NBBC WS: Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Introduction: If you remember, Pastor Chad reminded us that what we’re studying through are what are known as Isaiah’s Servant Song of the Messiah.

These give us an incredible glimpse into the Person of the Messiah, that the NT will reveal to us as Jesus.

The first of these is found in Isaiah 42:1-9. There were introduced to themes of the Servant such as His having been chosen by the Lord in Whom the Lord delights and upon Whom the Spirit rests. He will bring justice to the nations and be the source of hope

The 2nd of these is found in Isaiah 49:1-13 where the Servant’s global impact and success is stressed.

The next of these is found in Isaiah 50:4-11 where the righteous Servant’s mission of bringing peace yet substitutionary suffering receives emphasis.

In studying Isaiah 53, we’ve got to begin with the last 3 verses of the prior chapter. When you look at it, it's still talking about the Servant, and thematically, it goes together with Isaiah 53. I like to think of it almost like it's an introduction.

As we approach this passage, many of us probably are probably already familiar with this passage. This passage is one of the most frequently quoted passages in the NT. That gives us the opportunity to be able to have so much more significant discussion.

So as we go along this evening, I want to hear from you. And asking questions, I want to be able to hear what it is that the Lord is helping you to be able to see in this passage. So let's just jump right in and read together starting with Isaiah 52:13.

Isaiah 52:13–15 “13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted.

One of the most helpful things that I have read concerning this passage actually comes from the Bible acknowledge commentary that points out the fact that the main point of what it is that the Lord is seeking to get across, even in the detail that he's going to put into Isaiah 53, is not strictly the detail, but actually the exaltation of the servant himself.

As we go along, let's keep in mind that these details are not the end of the story.

There is something bigger that the Lord is doing here.

We are going, we are moving to exaltation, to glory of this servant, of the Messiah, of Jesus himself.

Let's see how that, that path that he's on, that the Lord sets him on, leads to exaltation.

What is it that is included in that path?

We begin with the word behold.

That is a word that just grabs our attention and says, hey, look right here.

It’s as if you just saw something on Facebook and you have to show it to someone so you run up to them and shove your phone in their face!

This is the Holy Spirit, pointing his finger and saying, look at this right here.

Grabbing our attention from off the page inviting us to look very carefully at the details here.

And what are those details?

That, first, my servant, the servant of the Lord, he will do what?

He'll prosper.

He'll be successful.

Some of you might have a translation that says that he will “act wisely”.

Notice, how the context leads us to understand that this is about the success of the Servant in His action.

He will be exalted.

He will be lifted up - or lifted up very high.

All of these statements lead us to conclude that the Servant will receive the highest praise for what He will undertake in which He will be successful.

And isn't this fascinating that the Spirit here decides to focus us in on the fact that, that what the servant is going to do, he's going to be successful at it.

It’s almost as if the Spirit is working to convince us of the success of the Servant.

When you work to convince someone of something, why do you usually do that?

Because the other person isn’t convinced right away!

What this suggests to us is that, whatever it is that the Servant is going to do that will lead to His glorious praise, it’s not going to initially look like success.

At this point, the Spirit has us on the edge of our seat asking, “What would this Servant do that would lead to such glory but not initially appear like success?”

14 Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men.

Verse 14 moves along and points out the path to glory and exaltation.

His appearance was marred more than any man.

What does that initially impress on you?

Because I was reading it, there was one word that came to my mind, and that is horror.

Think about the worst thing that you have ever seen and that astonishment, being aghast, being speechless, even if you will, as we get into verse 15.

The path for the servant to exaltation, where He will be successful, it involves physically becoming a horror, a horrid sight.

And that immediately prompts our question Why?

Why did he, in his exaltation, why did he take a path?

Why did he have to take a path that involved him becoming a he becoming a horrid image? (verse 15)

15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand.”

Look at the first line here “Thus, he will sprinkle many nations.”

So that brings us to a consequence of this becoming a horrid image that leads to exaltation.

That this consequence is going to be far reaching.

But why the word sprinkle here?

The word sprinkle actually has with it associations with the priesthood that's served in the temple and offering sacrifices for sin (cf. Lev 16:14).

Now, before you jump too far there, look back at verse 15. And what does it say that the servant will sprinkle the nations with and look at the verse?

And I know what we're probably all thinking.

He's going to sprinkle them with his blood.

But is that what the verse says?

It doesn't say that.

Because that word sprinkle is not followed by blood, We are further prompted to ask, what will he sprinkle them with?

The Spirit is setting us up to read the rest of the passage.

That is, we’re going to have to read Isaiah 53 to find out.

Because we expect blood as the referent, it gives the remainder of the passage an ominous tone.

But it does have clear associations with a sin offering that was made.

Where the spirit is implicitly pointing us to, is that this horror, that the servant will physically become, that leads to his exaltation, It's because of sin.

Brothers and sisters, let that sink in, because I've been praying that the Lord would let that sink into my heart.

What we are going to see is because of sin.

We have to ask ourselves this question if sin has done this to the servant do I view sin as being this bad?

Look at how it is that others will respond.

“Kings will shut their mouths on account of him.”

You ever known a politician to be quiet?

They'll be speechless.

That's how horrid this particular image is.

“For what they had not been told, they will see, and what they had not heard, they will understand.”

Basically, they've never seen anything like this before.

hey've never seen anything like this where something so horrid led to something so glorious with such far-reaching consequences.

Now, what we're gonna notice when we get to verse one of chapter 53 is that there is a shift in how things are being spoken about.

We actually move to a first person reference, verse 50, verse one of chapter 53.

Isaiah 53 “1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

They're really pointing out just, just how astounding this message is.

That this one who was the servant of the Lord, would choose to follow this path.

This path in which he would become a physical horror that would lead to his exaltation and have the consequence of doing something that will resolve sin.

And what's even more astounding is that this shows the power of God on display.

Why does this group need to proclaim so enthusiastically that this is God’s power?

Because it’s not going to look like God’s power.

None of us would have chosen this.

Brothers and sisters, what does becoming a horrid image seem like to us?

Failure.

In order to find out how the Servant became a horrid image, we need to keep reading.

Brothers and sisters, let it sink in that the Servant chose what appeared to be failure so that the sin of the nations could be resolved.

This is humility.

This is how horrid our sin is.

But it is, indeed, the power of God; His outstretched arm, For the purpose of saving.

2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

When you think of a tender shoot, What do you think of?

I think of seed that has been planted into the ground, and it has just popped up its first shoot, indicating that there is now life that is developing there.

But that shoot has to be protected.

Notice how the weakness of this plant is further emphasized by the ground in which it’s planted.

A plant can’t survive long in earth that is parched of water.

The Servant intentionally took on weakness.

Because in its current condition, it's not a strong, stable tree or plant.

It could very easily be cut down.

What is pointing out to us, brothers, and sisters is weakness.

Isn’t this astounding, brothers and sisters, that He deliberately chose weakness for our benefit.

Nobody does that, brothers and sisters.

Additionally, verse 2 points out that the Servant will be physically unimpressive.

Brothers and sisters, what we’re really pointed to here is the intentional humility of the Servant in assuming weakness and being physically unimpressive.

3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

So not only was he physically unimpressive, but also he was socially rejected.

And brothers and sisters, you think about this He chose that path.

Even though it meant rejection by his peers.

Think about the irony here, brothers and sisters.

He chose this path so we could be reconciled to the Father, and live with him forever.

Not in rejection, but as his children.

So far in these descriptions of being physically unimpressive and socially rejected, we still haven't quite gotten to the why.

Yes, verse 15 forecasted that for us.

But beginning here in verse four, brothers and sisters, we're gonna begin to see our sin in ways that it's unpleasant.

But this is how the Lord wants for us to see our sin.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

Notice that contrasting mindset there.

The service that Jesus renders, but then the response that he was given, where in that service, it was determined, there's got to be something wrong with this guy.

What do we call that?

Where Jesus is providing a service that we need, but then others look at him and say there's something wrong with him.

It's pointing the finger at Jesus and saying that the problem is with him.

What kind of attitude says that?

It's a proud attitude.

Brothers and sisters this is the ugliness of the sin of pride on display.

We would be so blinded that we can’t see our problems.

Instead, we think that the problem is with the Perfect Servant.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Brothers and sisters, do you see here how we are now getting a clearer picture of how the servant would be made a horrid physical image.

Piercing, crushing, chastening or the punishment, scourging.

And while all of these have a positive outcome that comes to our benefit, it's our transgressions that he was pierced for, brothers and sisters.

It's our iniquities (our intentional acts of sin, i.e. rebellion) that he was crushed for.

That the price, the cost, of our well-being or our peace with God that fell upon the servant, the Messiah.

That through the scourging, the whipping that he endured, That though his back was lacerated and torn, those wounds led to our spiritual reconciliation

That process of restoration.

When we receive the Spirit, that Jesus gives to us when we believe on him, that the Spirit is doing in our heart.

Brothers and sisters, what do we think of our sin now?

Our sin that the Servant was pierced, crushed, punished and scourged for?

By the way, in making this statement, what is the author confessing here?

Their sin.

They’re confessing that they’re a sinner.

And if at this point, you're like, This is awful. Verse 6 makes it worse.

6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

What are we pointed to when we read the words “All of us”?

This is a confession.

This is an admission of guilt.

An admission of guilt that everyone bears!

What is what is meant here by gone astray and turned to his own way?

What's that pointing us to?

There was something that we should be following, but we've turned away from it.

What do we call that?

Where we intentionally turn away from what it is that we should be doing?

It's rebellion, brothers and sisters. Our sin is worse enough.

But adding to it, that we want to do it.

You see brothers and sisters as we all know, but are being reminded of here we all have a sin nature that influences every part of us.

That is actively working to pursue its desires against the Lord.

And yet, in the midst of that act of rebellion, What has happened?

The Lord, has caused our rebellion the guilt associated with that to fall on the servant.

And it continues to get worse, brothers and sisters. What it is that the servant would face?

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.

What's the emphasis here?

What is repeated there in that passage, in that verse?

He did not open his mouth.

Brothers and sisters, he didn't defend himself.

In silence, He continued following that path.

The path that would mean becoming a horrid image.

The path of suffering culminating with his death.

And of all people, brothers and sisters, He's the one who had the right to defend himself because he is God's perfect Servant.

But the question becomes, why is it that he might be tempted to defend himself?

How is it that he would come to this place where if he's so perfect, that that He's at this place where there are others who are abusing him and prompting his suffering? (Verse 8)

8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?

Brothers and sisters, what the spirit is pointing out to us here is giving us further details about how this perfect servant would be so mistreated.

And it's on account of the fact that there was an abuse of justice.

Or in other words, the servant was treated unjustly.

And I'm sure that as I say that, our minds, we are going to, when Judas betrays Jesus, and the night of that betrayal, where the officers of the chief priests, they come, and they're ready to fight against a resistance, that Jesus and the disciples might put up, but Jesus does not resist.

And then there's false testimony that is given about Jesus.

And finally, he is sentenced, brought before Pilate and condemned to death.

And all of this was a grave abuse of justice.

And as verse 8 reminds us, and nobody, nobody took notice of that.

Nobody was concerned about the grave abuse of justice here.

And then verse 8 points us to the fact that the Servant willingly going through injustice.

It was for the purpose of the transgression of his people.

Brothers and sisters, he chose to be treated unjustly for our sin.

So far, we have talked about suffering. And this suffering is awful. But look what it culminates in verse 9

9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

Why would the Servant be assigned a place with the wicked?

Because He was considered a criminal.

Therefore, the intent was to treat Him like a criminal.

Brothers and sisters, what was the conclusion of this suffering?

Is that the suffering servant would die.

The servant willingly allowed himself to be treated as a criminal.

But in vindication of his reputation, who he was, he was with a rich man in his death.

He would be laid in a tomb that did not belong to him, but to someone else.

So brothers and sisters, maybe didn't realize it, but now here we are at a funeral service.

The servant has died.

He has been laid in the tomb.

While this was for our sin, the other question that pops up as we look at the different actors who are involved here is... How could people do that? It seems chaotic to us.

But then verse 10 gives us a very important reminder. Who is really in charge?

10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

This verse points out God's sovereignty, his control.

He continues to work out his plan, his plan to resolve sin.

And that plan doesn't stop with the servant in the grave.

Did you catch how verse 10 points to the servant living again?

He will see his offspring. He will prolong his days.

Brothers and sisters, the Servant will have days beyond the grave.

He will come to life again.

He will see his offspring.

In other words, His family will grow and grow and grow.

Though he was socially rejected, He's gonna add to his family.

And one day, we are going to be with Tim, and this is the work of the Lord to be able to do this.

With this result, What does this mean? That the servant has done?

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.

The result here, brothers and sisters, really is twofold.

It's going to please the Lord, because the servant has obeyed.

But it's also going to result in transformation.

The justified, they will be changed.

They will be made right with the Lord.

Something that they themselves could not do.

12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded (mediation/mediator) for the transgressors.”

What is meant that “He will divide the booty”?

This is about sharing!

When you’ve received something that someone has shared with you, what is your response?

Gratitude.

Brothers and sisters, we are grateful because the Servant in being made a horrid image, leading to death has resulted in the resolution of our sin, guaranteed through the life that He know lives.

This reference to the intercession that the Servant makes calls to mind the mediatorial function that He served.

This is brought out elsewhere when this term is used in reference to one approaching another on someone else’s behalf (cf. Gn 23:8)

It further points out that the benefits of what the Servant has undertaken, though He suffered and died, were entirely for the benefit of others.

This was a selfless sacrifice.

Brothers and sisters, though it was a horrid path of suffering culminating in death, it turned out really well for the Servant - and He doesn’t keep that to Himself!

Conclusion: Brothers and sisters, our response to this is exactly where we began. We praise the Servant for this humble action of self-sacrifice that secures forgiveness and a right standing with God for us who have believed. In other words, brothers and sisters, our praise is motivated by a heart of gratitude to what the Servant has done.

Additionally, brothers and sisters, I believe that we’re meant to focus on the ugliness of sin and what it did to the Servant and not only lament our sin more but also grow in our hatred of our sin that would do this to the Servant. In that hatred, we would rely on the Spirit to fight all the more when that old nature comes creeping up with another temptation to do that which displeases our Lord.