crush this man who has done no violence and told no lie?

It was in order to satisfy the wrath of God.

10b: when his soul makes an offering for guilt

In the Old Testament there were many different forms of offerings people would offer, the guilt offering being one of them.

The guilt offering was an offering of compensation. Sin had acquired a debt due. God is a judge who judges law breakers. The Israelites would offer up guilt offerings, however these were just a shadow of the greater offering that would be made.

The servant willingly offers Himself up as a guilt offering to the Lord in order to appease the debt procured.

10cb: he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

In providing the guilt offering to pay the debt of God’s people, the Servant will see His kingdom grow as people receive the benefits of His offering.

Also, unlike the shadows that ended in death, this Servant lives on seeing the people He has redeemed.

10d: the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The will of the Lord is accomplished in the destruction.

It was God’s will to crush Him, and in Him doing so provide redemption to a people who alone could not pay their debt. This Servant, in His willing self-sacrifice brought people to God, fulfilling His will.

In the final two verses the we have the Lord’s testimony to His Servant.

11a: As a result of the anguish of His soul,

He will see it and be satisfied;

The Anguish Leading to Satisfaction

As the result of the suffering servants anguish. His longsuffering of the sinfulness of the world and his obedience to death, God wrath was satisfied.

The Justice of God was satisfied in the Son’s anguish.

11b: by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant

The Knowledge of the Righteous Servant

Christ knew exactly what it would take to appease God’s wrath.

He did what He alone knew to do.

He was also again perfectly righteous.

Christ was the only possible mediator for only He was perfectly righteous, knowledgable and willing to do what needed to be done.

11c: make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

Through His suffering, Christ was and is able to extend His righteousness to a lost people.

How? By bearing their iniquities.

This is the atonement performed by Christ in order to save fallen man.

Christ knowing the debt to be paid, fulfilled the will of God by suffering and bearing the iniquities of God’s people, in order that He may extend to them His perfect righteousness.

This is what we celebrate on Resurrection Sunday. That Christ has defeated sin and death and nows reigns forever.

So how did God respond to the obedience of the Servant?

V.12: Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Christ the victor will receive the spoil of his labor.

He now reigns as Lord over a kingdom who has been won by His victory.

Discussion Questions:

What does it mean that God was pleased to “crush Him?” Does God “crushing” Jesus make Him unloving?

How has Jesus made His people righteous?

Do you think of Jesus as a victorious king? Why or why not? And how can thinking of Him in this way impact our walk with God?