The Suffering Servant

Introduction

As we come to this passage we come to the fourth and the final Servant Song in the book of Isaiah.

The first is .

Then .

Then .

All of these songs find their fulfillment in Christ.

This Servant is seen as the embodiment of Israel, He is seen as a representative of the people of Israel

This is consistent with OT biblical thought

In the Davidic covenant David’s heirs represent and embody the people as a whole; Israel is God’s son

Exodus 4:22–23 ESV

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”

And the King become’s God’s son on his coronation

2 Samuel 7:14 ESV

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,

This servant follows this pattern of David’s heirs.

Second, this servant achieves the expansion of his rule throughout the Gentile world

Isaiah 42:1–4 ESV

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law.

And of course the OT is clear that this is the work of the Davidic son

The Prophets describe the Davidic son, the Messiah as a servant

Ezekiel 34:23–24 ESV

And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

Ezek.

Ezekiel 37:25 ESV

They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.

Ezek. 37.25

Jeremiah 33:21–22 ESV

then also my covenant with David my servant may be broken, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne, and my covenant with the Levitical priests my ministers. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the offspring of David my servant, and the Levitical priests who minister to me.”

All of this helps us to see that this Servant of the Lord in Isaiah is the Davidic Messiah

As we come to this final Servant song, this song is frequently quoted in the NT

that we looked at this morning

1 Peter 2:22–25 ESV

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

In this Servant song we see how Holy God can bless sinful people, all the promises of God will come true for them because the suffering and triumphant servant will remove their sin and their guilt before God by His sacrifice.

We will overview the sections that we see in this passage

I. The Servant will appear repulsive but He will achieve redemption: 52:13-15

v.13 could be translated, my Servant shall prosper

He will be high and lifted up, this Servant will be exalted

But that will not always be the case, He will be marred, He will be broken

We think of Jesus in His passion, being beaten, whipped, His appearance marred

There is much detail that we could go into that we won’t tonight, but this word sprinkle, this is a word used for the ministry of the priest

Exodus 29:21 ESV

Then you shall take part of the blood that is on the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and his sons’ garments with him. He and his garments shall be holy, and his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

Leviticus 14:7 ESV

And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

Numbers 8:7 ESV

Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them go with a razor over all their body, and wash their clothes and cleanse themselves.

This Servant will sprinkle many nations,

that is He will purify them, He will make them clean;

He will be their Great High Priest

Hebrews 9:11–14 ESV

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

II. The Servant will be rejected: 53:1-3

He will not outwardly impressive, He was obscure; He was not raised in the walls of the great kings of those days, but instead born and raised within a people that appeared weak, meaningless

Of course as we read v.3 we think about the ministry of our Lord, He was rejected by His own people

John 1:10–11 ESV

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

John 1.

III. The Servant bore the sins of His people: 53:4-6

This is the heart of the song.

Substitutionary atonement is clearly revealed here.

Discuss this as the heart of the gospel

1 Peter 2:24–25 ESV

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

1 Peter 1:24–25 ESV

for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

IV. The Servant dies in innocence: 53:7-9

Think about the passion of our Lord

Matthew 27:11–14 ESV

Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

Matthew 27.

v.9 discuss and the grave of Joseph of Arimathea

The death was not His own, the grave was not His own

V. The Servant was crushed but victorious: 53:10-12

Discuss the victory accomplished by Jesus and lead to Supper